Global Trade Compliance Specialist

Responsibilities

You will shape and lead the global trade compliance program, defining strategies for software and technical data classification under USML and Commerce Control List. Additionally, you will manage complex licensing efforts and design scalable screening and access-control processes across legal, engineering, and commercial teams.

Requirements

The role requires 5+ years of experience in trade compliance with deep expertise in ITAR and EAR regulations. Candidates must be eligible to work with export-controlled materials and possess strong judgment in navigating ambiguous regulatory environments.

Skills

• Trade compliance
• ITAR
• EAR
• Export control
• Licensing
• Technical assistance agreements
• Risk management
• Due diligence
• Access control
• Policy development
• Cross-functional leadership
• Sanctions compliance
• OFAC
• Classification
• Regulatory strategy

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Unlimited PTO
• Sick leave
• Free lunch
• Snacks
• Coffee
• Professional development stipend
• Hardware lab
• Project stipend
• Annual company retreat
• Parental leave
• Fertility and family planning
• Wellness stipend
• Hardware sensor stipend
• 401(k)
• Equity

About this role

ABOUT NOMINAL

Engineers today are building some of the most ambitious machines humanity has
ever seen. They should have AI that’s purpose-built for them.

Nominal is building the Hardware Intelligence Platform that gives engineers
increased visibility into complex physical systems, helps them make better
decisions, and ultimately gets their products into the real world faster. It
brings together the systems, data, intelligence, and applications hardware
engineering requires to meet the AI moment. Hardware engineering teams use
Nominal to simulate, test, manufacture, and operate the physical systems that
keep the world moving, from spacecraft and autonomous vehicles to
next-generation energy systems and robotics.

Our customers span aerospace, defense, manufacturing, transportation, energy,
and robotics. They include Anduril, Shield AI, Wisk Aero, Pratt Miller
Motorsports, Antares, and Shinkei Systems, amongst others, alongside programs
within the U.S. Air Force and Navy. Our team draws from SpaceX, Palantir,
Anduril, Applied Intuition, Tesla, and other leading companies, united by a
common mission: giving hardware engineers the tools to build the future with
speed, safety, and confidence. We're a fast-moving team that owns problems
end-to-end, works across disciplines, and thrives at the intersection of
hardware and software.

Some of the world’s leading technology investors, including Sequoia, Lightspeed,
Founders Fund, General Catalyst, Lux Capital, and Insight Partners, are backing
Nominal’s ambition to change how machines are built and operated. We’re looking
for teammates who want to take on hard problems and help make a new generation
of world-changing hardware possible.

🚀 ABOUT THE ROLE

Nominal's Legal & Security team keeps our platform, our people, and our
customers' data on the right side of U.S. trade controls. Our software runs
inside defense programs and handles export-controlled technical data across
cloud, on-prem, and air-gapped environments, so trade compliance shapes how we
build, sell, and deploy. As a Global Trade Compliance Specialist, you'll shape
and lead our trade compliance program, deciding which risks to tackle first as
we grow into new programs, partners, and markets.

This role is ideal for someone who has built or scaled a trade compliance
program and wants to set its direction at a fast-growing defense technology
company. You'll work with little oversight, own the approach across Legal,
InfoSec, Engineering, Government, and Revenue, and make the calls when the
regulations don't give a clean answer.

👨🏻‍💻 WHAT YOU'LL DO

* Shape the strategy and roadmap for Nominal's global trade compliance program,
deciding which risks to address first as the business grows.
* Define how Nominal's software, technical data, and services are classified
under the USML and Commerce Control List, and make the call on ambiguous
cases.
* Lead complex licensing efforts, including Technical Assistance Agreements and
international partnerships, from strategy through approval.
* Design scalable screening, due diligence, and access-control processes with
InfoSec, Engineering, and Revenue so compliance keeps pace with deployments.
* Lead the response to export control and sanctions incidents, and turn lessons
learned into lasting process and product fixes.
* Own Nominal's ITAR, EAR, and OFAC policies and training, and advise
leadership on trade risk in deals, partnerships, and product decisions.
* Mentor teammates and build trade compliance know-how across the company.

🔍 WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WITH

* 5+ years on a risk, compliance, or trade compliance team, including time
building or scaling a trade compliance program.
* Deep expertise in ITAR and EAR, including licenses, agreements, and
classification decisions where the answer isn't obvious.
* Strong understanding of how trade controls overlap with Controlled
Unclassified Information (CUI) and information security requirements.
* Prior experience in a global dual-use commercial technology company,
including prior exposure to EAR encryption controls, and the intersection of
those controls with performance metrics and access to tools like Databricks,
Snowflake, and Datadog.
* Eligibility to work with export-controlled materials.
* A track record of leading cross-functional compliance work across legal,
engineering, and commercial teams.
* Sound judgment under ambiguity: you weigh competing options, make the call,
and explain it clearly to leaders and non-specialists.

⚡ SKILLS THAT ACCELERATE US

* Trade compliance experience at a defense contractor or an ITAR-focused
software company.
* Hands-on use of DECCS, SNAP-R, ACE, or restricted-party screening software.
* Experience managing voluntary disclosures, compliance audits, or commodity
jurisdiction requests.
* Familiarity with export controls for cloud, on-prem, or air-gapped software
deployments and international partners.

✨ BENEFITS/PERKS

* 🏥 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance
* 🏖️ Unlimited PTO and sick leave
* 🍽️ Free lunch, snacks, and coffee
* 🚀 Professional Development Stipend
* 🛠️ In-office hardware lab with a $250 project stipend
* ✈️ Annual company retreat
* 👶 12 weeks parental leave
* 🌱 Fertility and family planning ($15,000 lifetime)
* 💪 Wellness stipend ($100/month)
* 🛠️ $500/year hardware sensor stipend
* 💼 401(k)
* 📈 Employee-friendly equity terms
* 🏢 In-office 5 days per week

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without
regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or
national origin.

ITAR Requirements
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S.
citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card
holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. §
1158, or b...

About Nominal

Software Development · 201-500 employees · headquartered in Austin, TX · founded 2022