Compliance and Contract Manager

Arnold Ventures (AV) is a philanthropy that supports research to understand the root causes of America’s most persistent and pressing problems, as well as evidence-based solutions to address them. By focusing on systemic change, AV is working to improve the lives of American families, strengthen their communities, and promote their economic opportunity. Since Laura and John Arnold launched their foundation in 2008, the philanthropy has expanded, and AV’s focus areas include education, criminal justice, health, infrastructure, and public finance, advocating for bipartisan policy reforms that will lead to lasting, scalable change. The Arnolds became signatories of the Giving Pledge in 2010.

Position Overview

The legal team helps AV advance its objectives by providing solutions-oriented, high-quality legal advice and counsel. Our team of professionals provides legal advice and services to AV’s board, leadership, and programmatic and operational teams. Our work touches upon a wide range of substantive legal areas, including tax, corporate governance, labor and employment, lobbying disclosure requirements, campaign finance, and general contract law. On any given day, the legal team might support complex grant-making activity, structure consulting and vendor arrangements, advise on advocacy initiatives, negotiate operations contracts, and support any other number of business activities.

The Compliance and Contract Manager will be responsible for supporting AV’s compliance with government affairs rules at the federal, state and local level, including those governing lobbying, gifts and ethics, and political activity. They will also draft and facilitate the execution of a wide range of agreements supporting AV’s work. This position can be based in any of Arnold Ventures’ three offices: Houston, New York City, or Washington D.C., and reports to the Senior Counsel, Advocacy.

Core Responsibilities

• Support AV’s adherence to federal, state, and local requirements when AV hosts government officials at events by gathering and validating high-volume information related to invitees, jurisdictions, and event costs. Conduct initial reviews of materials submitted for legal review to ensure completeness and accuracy before submission to the Senior Counsel
• Assist with lobbying registration and reporting processes, including compiling and verifying data for periodic filings. Track and support compliance with political contribution laws, coordinating with external consultants and internal stakeholders
• In coordination with legal counsel, review third-party contracts and draft grants and consulting agreements. Shepherd agreements through review, negotiation, and execution stages, including by corresponding with grantees, consultants and internal clients, and escalating issues to legal counsel as appropriate
• Work with the legal team to refine internal processes for contract and compliance management, identify risks, and develop solutions that enhance efficiency as the philanthropy changes and engages in new activities
• Keep track of all agreement requests and related deadlines 
• Work collaboratively with the legal team to facilitate the provision of prompt, high-quality service to the rest of the organization
• Assist legal team on additional special projects as needed.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required

• 3 years of experience, preferably in government affairs compliance, paralegal, project management, or related roles

• Familiarity with lobbying disclosure, gift and ethics rules, and campaign finance regulations.

• Exceptional organizational skills with keen attention to detail

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to liaise effectively with legal and government affairs professionals

• Outstanding judgment and discretion handling confidential information

• Experience working with compliance software and databases. Strong command of Microsoft Word and willingness to learn Salesforce and DocuSign systems.

We ask that you include a cover letter in addition to your resume when applying. The cover letter should be no more than one page and focus on the following: 1) contract or legal experience, 2) key examples that highlight your skills/​abilities for the role, and 3) what makes this role the right next step in your professional career. Cover letters will be used to assess communications and writing skills. 

The salary range for this position will be $85,000-$100,000.

Benefits Overview

AV is committed to providing a robust and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our current benefits package includes 100% paid employee premiums for medical, dental, vision, basic life, and short- and long-term disability insurance; 20 days of paid time off, 16 paid holidays (including a winter break from December 24 to January 1), a hybrid policy that includes four days in office and one flexible day for remote work, and a summer schedule with alternating Fridays off beginning on Memorial Day and ending on Labor Day; paid parental leave; a 401k retirement savings plan with an employer match, profit-share contribution, and immediate vesting; pre-tax transit benefits; a professional development stipend; a charitable giving stipend; and an employee assistance program.

Our Culture and Core Values

Our culture seeks to inspire and empower our people to innovate and develop bold ideas that will help AV achieve lasting impact. Our culture, and the core values that support it, should create an environment that spurs our team to think outside the box, feel comfortable pushing the boundaries of what is possible, and signal confidence in our team’s ability to make change happen through our philanthropic efforts. Although not an exhaustive list, below you’ll find examples of AV’s work culture. 

• We are adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity
• We are intellectually curious, open-minded, objective, humble, collegial, and receptive to feedback
• We are action-oriented with strong self-direction and self-motivation skills with the ability to work simultaneously on multiple projects
• We are able to interact confidently and collaboratively with team members and navigate relationships with external experts, government leaders, advocates, and individuals 

AV’s values reflect who we are as an organization, help us accelerate our strategic goals, strengthen our resolve, anchor us to our mission, and guide our decision-making. The successful candidate will also demonstrate the following core values that inspire the AV team to make a difference.

• Respect for Ourselves & Others
• Audacious Action
• Collaborative Engagement
• Depth of Thought
• Clear Communication

AV is an equal opportunity employer, committed to an inclusive workplace. We are seeking applicants from a variety of backgrounds and with a variety of experiences and perspectives. Candidates who have been impacted by the systems we are seeking to change are strongly encouraged to apply. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, military/​veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.