Trade Compliance Specialist at Firestorm in San Diego, CA

Job description

Firestorm is hiring a Trade Compliance Specialist to execute the day-to-day mechanics of our trade compliance program. You will be in a high-autonomy, execution-focused individual contributor role responsible for screening, licensing administration, classification intake, training delivery, audits, and recordkeeping — with the discipline required in a heavily regulated, ITAR/EAR environment. This is not a strategy or program-design role. You will report directly to the General Counsel, ensuring tight coordination on regulatory and licensing matters, and you will work closely with outside export compliance legal counsel, who will provide ITAR/EAR legal interpretation and guidance on complex classification, licensing, and enforcement questions. Your job is to take that guidance and execute it so Firestorm remains fully compliant, which will include keeping records audit-ready, keeping employees trained, and making sure nothing falls through the cracks. You will work closely with the COO, engineering, and program teams to ensure trade compliance tasks are handled accurately and on time — not buried in a policy binder nobody opens. We are looking for someone who can move fast, stay organized under regulatory pressure, and execute compliance tasks with rigor and consistency. You are an operator first — someone who keeps the day-to-day running smoothly, escalates legal judgment calls to the General Counsel and outside export counsel, and makes sure the basics never slip. What You’ll Do Screening, Licensing & Classification Perform and maintain records for restricted/denied party screening across customers, partners, vendors, and visitors, escalating any potential matches to the General Counsel and outside export counsel immediately Prepare and track export related submissions (e.g., DSP-5/748P, TAA/MLA, CJ/C-CATS, etc.) through DDTC’s DECCS and Commerce’s SNAP-R systems; maintain a clean status log of all active, pending, and expiring licenses and agreements Manage the classification process for items, technical data, software and technology under the U.S. Munitions List (USML) and Commerce Control List (CCL)/ECCN framework, including coordinating with engineering to obtain technical information, maintaining configuration-specific classification records, routing close-call or ambiguous determinations to outside export counsel for classification Administer use of EAR license exceptions and ITAR exemptions, including required eligibility reviews, certifications, notices, acknowledgments and recordkeeping, under guidance from the General Counsel and outside export counsel. Maintain organized, audit-ready documentation for all licenses, classifications, screenings, and authorizations Track license conditions, provisos, and reporting obligations to ensure ongoing compliance after a license is granted Training & Awareness Deliver Firestorm’s export control and trade compliance training to employees, contractors, and relevant third parties using materials provided by the General Counsel and outside export counsel Help keep training content current as regulations or company practices change, flagging needed updates to outside export counsel Maintain training completion records and follow up on gaps to ensure full coverage across the workforce Serve as the first point of contact for employee questions on export control basics, escalating anything beyond routine guidance to the General Counsel. Visitor & Foreign Person Access Control Maintain visitor and foreign person access control logs in coordination with facilities and security Screen and process visitor requests for compliance with ITAR/EAR deemed export restrictions prior to facility access Coordinate with the Information System Security Officer (ISSO), IT, and program teams to ensure access controls for controlled information and restricted areas are properly documented and enforced Audits, Recordkeeping & Program Administration Conduct internal audits and self-assessments of the trad