Overview
Associate Legal Counsel Jobs in Raleigh, NC at Envestnet
Who We Are
International Justice Mission (IJM) is the global leader in protecting vulnerable people from violence around the world. Our team of over 1,200 professionals are at work worldwide in over 30 offices. Together we are on a mission to rescue millions, protect half a billion, and make justice unstoppable.
We are a global community that cares for one another. We believe that the way we work is as important as the results we achieve. We provide professional excellence with joy and celebration to all those we serve.
The Need
For over 25 years, IJM has pioneered the work to protect vulnerable people from violence. 9 out of 9 times in the last decade, IJM’s Justice System Strengthening Projects have reduced slavery and violence between 50 and 85% for very large populations of people in poverty. As we grow to expand our impact to protect 500 million people from violence, we are seeking a Global Officer, Grants Compliance.
The Global Officer, Grants Compliance reports to the Global Director, Grant Partnerships and is a pivotal position for strengthening IJM’s capacity to manage grant compliance and grant partnership risk. This role works with regionally based portfolio managers in the administration of IJM’s grant awards and subawards, serving as an authoritative compliance resource and helping ensure adherence to donor regulations and internal policies. In addition to providing training and technical assistance to grants management staff, the Global Officer will also coordinate with other Global Functions and oversee global initiatives to institutionalize compliance requirements and best practices, including internal audits, policy development, portfolio KPI reporting, and business process design. The Global Officer works closely with legal and enterprise-wide compliance directors, regional portfolio managers, and global finance and capacity building managers, to carry out their work.
This position is hybrid (onsite Tuesdays & Thursdays) if located in the Washington, DC area or remote for non-local candidates. It reports to Regional President, North America and is only available for candidates with the right to work in the US.
Responsibilities:
Global Grants Standards:
Own the maintenance, revision, and enforcement of IJM’s Global Grants Standards, which provide minimum common requirements for each phase of the grant lifecycle; create systematic solutions and approaches that help IJM staff adhere to the global standards.
Grant administration and compliance:
Provide solutions-oriented and human-centered guidance to grant acquisition and implementation teams; interpret and guide application of relevant regulations, terms, and conditions; review award/subaward agreements and modifications; support portfolio managers with grant startup and closeout; analyze and escalate key risks to leadership, including implementation delays, providing recommendations and responsive tools and resources that help mitigate risk.
Organizational policy, compliance, and assurance:
Engage and/or convene cross-functional working groups to advocate for, embed, and communicate institutional funding requirements among global support function teams. This includes support for internal and external audits and is a shared responsibility with the Senior Lead, Grants Finance on the Global Grants team.
Grants capacity development:
Collaborate with the Grants Capacity Building Lead to create and deliver training, job aids, and knowledge resources that promote institutional learning and individual professional development for IJM staff and implementing partners. Innovate communications materials that encourage adoption of best practices.
Global portfolio operations:
Assist the Global Director with key aspects of strategic planning, financial forecasting, KPI reporting, and teamwork planning, as it relates to managing the global institutional funding portfolio and ensuring IJM meets the requirements and expectations of our donors. Coordinate with Regional Grant Managers to ensure timely reporting rhythms and to maintain comprehensive, audit-ready grant files to ensure full documentation of compliance with donor requirements. Partner with the Senior Lead, Grants Finance to analyze portfolio underspends and problem solve for risks in the financial forecast.
Oversight of Grant Administration and Compliance:
Oversee award administration frameworks for various types of financial assistance awards and partnership agreements, including contracts, cooperative agreements, grants, sub-grants, sub-contracts, memorandums of understanding, etc.
Serve as authoritative guide for day-to-day grants compliance questions and concerns, drawing on expert regulatory knowledge and interpretation in the application of award terms and conditions.
Collaborate across functions to ensure holistic compliance support for staff implementing grants.
Ensure teams are fully informed of relevant donor compliance requirements, supporting portfolio managers with grant start-up, closeout, and compliance matters over the life of the award.
Maintain administrator oversight of both internal and external grant repositories to maintain complete, audit-ready compliance files, including MyGrants and other institutional online grant management platforms with regular review and support to ensure that Regional Grant Managers are submitting reporting and maintaining files according to required reporting intervals and deadlines.
Supply compliance and regulatory input during the negotiation of award terms and conditions for new awards, subawards, and modifications, ensuring they are agreeable for the organization.
Support grant teams in identifying and requesting any formal grant approvals, modifications or amendments over the life of each award.
Understand and communicate practical application of changing regulations and requirements to key stakeholders
Review grant proposal documentation, including budgets and narratives, to ensure compliance with donor regulations and internal guidelines.
Provide input and review in the drafting, negotiation and execution of subgrant agreements.
Collaborate with Global Grants Director and Legal Affairs where needed to ensure subaward and partnership templates are continuously updated to reflect changes in government regulations, donor requirements, and/or internal policy.
Provide input to pre-award risk assessments and screenings for subrecipient as well as for ongoing monitoring to ensure subrecipient compliance is reviewed and documented according to donor requirements and IJM standards.
Policies and Procedures Development:
As designated owner of the Grants Standards, oversee internal compliance and coordination, diligently upholding the prescribed standards and ensuring seamless alignment with global governance and organizational initiatives.
Institutionalize protocols and practices for grants activities from start-up to close out, and, where necessary, establish systems to help project teams to work more efficiently and independently to meet grantor requirements.
Develop and maintain grant-related policies, guidelines, tools, and systems that lead to effective grant compliance.
Work closely with global function leaders to make recommendations for policy and procedural changes related to institutional donor and partner compliance, integrating new requirements with organizational readiness initiatives.
Ensure enterprise data systems and platforms are responsive to grant-related needs.
Cross-functional Collaboration and Risk Management:
Partner with the Global Assurance and Compliance teams as they conduct internal audits and create corrective action plans in Project Offices implementing grants.
Identify risks within the portfolio and recommend plans for mitigation, including reputational and audit-related risks, to ensure IJM’s compliance and to safeguard its reputation.
Coordinate with Global Finance and support IJM teams and senior management on necessary actions regarding compliance and/or audit risks, including drafting of documents as necessary.
Support cross-regional grants community of practice agenda, contributing key compliance and portfolio management inputs to meeting agendas and forums for the geographically dispersed portfolio managers on a regular basis to strengthen rapport, communication, learning, and consistent application of best practices.
Represent Global Grants in interdepartmental initiatives, committees, and working groups, advocating for and shaping robust systems that enable effective grants management and compliance.
Training and Capacity Building:
Develop human-centered trainings, guidance, resources, and coaching for staff implementing grants, taking both a proactive and reactive approach to building staff capacity to compliance with grant terms and conditions.
Lead grant compliance training sessions for program and advancement staff, identifying when international travel would enhance learning and adoption of relevant policies and practices.
Mentor grants management and compliance staff in training and building effective working relationships across teams.
Deliver timely and constructive coaching and feedback for staff supporting and/or implementing grants.
Partner with other Global Grants team members to draft monthly communications and learning content.
Qualifications:
Education & Experience:
Bachelor’s degree required or equivalent combination of experience and/or education. Master’s/JD preferred.
Minimum 7 years of experience leading institutional grant compliance, legal and/or capacity building at the portfolio level.
Certificate in Federal Grants Management preferred.
Technical Competencies:
Exceptional written and verbal communication.
Strategic thinking and ability to craft a strong narrative.
Keen listening and synthesis skills.
Razor-sharp attention to detail and excellence.
Thoughtful coaching and mentorship.
Adept at digital technology, multimedia, channel optimization.
Clear, compelling change management communication.
Critical Qualities:
Mature orthodox Christian faith as defined by the Apostles’ Creed.
Self-starter and problem solver with strong initiative.
Disciplined with priorities and working boundaries.
Excellent interpersonal and customer-service skills, with high self-awareness.
Exceptional verbal and written communication.
Flexible and adaptive to changing requirements.
Effective team player who fosters collaborative environment and is eager to support others.
Communicates and interacts respectfully and effectively with people from other cultures, religions, and geographies.
Willing to travel internationally.
Application Process:
Upload Resume, Cover Letter & Statement of Faith* in one PDF document.
What is a statement of faith?
A statement of faith should describe your Christian faith and how you see it as relevant to your involvement with IJM. The statement can either be incorporated into the cover letter or submitted as a separate document and should include, at a minimum, a description of your spiritual disciplines (prayer, study, etc.) and your current fellowship or place of worship.
What does IJM have to offer?
Comprehensive Medical/Dental/Vision benefits
Monthly commuter and parking benefits in the DC metro area
Retirement benefit options
Paid leave starting at 23 days
12 holidays (plus early release the day prior)
Daily, quarterly, and annual community spiritual formation
Robust staff care resources
IJM holds strict safeguarding principles and a zero tolerance to violations of the Safeguarding Policy, Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Policy, and Code of Ethics. Candidate selection is based on technical competence, recruitment, selection and hiring criteria subject to assessing the candidate’s value congruence and thorough background, police clearance, and reference check processes.
At IJM, we’re committed to building a diverse workforce through fair and equitable employment practices. IJM encourages people of any race, color, age, sex, marital status or political ideology to apply for employment. While we welcome everyone into this work, we truly believe that the work we are doing is God’s work, not our own, and practice spiritual disciplines together daily. That’s why we legally require under SEC. 2000e-1 [Section702] of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that all employees practice a mature orthodox Christian faith, as defined by the Apostles’ Creed.
IJM requires a background check, police clearance and thorough review of references with an employment offer and/or employment contract.
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Title: Associate Legal Counsel
Company: Envestnet
Location: Raleigh, NC
