USMCA / Origin & FTA Compliance Specialist
An Origin & FTA Compliance Specialist determines whether a company's products qualify for preferential duty treatment under USMCA and other free trade agreements, and manages the certificates of origin and rules-of-origin documentation that back up those claims.
This article explains what an Origin & FTA Compliance Specialist job description may look like.
An Origin & FTA Compliance Specialist is responsible for making sure a company captures every free trade agreement benefit it's entitled to — and can prove it if CBP or a trading partner asks. Some of the key duties and requirements for this role include:
Job Duties:
- Determine whether products qualify for preferential treatment under USMCA and other free trade agreements
- Prepare and maintain certificates of origin and supporting documentation
- Conduct rules-of-origin analysis, including regional value content calculations
- Respond to customer and supplier requests for origin certifications
- Support CBP and trading-partner audits related to FTA claims
- Monitor changes to USMCA and other trade agreements that affect qualification
- Maintain origin recordkeeping in compliance with retention requirements
- Train sourcing and sales teams on FTA qualification requirements
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in international business, supply chain, or a related field
- 2–5+ years of experience in trade compliance or free trade agreement administration
- Strong knowledge of USMCA rules of origin and regional value content methods
- Experience with FTA qualification or trade management software
- Strong analytical and documentation skills
- Detail-oriented with the ability to manage supplier documentation requests
- Effective communicator across sourcing, sales, and compliance teams
Overall, an Origin & FTA Compliance Specialist plays a role that goes straight to the bottom line — every correctly qualified shipment is duty saved, and with USMCA now under annual review, this expertise has become a permanent, ongoing need rather than a one-time compliance project.
Looking for your next role? Browse current Origin and FTA jobs on Global Trade Jobs.