Director of Trade Compliance — Licensed Customs Brokerage | Case Study | SearchPath
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Licensed Customs BrokerageConfidential Replacement SearchPublished September 14, 2026

Director of Trade Compliance

A brokerage facing a CBP audit modernized its compliance program and passed with zero findings — without losing a single top account.

The Challenge

Facing heightened regulatory scrutiny and an aging compliance team, the brokerage needed a licensed leader to modernize its compliance program and prepare for a CBP audit — without disrupting service to its largest accounts.

Our Approach

We ran a fully confidential search across the licensed customs broker community, screening for audit leadership and post-entry expertise. The placed executive rebuilt the compliance function and instituted a continuous-monitoring program ahead of the audit.

The Mandate

An aging compliance team and rising regulatory scrutiny had left the brokerage exposed at exactly the wrong moment. A CBP audit was on the horizon, and the firm's largest accounts were watching how it would respond.

The search had to be handled with total discretion: any signal of instability in the compliance function could have prompted the very client departures the company was trying to prevent.

How We Ran the Search

We ran a confidential replacement search across the licensed customs-broker community, screening specifically for audit leadership and post-entry expertise rather than general trade knowledge. Finalists were tested on how they would stand up a defensible, continuously monitored program under a live deadline.

The Outcome

The new Director of Trade Compliance modernized the program in four months and introduced continuous monitoring in place of periodic spot-checks. The brokerage passed its subsequent CBP audit with zero findings, and — because the transition was handled quietly — retained 95% of its top accounts throughout the process.

Zero
Findings in subsequent CBP audit
95%
Top-account retention maintained
4 mo
To full program modernization

Client company and placed candidate identities are withheld to protect the confidentiality of our retained search engagements.

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