Defense Trade Specialist – Senior/Principal

Defense Trade Solutions

Defense Trade Specialist supporting the Arms Export Control Act needs of customers in a remote capacity. Responsible for high-visibility missions and overseeing the efforts of less senior staff.

Posted 6/24/2026full-timeRemote • District of Columbia, Washington • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $80,000 - $120,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Support the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) needs of our customers.
Work on high-visibility or mission-critical aspects of a given program and perform all functional duties independently.
Oversee the efforts of less senior staff and/or be responsible for the efforts of all staff assigned to a specific job.
Initiates, supervises, and/or develops requirements from a project's inception to conclusion for complex to extremely complex programs.
Provides strategic advice, technical guidance and expertise to program and project staff.
Provides detailed analysis, evaluation and recommendations for improvements, optimization development, and/or maintenance efforts for client-specific or mission critical challenges/issues.
Consult with client to define need or problem, supervise studies and lead surveys to collect and analyze data to provide advice and recommend solutions.
Ability to lead solutions to defense trade problems and provide service to our customers, while also improving upon what was done in the past.
Ability to lead teammates in problem solving, and break down barriers through a high level of communication skills that can simplify problems.
Ability to be a trusted advisor with established relationships with our clients and U.S. Government.

Requirements

What you’ll need

5-9 years (Senior Specialist) or 10+ years (Principal Specialist) of relevant work experience specific to defense trade – ITAR, FMS or TSFD experience required.
Working knowledge of the ITAR, EAR and AECA.
Experience building international trade compliance programs for aerospace or defense companies (prior ITAR Empowered Official preferred).
Strong ability drafting and managing ITAR export licenses and agreements.
Experience participating in and managing ITAR compliance audits and assessments.
Ability to conduct self-classifications and commodity jurisdictions with technical rigor.
Experience drafting and implementing enterprise-wide international trade compliance policies & procedures.
Working knowledge of the Foreign Military Sales process from Letter of Request (LOR) to Letter of Offer & Acceptance (LOA).
Working knowledge of Technology Security & Foreign Disclosure (TSFD) Release.
Familiarity with social media and strategic communication strategies.
Customer service and client management skills.
Ability to communicate effectively and provide trainings to audiences at all levels (action officer to C-Suite) in a defense industry enterprise.
Ability to establish and maintain rapport with clients and the U.S. Government.
Ability to solve defense trade problems and provide service to our customers without direction and with minimal rework.
A reliable resource for all teammates with strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to hold and maintain a DoD Active Secret Security Clearance or higher is required.
Willingness to travel up to 25% of the time.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical
Vision
Dental
9/80 Schedule
3 weeks accrued PTO
10 Holidays
Accrued Sick Leave
Holiday Shut-down
$100 Quarterly Stipend for Wellness
$100 Monthly Stipend for WFH Setup
401k with company match

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

ITARFMSTSFDinternational trade complianceexport licensescompliance auditsself-classificationscommodity jurisdictionscompliance policiesForeign Military Sales

Soft Skills

leadershipcommunicationproblem solvingclient managementstrategic advicerelationship buildinganalytical skillstrainingteam collaborationcustomer service

Certifications

DoD Active Secret Security Clearance