Description & Requirements
The APAC & China Trade team is a multi‑country organization responsible for delivering compliant, efficient, and scalable trade operations across one of the most complex regulatory regions globally. The team oversees trade operations in APAC and trade compliance in both APAC and China, working closely with customs authorities, brokers, internal partners and external advisors to ensure accurate import and export execution, strong risk mitigation, and disciplined duty management.
Operating across markets with varying regulatory maturity, the team plays a critical role in facilitating compliant importation and exportation of lululemon product, enabling distribution centre launches, supporting business growth, and safeguarding the company's regulatory standing. The team partners closely with the Global Trade Compliance Center of Excellence (CoE), Fulfilment, Technology, Finance, and Legal to translate global standards into consistent regional execution while remaining responsive to local requirements.
A day in the life
The Director, APAC & China Trade owns end‑to‑end trade outcomes, spanning trade operations in APAC and regional trade compliance across APAC markets and Mainland China. This role serves as the single accountable regional leader for customs compliance, broker governance, duty payments, audit readiness, and trade execution, ensuring alignment to global standards while managing region‑specific regulatory complexity. The role partners closely with the Global Trade Compliance CoE, Fulfillment, Technology, Finance, Tax, and Legal teams to deliver compliant, cost‑effective, and scalable trade operations and regional compliance.
- Set the regional direction for trade across APAC and Mainland China, balancing global standards with local regulatory realities to deliver compliant, cost‑effective, and scalable trade operations.
- Serve as the senior regional leader for customs and agency engagement and trade controversies, maintaining strong regulator relationships and leading audits, inquiries, disclosures, and escalation decisions in partnership with the Trade Compliance CoE, Global Fulfillment, Legal, and Government Affairs.
- Define and govern the regional customs broker strategy by authoring and approving statements of work, setting and monitoring KPIs, leading quarterly business reviews, selecting and transitioning brokers, and driving corrective actions where performance gaps exist.
- Ensure entry quality and compliance assurance by establishing risk‑based controls, approving post‑entry corrections and prior disclosures, setting documentation timeliness standards, and owning regional entry accuracy performance and reporting.
- Lead duty stewardship across jurisdictions by approving assessments, ensuring accurate and on‑time duty and tax payments and reconciliations, and reporting duty spend, savings, opportunities, and exposure.
- Oversee Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and duty‑optimization programs to ensure correct eligibility and supplier evidence, prevent misuse, realize savings, and support readiness for new and expanding distribution centres (e.g., Singapore and Japan).
- Set regional audit readiness standards by defining audit playbooks and recordkeeping requirements, leading responses to customs authorities, and managing material findings and escalations in partnership with Trade Compliance CoE.
- Lead the regional operating model and talent strategy, managing a multi‑country organization, setting SLAs with Fulfilment, Supply Chain and Finance, and developing leaders to scale consistent execution.
- Act as the regional owner of trade systems and data stewardship by ensuring trade data quality (HTS, COO, MID, valuation, entries), signing off on data requirements and UAT for trade‑critical changes, and escalating systemic issues to the Trade Compliance CoE.
- Bachelor's degree or higher in International Business, Supply Chain, Logistics, Law, or related field
- Minimum 15 years of experience in global trade compliance, customs operations, or regulatory trade roles
- Significant experience operating in APAC and China
- Proven leadership of multi‑country teams in complex regulatory environments
- Deep expertise in customs compliance, broker management, and duty optimization
- Strong regulatory engagement and audit leadership capability
- Executive‑level stakeholder management across Legal, Finance, Operations, and Technology
- High‑judgement decision‑making in ambiguous, high‑risk environments
- Ability to balance global standards with local regulatory realities
- Acknowledges the presence of choice in every moment and takes personal responsibility for their life.
- Possesses an entrepreneurial spirit and continuously innovates to achieve great results.
- Communicates with honesty and kindness, and creates the space for others to do the same.
- Leads with courage, knowing the possibility of greatness is bigger than the fear of failure.
- Fosters connection by putting people first and building trusting relationships.
- Integrates fun and joy as a way of being and working, aka doesn't take themselves too seriously.
