Manager, Trade Compliance (MENA)

Back to jobs Manager, Trade Compliance (MENA) Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Remote / Home Office Apply Job Summary: We are seeking an experienced and highly specialized Manager of Trade Compliance to lead our import and regulatory compliance efforts for iHerb across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This newly created role is vital to ensuring seamless market access, managing regulatory risk, and maintaining the highest standards of compliance within this complex and rapidly evolving market. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in MENA regulatory frameworks, customs requirements, and the specific ingredient and labeling restrictions for the supplements and cosmetics industries. Job Expectations: Regulatory Compliance & Market Access: Product Clearance: Oversee and manage the end-to-end process of obtaining necessary governmental approvals and permits to ensure our supplements and cosmetic products are legally allowed into various countries within the MENA region. Prohibited Ingredient Review: Act as the subject matter expert on prohibited and restricted ingredients in MENA markets, systematically reviewing all product formulations against local regulations (e.g., GCC standardization). Government Relations: Collaborate directly with local government regulators, Ministries of Health, customs authorities, and standards organizations (e.g., SFDA, ESMA) to facilitate product registration, resolve clearance issues, and stay informed of regulatory changes. Labeling and Documentation: Ensure all required import and registration documentation is accurate, complete, and compliant with local standards, including specific labeling requirements. Customs & Classification: HTS Classification: Assign, audit, and correct Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) classifications for all imported products, ensuring accuracy to minimize customs delays and duty exposure. Customs Broker Management: Oversee the performance of local customs brokers and logistics partners, providing them with necessary compliance information and managing import declarations. Duty & Tax Management: Advise on customs valuation, Incoterms, and duty mitigation strategies in compliance with local regulations. Strategy & Training: Risk Management: Develop and implement proactive trade compliance policies and procedures tailored to the supplements and cosmetics categories in the MENA context. Internal Training: Conduct regular training for internal teams (e.g., Supply Chain, Marketing, Legal) on compliance requirements, classification, and regulatory updates. Process Improvement: Drive continuous improvement in trade compliance processes to increase efficiency and reduce lead times for product launches. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Solid knowledge and experiences in compliance, tariff classification, regulatory review, product compliance. Ability to manage complex issues and develop practical solutions while maintaining discretion and protecting confidentiality. Excellent interpersonal skills to build trustworthy relationships with colleagues and business partners, yet maintain a high degree of independence, professional standing and confidentiality. Strong negotiation skills with a solid understanding of commercial processes. Proven ability to interpret and apply complex, often varying, regulations from MENA governmental bodies (e.g., health ministries, standards organizations). Fluent written and verbal English language. Understanding of compliance best practices and typical risk/red flag issues and practices. Knowledge of and experience advising on regulations, tariff schedule, sanctions, and other compliance-related laws and regulations. Communication, excellent verbal and written communication skills in English; proficiency in Arabic is highly preferred. Experience Requirements: At least 8+ years of experience working with relevant regulatory policies and laws globally. Working experience in the retail industry is preferred, but not mandatory. Education Requirements: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent compliance experience Work Environment: Fast-paced with multi-level responsibilities Professional, yet casual work environment Office / Warehouse environment #LI-AM1 Staffing Agency Submission Notice iHerb does not accept unsolicited 3rd party ("Agency") candidates. If you are an Agency, please send any requests to be considered as a supplier in our Vendor Management System to [email protected]. Do not contact iHerb employees directly. If requested to work on a role, any Agency candidates would be presented through the internal recruiting organization. About iHerb iHerb is on a mission to make health and wellness accessible to all. We offer Earth’s best-curated selection of health and wellness products, at the best possible value, delivered with the most convenient experience. We’re the world’s largest eCommerce platform dedicated to vitamins, minerals, and supplements, and other health and wellness products. For more than 25 years, we’ve been making it simple for people all over the world to purchase the highest quality products. From supplements to skincare to grocery items, we ship over 50,000 products, from over 1,800 brands direct to our customers in 180+ countries. Our vision is to become the #1 destination for health and wellness across the world. With a passion for wellness and a mind for innovative solutions, iHerb team members share a vision for a healthier world that drives them each day. Our 5 Shared Values unite our global team: Focus on the Customer · Empower Our People · Be Entrepreneurial & Pivot Quickly · Embrace Diversity & Inclusion · Strive for Simplicity iHerb Benefits At iHerb, we are dedicated to offering programs designed to help our employees and their families stay healthy, live well, and plan for their financial future. Built on a strong foundation, our programs provide options and upgrades with flexibility, protection, and security in mind. For the comprehensive benefits list, visit www.iHerbBenefits.com. For our international team members, you may be eligible for benefits depending on the country where you are employed. The Talent Acquisition Partner/local HR representative will go over the benefits you are eligible for. iHerb is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status. iHerb provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment. Create a Job Alert Interested in building your career at iHerb? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email. Create alert Apply for this job * indicates a required field Autofill with MyGreenhouse First Name* Last Name* Email* Phone Country* Phone* Location (City)* Locate me Resume/CV* Attach Attach Dropbox Google Drive Enter manually Enter manually Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf Cover Letter Attach Attach Dropbox Google Drive Enter manually Enter manually Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf How many years of experience do you have with regulatory, trade, or product compliance specific to the MENA market?* Select... Have you worked in a role that required direct coordination with distributors, freight forwarders, government authorities, or third-party service providers in the MENA region?* Select... Are you currently an iHerb Core Team Member?* Select... If you answered "Yes" that you are currently an iHerb core team member, what is your Employee ID? (say N/A if you are not currently an iHerb core team member)* Have you previously been employed by iHerb as a Core Team Member?* Select... Do you have any relatives currently working at iHerb?* Select... If "Yes", please provide the name(s) of iHerb employee(s) you are related to​. If "No", you can say N/A.* How did you first hear about this position?* Select... Were you referred to this position by a current iHerb employee? If "Yes", please note that person's name below. If "No", you can say N/A.* Are you currently, or have you ever been yourself or related related by blood, marriage or adoption to any officer, director or employee of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates (Price Waterhouse or Coopers & Lybrand)?* Select... Are you engaged in any business activities that would be in direct conflict with iHerb's business or customers?* Select... If "Yes" list business activities here. If "No", you can say N/A.* Are you 18 or older?* Select... Please select the country of the position you are applying to.* Select... Are you legally authorized to work in the country where this job is located? Proof of legal authorization to work in-country will be required upon employment.* Select... Will you now, or will you in the future, require sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B visa status; Transfer of Sponsorship, etc.) to work legally in the country where this job is located? * Select... What are your compensation expectations (gross) for the position you have applied for today? (enter numbers only)* What is the name of your current company? What is your current job title? LinkedIn Profile Careers Privacy Statement* Select... iHerb, LLC. and its subsidiaries, including iHerb Netherlands B.V. (collectively, "iHerb") collects personal information from you as part of its job application and recruitment process. The entity that is responsible for this information is the iHerb entity for which you apply for a job. The personal information you provide on this form will be used by iHerb to process your application and manage career opportunities at iHerb. This information also will be shared with our service providers who perform recruitment services on our behalf, including our service provider who operates this careers site on our behalf. For more information about our use of your personal information and the rights available to you under applicable law, please see our Careers Privacy Notice. Employment Application - Certification* I certify that all responses and attachments herein are true and complete to the best of my knowledge. I authorize the investigation of all statements and attachments in the application for employment, as may be necessary in arriving at an employment decision. In the event of employment, it is understood that false or misleading information given or attached in my application or interview(s) may result in discharge. By typing my name below, I understand I am electronically signing the application and that this is a legal representation of my signature. Voluntary Self-Identification For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file. As set forth in iHerb’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law. Gender Select... Are you Hispanic/Latino? Select... Race & Ethnicity Definitions If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows: A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability. A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service. An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense. An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985. Veteran Status Select... Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form CC-305 Page 1 of 1 OMB Control Number 1250-0005 Expires 04/30/2026 Why are you being asked to complete this form? We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years. Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp. How do you know if you have a disability? A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to: Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally) Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS Blind or low vision Cancer (past or present) Cardiovascular or heart disease Celiac disease Cerebral palsy Deaf or serious difficulty hearing Diabetes Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders Epilepsy or other seizure disorder Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome Intellectual or developmental disability Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD Missing limbs or partially missing limbs Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities Partial or complete paralysis (any cause) Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema Short stature (dwarfism) Traumatic brain injury Disability Status Select... PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete. By checking this box, I agree to allow iHerb to store and process my data for the purpose of considering my eligibility regarding my current application for employment.* By checking this box, I agree to allow iHerb to retain my data for future opportunities for employment for up to 730 days after the conclusion of consideration of my current application for employment. Submit application