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Finning

Largest Caterpillar heavy equipment dealer

Senior Trade Compliance Specialist

Regulatory Compliance & EthicsConfirmed live in the last 24 hours
Full-time

About the Job

Requirements

  • A diploma or degree in International Trade, Logistics, Business, or a related field.
  • At least 10 years of experience in customs, trade compliance, export controls, and duty recovery.
  • Deep expertise in Canadian and U.S. customs regulations, tariff schedules, General Rules of Interpretation, D-Memos, World Customs Organization notes, SIMA, valuation, and surtax.
  • Advanced understanding of USMCA and free trade agreement qualification.
  • Strong knowledge of HS codes, ECCNs, ECL, and export controls.
  • Experience with duty recovery and minimization programs.
  • Familiarity with PGAs, including EPA, FDA, CFIA, DOT, Health Canada, CGP, and Environment Canada.
  • A solid understanding of supply chain, logistics, reverse logistics, and Incoterms.
  • Proven ability to lead audits, amendments, and ruling-based decisions.
  • Experience writing ruling requests and responding to ruling decisions.
  • Familiarity with U.S. export regulations, AES filings, and reporting.
  • Strong proficiency in Excel and Power BI, including reporting, pivots, and data analysis.
  • Strategic thinking, independent judgment, and decision-making ability.
  • Strong analytical ability and attention to detail.
  • Clear communication, presentation, and training skills.
  • Collaborative influence and ability to drive change across functions.
  • High ethical standards and confidence advocating for compliance.

Responsibilities

  • Own and govern customs compliance processes across Finning entities, ensuring alignment with current CBSA and CBP regulations.
  • Act as the senior technical expert for Canadian and U.S. customs matters, including tariff classification and valuation, origin determination and USMCA qualification, SIMA, surtax, PGAs, export controls, and duty programs.
  • Independently manage high-complexity HS classification, including new product introductions, kits and assemblies, tariff shifts, and multi-program eligibility reviews.
  • Provide strategic guidance on tariff changes, SIMA applicability, valuation adjustments, and regulatory developments.
  • Own and govern the USMCA qualification and review process for manufactured and remanufactured products.
  • Manage Finning’s CARM account, ensuring compliance, financial security, and system accuracy.
  • Lead detailed audits of broker entries, classifications, valuations, and origin documentation to identify risks and drive corrective action.
  • Serve as Finning’s primary technical contact with CBSA, CBP, customs brokers, Caterpillar, and external advisors.
  • Design and implement process improvements and compliance frameworks that enhance accuracy, efficiency, and risk mitigation.
  • Provide advanced technical mentorship to Trade Compliance Specialists, reducing reliance on management for complex decisions.
  • Lead technical analysis to identify duty recovery, conditional relief, drawback, and end-use opportunities.
  • Evaluate parts, assemblies, and product families to determine program eligibility and compliance requirements.
  • Partner with Caterpillar and customs consultants on complex recovery initiatives.
  • Analyze sales and part-level data to ensure recovery claims are audit-ready.
  • Quantify financial impact and communicate duty savings opportunities to the business.
  • Act as the primary escalation point for high-risk and high-value trade issues, including SIMA scope, PGAs, temporary imports, CERS, export controls, and valuation disputes.
  • Review and approve classification, valuation, and duty accuracy for high-value vendor invoices.
  • Provide hands-on support during urgent or business-critical shipments.
  • Coordinate with Treasury on customs bonds and duty payments to prevent financial exposure.
  • Maintain expert-level knowledge of Canadian and U.S. trade regulations.
  • Translate regulatory changes into clear, actionable guidance.
  • Proactively identify compliance risks and implement mitigation plans.
  • Deliver data-driven insights, reports, and recommendations to stakeholders.
  • Act as a trusted internal consultant and thought partner to the business.
  • Support continuous improvement, SOP development, and best practices.
  • Safeguard Finning against penalties, delays, and reputational risk.

Desired Qualifications

  • Professional certification as a Certified Customs Specialist, Certified Trade Compliance Specialist, or Customs Export Specialist, or working toward one.
  • Experience with CARM and Single Window.
  • CITP or FIBP designation.
  • Licensed Customs Broker or Control Goods Program experience.

About the Company

Finning

Largest Caterpillar heavy equipment dealer

Finning International is a global distributor of heavy equipment and related services, with a focus on Caterpillar machines. It sells new and used Caterpillar equipment, provides parts, maintenance, and repairs, and offers fleet management and rental options through an extensive service network. The company works by partnering with Caterpillar to supply and support customer operations across Canada, South America, and the United Kingdom, backed by a large parts and service ecosystem, field technicians, and financing options. Finning differentiates itself through its long-standing relationship with Caterpillar, a broad geographic footprint, a scale of parts and service availability, and decades of experience serving customers in the heavy equipment sector. Its goal is to help customers maximize uptime and productivity by delivering reliable equipment, ready parts, skilled maintenance, and after-sales support at scale.

Company size
5,001-10,000
Company stage
IPO
Headquarters
Vancouver, Canada
Founded
1933

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