Trade Operations Leader

To make electronics, you need chips, wafers, transistors, reticles, and... To make these, you must see, test and manufacture them at scale—faster and better than ever before. That's where KLA comes in. Whether you're early in your career or an experienced professional, you'll solve complex challenges, work alongside brilliant minds and help shape the future of technology.

Group/Division

KLA's Global Supply Chain (GSC) oversees sourcing, supplier contracting and management, materials management, direct and indirect procurement, and logistics and trade compliance. GSC leads activities to establish and manage an innovative, reliable, efficient, effective and compliant global supply chain and logistics structure that strengthens KLA's competitive advantage.

What You'll Do

In this role, you will play a key part in advancing business priorities by delivering high-impact work across your area of expertise.

Trade Operations Leader, Taiwan

Role Profile | Trade Operations, Port Clearance, FTZ Execution

Location

Taiwan, with primary support for port clearance, manufacturing, service logistics, and regional trade operations.

Reports to

APAC Trade Operations Leader

Scope

End-to-end trade operations execution, including import/export clearance, customs broker governance, FTZ operations, duty and tax optimization, and operational controls.

Key Partners

Global Trade Compliance, Logistics, Supply Chain, Manufacturing Operations, Procurement, Finance, Customs Brokers, Freight Forwarders, and government authorities.

Success Outcome

A controlled, efficient, scalable, and audit-ready Taiwan trade operations environment that supports business continuity and cost optimization.

Position Summary

The Trade Operations Leader is responsible for leading and overseeing all aspects of import, export, customs, Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ), and trade operations activities across Taiwan. This role serves as the primary regional owner for trade execution, customs compliance support, broker management, duty optimization initiatives, and strategic trade programs. The position ensures compliant, efficient, and resilient cross-border movement of materials, spare parts, manufacturing equipment, and finished goods while supporting business continuity, cost optimization, and regulatory compliance objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Customs & Port Clearance Management

• Own end-to-end import and export operations for Taiwan.
• Ensure timely clearance of inbound and outbound shipments through Taiwan customs and port operations.
• Manage relationships with customs brokers, freight forwarders, carriers, and government agencies.
• Resolve customs holds, inspections, valuation issues, classification disputes, and documentation discrepancies.
• Establish and maintain customs clearance procedures and broker operating instructions.
• Monitor customs clearance performance, service levels, and escalation trends.
• Lead escalation management for critical shipments impacting customer commitments or manufacturing operations.

FTZ Operations & Governance

• Serve as the designated business owner for Taiwan FTZ operations.
• Ensure compliance with all FTZ regulations, operating procedures, and reporting requirements.
• Oversee FTZ admissions, transfers, exports, inventory reconciliation, destruction, scrap, audits, and regulatory inspections.
• Maintain inventory accuracy between physical inventory and system records.
• Develop and implement FTZ operational controls and standard operating procedures.
• Coordinate periodic reviews and internal audits of FTZ activities.

Trade Operations Execution

• Lead regional execution of trade operations activities across Taiwan.
• Standardize processes for import management, export management, customs documentation, trade program administration, and broker management.
• Ensure operational readiness for changes in trade regulations, tariffs, sanctions, and customs requirements.
• Support regional business growth through scalable Trade Operations processes.

Duty & Tax Optimization

• Identify opportunities for FTZ utilization, duty reduction, tariff mitigation, tax optimization, and customs value management.
• Partner with Global Trade Compliance and Finance to quantify and implement savings initiatives.
• Support duty recovery and drawback opportunities where applicable.
• Develop business cases for new trade programs and customs initiatives.

Broker & Service Provider Management

• Manage regional customs brokerage strategy and execution.
• Establish broker scorecards and performance metrics.
• Conduct quarterly business reviews with brokers and service providers.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives with logistics and customs partners.
• Monitor service levels and compliance performance.

Regulatory Compliance Support

• Partner with Global Trade Compliance to ensure operational execution aligns with Taiwan customs regulations, export controls, import controls, free trade agreements, and government licensing requirements.
• Support internal and external audits.
• Maintain documentation supporting customs declarations and audits.
• Assist with investigations related to customs inquiries and regulatory issues.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Act as the Taiwan trade operations subject matter expert.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing Operations, Logistics, Procurement, Customer Support, Supply Chain Planning, Finance, and Global Trade Compliance.
• Lead projects involving new product introductions, facility expansions, FTZ activations, ERP enhancements, broker consolidations, and network optimization.

Data Analytics & Continuous Improvement

• Develop KPIs and dashboards to monitor customs clearance performance, broker effectiveness, duty spend, FTZ inventory accuracy, shipment cycle times, and compliance metrics.
• Identify process improvement opportunities using Lean and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Drive digital transformation and automation initiatives across trade operations processes.

Key Performance Indicators

• Customs clearance cycle time

• Import/export on-time clearance rate

• FTZ inventory accuracy

• Customs audit findings

• Broker performance scorecard

• Duty and tax savings achieved

• Trade compliance incident rate

• Shipment hold resolution time

• Operational cost reduction initiatives

• Stakeholder satisfaction

Required Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, International Business, Logistics, Customs Administration, Trade Compliance, Finance, or a related field.
• Master's degree preferred.

Experience

• 10+ years of international trade, customs, logistics, or supply chain experience.
• 5+ years of leadership experience.
• Direct experience managing customs brokers and import/export operations in Taiwan.
• Strong understanding of FTZ operations and inventory control requirements.
• Experience supporting manufacturing and high-technology environments.
• Experience working with customs authorities and government agencies.

Technical Knowledge

• Taiwan customs regulations
• Import/export operations
• FTZ management
• Harmonized tariff classification
• Customs valuation
• Rules of origin
• Duty optimization programs
• SAP ERP / SAP GTS or equivalent systems
• Customs broker management

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic thinking

• Operational excellence

• Stakeholder management

• Regulatory risk management

• Change leadership

• Data-driven decision making

• Influencing without authority

• Executive communication

• Continuous improvement mindset

• Strong commercial acumen

Reporting Structure

• Reports to: APAC Trade Operations Leader
• Typical direct reports may include Trade Operations Specialists, Import/Export Analysts, FTZ Administrator, and Trade Program Analyst, as applicable.

Success Profile

The successful candidate will create a highly controlled, efficient, and scalable trade operations environment that enables uninterrupted manufacturing and customer fulfillment while maximizing FTZ benefits, minimizing duty exposure, strengthening customs compliance, and driving operational excellence throughout Taiwan.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's Level Degree and related work experience of 5 years

About KLA

We provide advanced inspection tools, metrology systems, process solutions, and computational analytics that make electronics possible, tackling complex challenges. From electron and photon optics to machine learning and data analytics, we seek perfection at the most fundamental level of matter in the universe. If you want to make electronics that push industries forward and make the world a better place, join us.

Use of AI Statement 

At KLA, our interviews seek to understand your individual skills, problem-solving approach and authentic thinking. To ensure a fair and consistent evaluation, the use of AI, recording tools or other technologies to generate, suggest or provide responses during interviews—whether virtual or in person—is not permitted unless explicitly approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation or invited by the interviewer. Use of these tools may interfere with our ability to evaluate your individual qualifications and affect your candidacy. KLA is committed to advancing innovation through responsible AI, and we value candidates who share this mindset.

We offer a competitive, family friendly total rewards package. We design our programs to reflect our commitment to an inclusive environment, while ensuring we provide benefits that meet the diverse needs of our employees.

KLA is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.