Trade Compliance Manager

About Vatn Systems Vatn is an innovative startup pioneering the design and manufacturing of attritable autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Our mission is undersea superiority through mission-focused innovation, delivered at scale. We are revolutionizing underwater security through advanced technology, engineering excellence, and collaboration with industry leaders, research institutions, and government agencies. We develop highly adaptable AUVs optimized for complex environments - driving innovation, reliability, and performance in every system we deploy. Position Overview The Trade Compliance Manager serves as Vatn’s day-to-day owner of the company's global trade compliance program, administering compliance with the ITAR, the EAR, and associated U.S. sanctions and customs requirements. The successful candidate will have practical experience safeguarding controlled technical data and hardware in an operating environment, along with a strong grasp of the defense industry landscape, including contractor obligations and associated risk frameworks. The position owns jurisdiction and classification determinations, license and agreement preparation, and the tracking of provisos, conditions, and reporting obligations through the life of each authorization. The individual in this role will manage a wide range of compliance matters, including restricted party screening, technology control plans and deemed export controls for foreign person access, recordkeeping, supply chain and contract flow-downs, export classification of shipments and AES filings, internal audits, training, and voluntary disclosures, while providing practical guidance to leadership, program teams, and engineers. They will ensure that program activity, international engagement, and hiring are structured to support operational needs and meet technical and regulatory requirements. The ideal candidate is a proactive, detail-oriented compliance professional with experience in the defense ecosystem and comfort working in a fast-paced engineering and manufacturing environment, able to translate regulatory requirements into decisions engineers and program managers can act on. This is Vatn's first dedicated trade compliance role, and the successful candidate will be as comfortable building procedures, tooling, and training from a limited existing baseline as administering an established program. This role is critical to helping Vatn operate compliantly, protect controlled technology, and scale rapidly across product lines, programs, and international customer engagements. Key Responsibilities Program Ownership & Governance Maintain and administer Vatn's Global Trade Compliance Program, covering the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Export Administration Regulations (EAR), U.S. economic sanctions, anti-boycott rules, and the Foreign Trade Regulations. Develop and maintain trade compliance policies, procedures, work instructions, training, and audit mechanisms supporting continuous compliance. Conduct periodic self-assessments and report program status, metrics, and open risks to leadership. Maintain DDTC and related registrations, including renewals and 122.4 notifications for material changes in ownership, address, or senior officers. Serve as a designated Empowered Official following an initial onboarding period, with signature authority for license applications and agreements on behalf of the company. Classification & Licensing Determine and maintain export classification (ITAR USML categories, EAR ECCNs) for company technology, hardware, software, and technical data. Conduct export jurisdiction analysis and prepare commodity jurisdiction (CJ) requests to DDTC and classification requests (CCATS) to BIS where jurisdiction or classification is unsettled. Prepare, submit, and track export license applications (e.g., DSP-5, Technical Assistance Agreements, Manufacturing License Agreements) and EAR license requests or exceptions as needed. Manage post-approva…

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