What does an international trade specialist do?
An international trade specialist usually coordinates the trading, importation, and exportation of products and services. They are responsible for ensuring that every trade meets the guidelines and policies of a particular country or place. They need to monitor the shipment and delivery of products. They must also know how to resolve issues with countries that have a strict policy about trading.
International trade specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real international trade specialist resumes:
- Manage import and export projects, reviewing documentation to identify potential risks and make recommendations for mitigation to upper management.
- Work directly with various freight forwarders, airline carriers and truckers.
- Process claims with carriers, forwarders and vendors.
- Fill ACH and NON-ACH entries for duty with customs.
- File for and renew require USDA permits for research products and clinical trials.
- Interface extensively with officials at USDA and U.S. Customs, including handling negotiations when import issues arise.
- Validate goods that meet the NAFTA requirements are successfully transport cross border without attach duties and unnecessary charges.
- Perform various reconciliations: INPV, inter-entity deals, position checks to brokers, clients and risk management systems.
- Customize long term investment portfolios of make up of equities and fix income products by analyzing company earnings and financial statements.
- Calculate and confirm fixed income coupon and principal payments paid by custodian with DTC rate information while also confirming with Bloomberg.
- Design a safety stock policy for all FDA regulate genetic screening items and implement min/max inventory targets per item.
- Interact with company executives to provide information about export procedures, export regulatory requirements, and U.S. Government resources for exporters.
- Monitor and evaluate competitive activity across French, German and UK markets to identify opportunities potential business opportunities.
International trade specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of International Trade Specialists are proficient in Trade Compliance, Export, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Analytical skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of International Trade Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Trade Compliance, 12%
Attend trade compliance seminars/conferences to maintain knowledge on regulatory updates and proposed changes.
- Export, 8%
Interacted with company executives to provide information about export procedures, export regulatory requirements, and U.S. Government resources for exporters.
- Customer Service, 7%
Performed excellent customer service and provided confirmation and research while working in a professional, timely and accurate manner.
- Technical Assistance, 7%
Managed international technical assistance and scientific collaboration projects.
- Export Compliance, 5%
Communicated export compliance policies and procedures by way of company-wide training programs.
- HTS, 3%
Harmonized Tariff Classification (HTS) / Schedule B and obtained tariff classification binding rulings with Customs, EAR, ECN.
Common skills that an international trade specialist uses to do their job include "trade compliance," "export," and "customer service." You can find details on the most important international trade specialist responsibilities below.
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for an international trade specialist to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "market research analysts must be able to clearly convey information when gathering material, interpreting data, and presenting results to clients." Additionally, an international trade specialist resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "responded to official communications from various pct authorities. "
Analytical skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling international trade specialist duties is analytical skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "market research analysts must evaluate large amounts of data and information related to market conditions." According to an international trade specialist resume, here's how international trade specialists can utilize analytical skills in their job responsibilities: "enhanced institution's profitability and operation by performing ongoing analysis creating an annually savings over $12m usd. "
Detail oriented. This is an important skill for international trade specialists to perform their duties. For an example of how international trade specialist responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "market research analysts must pay attention to minutiae to evaluate data." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an international trade specialist: "focus on internal and external customer service quality control and detail orientation computer application and knowledge conduct training and continuing education classes".
The three companies that hire the most international trade specialists are:
- Aerojet Rocketdyne4 international trade specialists jobs
- Vista Outdoor4 international trade specialists jobs
- Lockheed Martin3 international trade specialists jobs
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International trade specialist vs. Compliance officer
A compliance officer is responsible for monitoring company operations, ensuring that all the processes and members are adhering to the regulatory and procedural policies set by the company. Compliance officers' duties also include proposing compliance programs, reviewing and updating existing company policies with management approval, taking immediate actions for policy violations, and mitigating risks. A compliance officer must have extensive knowledge of legal procedures and regulatory standards to manage and evaluate problems, providing meaningful solutions, and keep the company's positive reputation.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an international trade specialist are more likely to require skills like "trade compliance," "export," "import export," and "hts." On the other hand, a job as a compliance officer requires skills like "oversight," "risk management," "compliance program," and "excellent project management." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Compliance officers earn the highest salaries when working in the finance industry, with an average yearly salary of $73,510. On the other hand, international trade specialists are paid more in the government industry with an average salary of $73,234.On average, compliance officers reach similar levels of education than international trade specialists. Compliance officers are 3.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 4.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.International trade specialist vs. Business developer
A business developer specializes in conducting in-depth business analysis and crafting various strategies that would not just help a business grow, but also strengthen client base and brand awareness. One of their primary responsibilities revolves around identifying areas in need of improvement. They come up with new services that will boost customer satisfaction, examining the potential for revenue and figuring out new opportunities from trends or other pre-existing programs within the company. All of this is conducted according to the vision, mission, and policies of the organization.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real international trade specialist resumes. While international trade specialist responsibilities can utilize skills like "trade compliance," "export," "import export," and "technical assistance," business developers use skills like "healthcare," "crm," "work ethic," and "excellent presentation."
On average, business developers earn a higher salary than international trade specialists. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, business developers earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $118,082. Whereas international trade specialists have higher pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $73,234.business developers earn similar levels of education than international trade specialists in general. They're 4.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 4.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.International trade specialist vs. Compliance auditor
A compliance auditor is responsible for reviewing the company's policies and procedures, ensuring the organization's adherence to state and federal regulations. Compliance auditors inspect the operations of each department, adjusting internal guidelines as needed. They also inspect the condition of all facilities, including tools and equipment, network systems, and business operations. A compliance auditor mitigates risks by analyzing the operational processes and conducting a risk assessment study to prevent compliance issues that may pose a negative effect on the company's performance and stability.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, international trade specialists are more likely to have skills like "trade compliance," "export," "import export," and "technical assistance." But a compliance auditor is more likely to have skills like "audit findings," "compliance audits," "audit reports," and "audit results."
Compliance auditors earn the best pay in the finance industry, where they command an average salary of $70,894. International trade specialists earn the highest pay from the government industry, with an average salary of $73,234.Most compliance auditors achieve a lower degree level compared to international trade specialists. For example, they're 5.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.International trade specialist vs. Compliance analyst
A compliance analyst is in charge of ensuring that every operation and aspect in a company or facility adheres to the laws and regulations. They are also responsible for conducting regular inspections and assessments, producing reports and presentations, disseminating necessary information and reminders, researching existing policies and laws related to the industry, and remaining updated with new regulations. Furthermore, there are instances when a compliance analyst must gather requirements and process them to receive compliance certifications from agencies.
Types of international trade specialist
Updated January 8, 2025











