Customs Compliance Manager

Winpak is seeking a Customs & Trade Compliance Manager to join our team, based out of either Winnipeg, Montreal, or Toronto, Canada. In this role, you will lead Winpak's customs and trade compliance program across North America, providing strategic guidance on tariffs, duties, product classification, trade agreements, and regulatory requirements. As a corporate subject matter expert, you will partner with teams across the organization to manage trade-related risk, identify opportunities to reduce costs, and ensure compliance across our rigid and flexible packaging operations.

Key Responsibilities
Customs & Trade Compliance
- Lead and oversee Winpak’s customs and trade compliance program across Canada, the United States, and Mexico, ensuring compliance with applicable customs, tariff, and trade regulations.
- Serve as Winpak’s internal subject matter expert on tariffs, duties, product classification, country of origin, trade agreements, and emerging trade regulations, including the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.
- Develop, maintain, and regularly audit tariff classifications for raw materials, semi-finished goods, and finished products to ensure accurate classification and minimize compliance risk and duty exposure.
- Serve as the primary corporate contact with the Canada Border Services Agency, U.
S. Customs and Border Protection, customs brokers, freight forwarders, and other government and regulatory agencies regarding audits, rulings, licenses, and compliance matters.
- Oversee compliance with North American trade agreements, including validating product eligibility, country-of-origin requirements, documentation, and certifications. Tariffs, Risk & Cost Optimization
- Monitor changes to tariffs, trade measures, quotas, antidumping and countervailing duties, and other regulatory developments, assessing their potential financial impact and recommending appropriate actions to the business.
- Lead duty recovery and cost-optimization initiatives, including duty drawbacks, refunds, rulings, amendments, exclusions, and other available duty mitigation strategies.
- Monitor and manage applicable U.
S. and Canadian trade measures, including Section 232 requirements, quotas, import licensing, and other measures that may impact Winpak’s operations and costs.
- Establish and maintain customs compliance processes, databases, systems, and controls, including tariff classification and trade agreement information within MOVEX.
- Identify opportunities to reduce duty exposure, improve landed costs, and create greater predictability around trade-related costs. Business Partnership & Continuous Improvement
- Partner with Procurement, Supply Chain, Logistics, Finance, Product Development, Operations, and business unit leaders on sourcing decisions, new product launches, special projects, and other initiatives with customs and trade implications.
- Develop and deliver training on customs and trade compliance topics, including Customs 101, Incoterms, tariffs, trade agreements, and other relevant regulations.
- Provide guidance and support to Winpak business units across North America as a corporate subject matter expert and resource.
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen customs compliance, improve business processes, and enhance customs efficiency.
- Promote company-wide awareness of customs and trade compliance requirements and proactively identify areas of risk and opportunity. Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain, International Trade, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 7+ years of progressive experience in customs compliance, international trade, global trade compliance, or a related field.
- Professional customs or trade compliance certification, such as Certified Customs Specialist (CCS) or Certified Trade Compliance Specialist (CTCS).
- In-depth knowledge of Canadian and U.
S. customs regulations, tariff classification, duties, country of origin, and trade compliance requirements.
- Demonstrated experience working with Canadian and U.
S. government agencies, customs brokers, freight forwarders, and other trade partners.
- Experience interpreting and applying North American trade agreements, including the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.
- Demonstrated experience analyzing the financial impact of tariffs, duties, and other trade measures and developing strategies to manage or reduce costs.
- Experience developing and delivering training and providing guidance to cross-functional teams and business leaders.
- Advanced Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel, Word, Outlook, and Teams. Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working in the packaging or manufacturing industry, particularly with films, foils, laminations, resins, shrink films, barrier structures, or other packaging materials.
- Experience with duty drawback programs, customs refunds, rulings, amendments, im