Director - Customs Classification and Engineering

Our Story

J.Crew gets you dressed every day, for every occasion. 

Since 1983, we’ve been creating classics that feel familiar and refreshingly new, crafted with unbeatable quality and distinctive point of view—it’s no wonder we’ve been in your closet for four decades and counting.

Today, we continue to do the classics our way, inspiring not only how you shop but how you define your personal style. Our commitment runs deeper than just making great clothes—we’re proud of our role in getting you dressed with confidence, character, and celebrating a distinctly American sensibility that makes us who we are. 

Our dedication to Diversity, Equity, Belonging & Sustainability has been celebrated with industry recognition, reflecting our commitment to fostering an inclusive and sustainable workplace.

The Role + Purpose: 

We are looking for a Director to join our Sourcing team as the enterprise lead for customs classification, duty engineering, and tariff compliance. You will serve as the subject matter expert in apparel and accessories HTS classification, guiding the organization through the full pre-production process to drive compliant, cost-effective importation. This is a highly visible, cross-functional role that requires the ability to educate and influence at all levels — from design and production teams to senior sourcing leadership and legal counsel. You will also serve as the primary liaison between our internal teams and customs brokerage partners, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and proactive communication on all tariff-related matters.

Responsibilities:

Classification & Duty Engineering

• Lead the development and institutionalization of a pre-classification process, partnering with each sourcing team to review product lines and facilitate estimated landed costs prior to line finalization
• Own classification review for select complex categories post-finalization, ensuring data integrity before passing to the brokerage
• Identify and communicate duty engineering opportunities to sourcing and design teams, including construction and material modifications that may reduce duty exposure
• Monitor and evaluate the impact of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), trade preference programs, and evolving tariff policy on the product line, and translate findings into actionable recommendations

Cross-Functional Education & Communication

• Develop and maintain education materials including duty cheat sheets, classification guides, and training decks for use with sourcing, design, merchandising, and production teams
• Serve as the internal communications lead for tariff updates and regulatory changes, providing clear, timely, and accurate guidance to cross-functional stakeholders including senior sourcing leadership and design leads
• Plan and facilitate internal training sessions and duty seminars as needed, in partnership with the customs brokerage and other subject matter experts, to keep cross-functional teams informed and up to date

Brokerage & Legal Liaison

• Act as the key internal liaison with the customs brokerage, facilitating clear and efficient communication between the brokerage and internal sourcing teams
• Collaborate with legal teams when reviewing new trade guidelines, binding customs rulings, or other regulatory interpretations
• Support the preparation and submission of customs ruling requests to CBP as needed

Compliance & Process Integrity

• Reinforce and continuously improve customs compliance procedures to maintain a compliant organization
• Monitor CBP regulations, tariff schedule updates, and trade policy developments; assess risk and communicate impact proactively
• Manage workload across multiple categories in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment

Data, Systems & Technology

• Own and maintain the integrity of the HTS classification database, ensuring accurate and up-to-date records across all product categories
• Conduct regular audits of classification data — both pre- and post-entry — to identify errors, inconsistencies, and compliance risks, and implement corrective action as needed
• Develop and distribute reporting on duty spend, classification activity, duty savings achieved through engineering efforts, and tariff exposure by category or country of origin, providing actionable insights to sourcing and finance leadership
• Partner with Operations and IT teams to continuously evaluate and optimize trade compliance tools and platforms, improving accuracy and efficiency while ensuring classification and duty data is seamlessly integrated into the broader sourcing and product development workflow
• Leverage data analysis to identify patterns, surface duty savings opportunities, and support strategic sourcing decisions related to country of origin and product construction

Team Development & Leadership

• Lead and develop a team of classification and trade compliance professionals, providing day-to-day direction, coaching, and performance feedback
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, keeping the team current on regulatory changes, classification best practices, and industry developments
• Model a collaborative, solutions-oriented approach that reflects the cross-functional nature of the role

Qualifications:

Required

• 10–15 years of progressive experience in HTS classification and customs compliance, with a minimum of 7–10 years specifically in apparel and/or accessories
• Deep, hands-on expertise in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), including General Rules of Interpretation (GRI) and apparel-specific classification nuances
• Demonstrated experience with duty engineering, including knowledge of construction and materials as they relate to duty rates in apparel and accessories
• Strong familiarity with Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), preferential tariff programs, and other trade benefit mechanisms
• Proven ability to communicate complex tariff and trade compliance concepts clearly to non-specialist audiences including design and senior sourcing teams
• Experience interfacing with legal counsel on customs rulings, binding classification opinions, and regulatory review
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience creating and delivering training materials and presentations
• Proficiency in PowerPoint and Microsoft Office Suite

Preferred

• Licensed Customs Broker (LCB) or Certified Customs Specialist (CCS) designation strongly preferred
• Bachelor's degree in International Trade, Business, Supply Chain, Fashion Merchandising, or a related field
• Experience working within a retail or branded fashion company (vs. brokerage or freight forwarder) is a strong plus
• Familiarity with customs compliance platforms and entry management tools (e.g., ACE)
• Experience building or working within classification databases and reporting dashboards; proficiency in Excel (pivot tables, data analysis) or BI tools a plus

Key Competencies

• Subject matter authority in apparel/accessories HTS classification
• Cross-functional influence and executive-level communication
• Analytical and detail-oriented with strong organizational skills
• Proactive and solutions-oriented in a fast-changing trade environment
• Ability to mentor and coach non-specialist teams

We welcome you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes. Our passion is scouting life-long learners who are driven by curiosity, and who feel connected to our brands and share our desire to make an impact. We’re always seeking bright new talent who leverage their unique experiences to discover, grow and evolve with our teams.

Benefits + Perks

• Health & Well-being - Eligible associates and family members receive medical, dental, prescription and vision insurance, family planning (fertility, adoption & surrogacy support), fitness discounts, medical travel and more.

• Associate Discount - We love our products just as much as you do! That’s why we offer a great associate discount across all of our brands (J.Crew, J.Crew Factory, and Madewell).

• Summer Fridays - In addition to our hybrid work model, we also close our office at 1:00 PM every Friday during the Summer months.

• Community Impact - We support the communities where we live and work through our philanthropic efforts and the J.Crew Cares Program.

• Winter Break - In addition to our PTO package, J.Crew Group offers a winter break at the end of December to eligible full-time associates at the Home Office to provide time to refresh and recharge.

Note: Availability of these benefits and perks may be subject to work location & employment type and may have certain eligibility requirements.

Salary Range: $152,800.00 - $201,400.00

At J.Crew Group (JCG) we aim to pay competitively for our company’s size and industry. The base salary offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region of work premises, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors.  The base salary is just one component of J.Crew Group’s competitive total rewards strategy that also includes the opportunity for bonus, competitive benefits and perks.

One of our core focuses here at JCG is creating a community and culture that builds belonging. We are deeply committed to our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts, and we warmly welcome job applicants of all backgrounds.

 

JCG is proud to affirmatively provide equal opportunity to all associates and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin or citizenship, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, legally protected physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other basis protected under applicable law.