International Engagement Compliance Manager

Legal

Overview

Manage compliance for international grants and ensure adherence to laws and donor guidelines.

You have:

• You have a completed a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field of study. Relevant work experience in lieu of degree is accepted.
• You have minimum 7 yr of relevant experience including in compliance related to international grant compliance regulations, and donor guidelines from major funding agencies.
• Demonstrable understanding of international grant compliance regulations, including donor guidelines from major funding agencies like USAID, World Bank, European Union, and private foundations.
• Deep understanding of and experience with the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), India’s Foreign Contribution Registration Act (FCRA), corrupt practices, sanctions, or related laws and regulations in other WRI focus countries, and necessary compliance procedures.
• Experience in grant lifecycle management and project management in an international nonprofit highly matrixed organization.
• Experience identifying compliance risks and developing mitigation strategies.
• Experience delivering trainings and collaborating with international partners, cross departmental partners, and other stakeholders.
• Grant management software experience.
• Demonstrated ability to work with a wide range of stakeholders located in different countries and within a team setting.
• Experience using software relevant to grant management and project management, such as Asana, Salesforce and evaluation software.
• You have experience making independent decisions in complex situations related to financial management, compliance, and in other operational situations.
• Experience supporting complex multi-country projects and preparation of donor reporting, including excellent writing skills.
• Verbal and written proficiency in English.
• Existing work authorization is required where this position is based. WRI is unable to authorize visa work authorization.

This is a hybrid position which requires 8 days/month in the office. You can be based in our office in Washington DC, London, The Hague, Mumbai or Beijing. Existing work authorization is required at the time of application submission as WRI is unable to sponsor any visa work sponsorship for this position. To be eligible for this position in US, you must be a resident of DC, Maryland or Virginia at the start of employment.

About the Program:

The Executive Office consists of the President and CEO, five Managing Directors, the Chief of Institutional Alignment, and the General Counsel and their support teams. We ensure smooth running of the Institute, excellence in governance and decision making and effective interactions with all our stakeholders, internal and external, towards achieving WRI's mission. The Office of the General Counsel, located in the Executive Office, is responsible for managing the Institute’s legal matters and advising on legal risks. In addition, the General Counsel provides legal and strategic advisory to WRI’s Management Team and Board of Directors

Job Highlight:

You will be responsible for integrating equity into your work. You will ensure that WRI’s international grants follow donor requirements and with United States and other country laws where funding originates or is received. You will have a geographic responsibility for grant-funding compliance in countries where WRI has an Office or presence, such as India and China. You will support and monitor compliance through the entire grant lifecycle from proposal development to reporting across multiple international locations. You will also work across WRI departments to ensure collaboration and alignment between development, program, legal, and the grants and contracts teams. You will report directly to the General Counsel and will advise and provide recommendations to development and program teams across different geographies.

What will you do:

Grant Management: (50%): -

• Review and assess international grant opportunities, identifying potential compliance risks, and providing enabling solutions
• Monitor and evaluate grant proposals, awards, and donor reports for compliance with relevant laws in all relevant jurisdictions. Advise Development, Program, and Country teams accordingly
• In partnership with the Global Director, Regional & Country Office Network, Global Director, Grants & Contracts, and Global Director, Operations, align teams across Development, Programs, and Country teams in WRI Offices on grants, sub-grants, government engagement, and donor reporting
• Collaborate with G&C , other programmatic staff and partners on requirements for accurate progress and financial reports. Supports implementation of WRI processes to ensure accuracy of these submissions
• Support and coache G&C staff on day-to-day grant and contract administration of grant awards
• Review communication points for complex award issues and provide guidance to program staff

Compliance Oversight (50%): -

• Manage and monitor programmatic grant reporting to ensure accurate and compliant submission of grant reports to donors
• Conducts regular compliance audits and reviews to identify potential issues and mitigate risks
• Analyze and interpret and apply compliance standards to all aspects of international grant projects
• Develop and provide compliance training to appropriate staff in Development, Programs, and Country offices across multiple geographies
• Manage and support teams conducting due diligence reviews on potential international partners and sub-grantees to assess compliance capacity as necessary
• Stay up to date on US and international regulations and rulemaking (EU or other country laws) impacting WRI’s programmatic work and related to grant compliance
• Actively contribute to the continued refinement/improvement of policies for ensuring compliance with mandatory requirements
• Ensure that there is sufficient capacity and oversight of compliance with the terms and conditions of all funding instruments
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support and maintain compliance with all relevant laws as it relates to company handbooks, policies and procedures
• Provide advice and consultation to management and staff regarding practices, compliance, regulations, and requirements
• Review agreement and identifies clauses of concern. Provides appropriate guidance to program staff to manage or mitigate associated risks
• Negotiates effectively on highly complex and sensitive matters. Advises others on negotiations

What will you need:

• Education: You have a completed a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field of study. Relevant work experience in lieu of degree is accepted
• Experience: You have minimum 7 yr of relevant experience including in compliance related to international grant compliance regulations, and donor guidelines from major funding agencies
• Demonstrable understanding of international grant compliance regulations, including donor guidelines from major funding agencies like USAID, World Bank, European Union, and private foundations
• Deep understanding of and experience with the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), India’s Foreign Contribution Registration Act (FCRA), corrupt practices, sanctions, or related laws and regulations in other WRI focus countries, and necessary compliance procedures
• Experience in grant lifecycle management and project management in an international nonprofit highly matrixed organization
• Experience identifying compliance risks and developing mitigation strategies.
• Experience delivering trainings and collaborating with international partners, cross departmental partners, and other stakeholders
• Grant management software experience
• Demonstrated ability to work with a wide range of stakeholders located in different countries and within a team setting
• Experience using software relevant to grant management and project management, such as Asana, Salesforce and evaluation software
• You have experience making independent decisions in complex situations related to financial management, compliance, and in other operational situations
• Experience supporting complex multi-country projects and preparation of donor reporting, including excellent writing skills
• Languages: Verbal and written proficiency in English
• Requirements: Existing work authorization is required where this position is based. WRI is unable to authorize visa work authorization

Potential Salary: US salary range is between 96,000 and 116,000 USD. UK: 54K – 68K GBP; NL: 68K – 86K EUR. If located in another country office, salary will be determined by local market conditions. Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors.

How to Apply: Please submit a resume with a required cover letter by the date of 28 May 2025. We may close for applications sooner if we receive a high volume of qualified applications.

We are unable to consider your application without a cover letter in addition to your resume.

You must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered.

What we offer:

• Access to the WRI global network with the opportunity to exchange with and learn from passionate colleagues working at the cutting edge of their fields across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the US
• The chance to have an impact and to develop your career within a mission driven organization with access to varied learning and training opportunities.
• A workplace that strives to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our work
• The opportunity to join and get involved in different working groups and affinity groups to shape the future of WRI
• Commitment to hybrid working model with flexible working hours
• Generous leave days that increase with tenure
• For US location: Medical Coverage, Dental Coverage, Vision Coverage, retirement plan access and employer contribution

About Us:

World Resources Institute works to improve people’s lives, protect and restore nature and stabilize the climate. As an independent research organization, we leverage our data, expertise and global reach to influence policy and catalyse change across systems like food, land and water; energy; and cities. Our 2,000+ staff work on the ground in more than a dozen focus countries and with partners in over 50 nations.

Our mission and values:

WRI’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.

Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Independence and Respect.

Our culture:

WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission including equal opportunities in employment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, caste, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or protected Veteran status.

Our team in Human Resources carefully reviews all applications.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 9 days ago - Updated 5 hours ago - Source: wri.org