Lead Trade Compliance Specialist

At Yubico, we offer:

Yubico Values: We work to ensure that our employees have an open space to have their voices amplified to create a workplace where everyone feels like they belong. In support of this, our employees have created some pretty cool Employee Resource Groups that foster inclusion, help build community and connection across Yubico. Additionally, Yubico donates YubiKeys to organizations in need all over the world (you can read more about our work here).

The Role

The Lead Trade Compliance Specialist serves as Yubico’s global authority and principal Subject Matter Expert (SME) on international trade compliance. Based at our Stockholm Head Office and reporting directly to the Vice President of Supply Chain and Operations and Global Head of Trade Compliance, this senior individual contributor (IC) is responsible for building, auditing, and maintaining a robust, enterprise-wide trade compliance framework.

The primary focus of this role is ensuring flawless compliance with import and export regulations from a Swedish and European Union (EU) perspective, whilst ensuring seamless cross-regional alignment with Trade Compliance stakeholders in the Americas and APJ.

Key Responsibilities

1. Core Trade Compliance and Regulatory Oversight (40%)

• Regulatory Compliance SME: Act as the primary point of contact and corporate SME for all global trade compliance matters, import and export controls, sanctions regulations, and customs audits.
• EU and Swedish Regulatory Authority: Lead regional compliance strategies from a Swedish Head Office perspective, ensuring strict adherence to EU export control regimes, Swedish customs clearance protocols, and national cross-border mandates.
• Product Classification (HS/HTS and ECCN): Lead and maintain global product classifications, assigning precise Harmonised System (HS) / Harmonised Tariff Schedule (HTS) codes, Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCN), and Country of Origin (CoO) declarations across all physical hardware and digital key offerings.
• Customs Valuation Models: Develop, implement, and maintain complex customs valuation policies and procedures tailored to subscription-based models where physical hardware is shipped in conjunction with software licences.
• Denied Party Screening: Drive global export control screening policies, ensuring comprehensive denied party screening and sanctions compliance across all international order channels.

2. Global Alignment and Cross-Functional Governance (30%)

• Global Regional Alignment: Secure and maintain strict alignment across EMEA, Americas, and APJ regions. Harmonise compliance policies, documentation standards, and classification practices across all global fulfilment nodes.
• Importer of Record (IoR) Solutions: Design, evaluate, and govern compliant IoR operational solutions and legal pathways for destinations where neither Yubico nor its customers maintain a local legal entity.
• Incoterms and Shipping Documentation Integrity: Enforce global rules for International Commercial Terms (Incoterms 2020), with a primary focus on F-terms (e.g., FCA) and D-terms (e.g., DAP, DDP). Ensure complete accuracy across commercial invoices, packing slips, export filings, and customs declarations.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Partner closely with Legal, Finance (Value Added Tax [VAT] and cross-border tax), Product, and Sales operations to support new market expansions and resolve cross-border trade bottlenecks.

3. Framework Development, Environmental Standards and Systems (30%)

• Policy and SOP Architecture: Generate, administer, and maintain Global Trade Compliance Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Standard Work Instructions (SWIs), and operational FAQs.
• Internal Training Programmes: Develop and execute comprehensive trade compliance training programmes for relevant internal stakeholders across Operations, Sales, Legal, and Supply Chain teams.
• Environmental and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Compliance: Lead adherence to environmental regulations, including Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directives and local EPR frameworks across global destinations.
• Quality and Customs Certifications: Align operational frameworks to support and maintain Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards.
• Systems and Automation: Drive automation projects by integrating trade compliance tools, classification databases, and automated export screening software into Yubico's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.

Qualifications and Key Requirements

Trade Compliance Expertise

• Experience: 10+ years of dedicated, hands-on experience in global trade compliance, export controls, and international customs management within a multinational technology or hardware environment.
• Regulatory Mastery: Deep, expert-level knowledge of EU customs laws, Swedish export regulations, United States Export Administration Regulations (EAR), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) rules, and general APJ import frameworks.
• Technical Compliance Skills: Advanced mastery of HS/HTS classification, ECCN assignment, Incoterms 2020, customs valuation models (hardware and licence bundling), Automated Export System (AES) filings, and IoR operational setups.
• Environmental and Quality Standards: Proven experience overseeing WEEE/EPR environmental directives, alongside AEO and ISO standards.

Senior IC Leadership and Alignment Capabilities

• Global Alignment Capability: Demonstrated ability to influence cross-regionally and establish uniform compliance processes across distributed teams in EMEA, Americas, and APJ.
• Problem-Solving and Escalation: Ability to independently troubleshoot complex customs delays, broker inquiries, and regulatory holds directly.
• Education and Professional Certifications: Bachelor’s degree in Business, International Trade, Law, Logistics, or a related field. Certified Customs Specialist (CCS), Certified Export Specialist (CES), or equivalent trade certification is highly advantageous.
• Location and Language: Based in Stockholm, Sweden. Fluent in written and spoken English; proficiency in Swedish is a distinct advantage given local regulatory interactions.