I. Department Overview
- Mission: Manage TMI’s international trade relationships, regulatory compliance, and institutional partnerships, while overseeing the financial aspects of trade operations (funding, payments, cost compliance, financial risk)
- Scope: Trade relationship management, government/association liaison, and trade-related financial operations
II. Core Service Areas
A. Certification Services
- Trade certification processing and issuance
- Compliance verification with international standards
- Documentation review, validation, and renewal tracking
B. Government Relations
- Liaison with federal, state, and local agencies
- Policy monitoring and regulatory updates
- Legislative representation on trade matters
C. US Government Relations
- Engagement with USTR, Dept. of Commerce, Customs & Border Protection
- Tariff and trade policy tracking
- Import/export regulation compliance
D. Business Organization Relations
- Partnership development with trade associations
- Corporate stakeholder engagement
- Cross-industry collaboration
E. Chamber of Commerce & Industry Association Relations
- Membership/engagement with Chambers and associations
- Networking and joint advocacy initiatives
F. Finance Function (new)
- Trade Finance: Letters of credit, export/import financing, payment terms management
- Budgeting & Cost Compliance: Tariff/duty cost tracking, certification fee budgeting
- Financial Risk Management: Currency exchange risk, credit risk on international transactions
- Grant & Funding Relations: Government trade grants, subsidy programs
- Financial Reporting: Department budget oversight, ROI on trade partnerships
III. Cross-Functional Responsibilities
- Trade dispute resolution support
- Market entry facilitation (financial + regulatory)
- Reporting/analytics on trade relationship and financial outcomes
- Risk assessment (regulatory, political, financial)
IV. Organizational Structure (suggested)
- Director of International Trade Relations & Finance
- Certification Manager
- Government Relations Manager
- Business & Association Relations Coordinator
- Trade Finance Manager (new)
- Compliance & Documentation Specialist
V. Key Performance Indicators
- Certification turnaround time
- Active government/agency relationships
- Association/chamber engagement metrics
- Compliance audit success rate
- Budget variance / financial accuracy (new)
- Trade finance transaction turnaround (new)