Contracts and Compliance Manager

Position Title: Contracts and Compliance Manager

Location: Remote (USA)

Salary: $75,000 - $83,000

Status: Full-time, salaried, exempt

Reports to: Director of Operations

ABOUT US:

Since 1988, Rainforest Trust has been safeguarding imperiled tropical habitats and saving endangered species by creating and expanding protected and conserved areas. That very much includes supporting rights-based conservation measures such as affirming and securing rights to Indigenous or Traditional Territories, recognizing Conserved Areas (OECMs), and establishing traditional Protected Areas, including those with co-management of Indigenous or local communities. Working in partnership with local organizations and communities, we have protected more than 60 million acres of vital habitat across Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Rainforest Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies upon the generous support of the public to successfully implement our important conservation action.

HOW YOU'LL CONTRIBUTE TO OUR MISSION:

• Mitigate organizational risk and maximize programmatic and operational efficiency by codifying and managing the end-to-end contracting lifecycle for outgoing grants, consultants, and vendors.
• Maintain a centralized library of contract templates that are legally compliant, reflect donor flow-down requirements, and balance standardization for risk-mitigation with the flexibility needed for diverse global working contexts.
• Lead the donor intent reconciliation process for modified or cancelled projects, ensuring funds are reallocated in accordance with donor agreements and ethical standards.
• Streamline the review and execution of incoming grant agreements by establishing review standards, supporting negotiations, and ensuring obligations are communicated to internal stakeholders.
• Ensure organization-wide adherence to applicable regulations through ongoing tracking and development/updates to Rainforest Trust policies and procedures.
• Proactively identify, monitor, and mitigate institutional and operational risks by maintaining a comprehensive risk register, ensuring a robust insurance portfolio, and developing policies and SOPs designed to reduce the probability and impact of adverse events.
• Serve as the internal advisor on data privacy and information security, ensuring ethical and legal handling of donor and employee information.
• Standardize and lead a comprehensive, cross-departmental due diligence framework for all new partners and grantees, ensuring that technical expertise, financial health, and organizational capacity are vetted through a unified process.
• Manage and optimize the organization's compliance software stack (e.g. conflict of interest and due diligence tools) to ensure high data integrity and user adoption.
• Standardize and support the organization's procurement process, ensuring tools, templates, and guidance are provided to staff for consistent policy adherence.

TO SUCCEED IN THIS ROLE, WE'RE HOPING YOU'LL HAVE:

• Demonstrated experience managing the full contract lifecycle in an organization with international partners and focused on either conservation, regranting, or other related field, along with strong organization and project management skills
• Proven ability to efficiently shepherd diverse internal and external stakeholders through a unified contracting process, supported by a proficiency in building and maintaining digital, stage-based workflows and transparent audit trails
• Proven expertise in leading unified due diligence processes, underpinned by a deep technical understanding of OFAC, global sanctions, anti-money laundering, and anti-corruption requirements
• Proven ability to lead unified due diligence processes by defining cross-departmental roles, scaling the depth of review based on partnership risk/scale, and synthesizing disparate vetting components into a holistic organizational recommendation that builds consensus among stakeholders with conflicting risk appetites.
• Expertise in creating contract templates that are tailored to an organization's working context, retain legal rigor, and are maintained in accordance with evolving regulations, along with a deep understanding of the legal boundaries of restricted funding
• Proven experience identifying and resolving high-risk or non-standard terms within donor agreements and negotiating with large institutional donors, and demonstrated ability to lead the internal contract review process by engaging diverse stakeholders and translating complex legal/financial requirements into actionable guidance and internal standards for managing post-execution obligations
• Proven ability to proactively track regulatory changes and translate those requirements into actionable, user-friendly SOPs and policy implementation to ensure long-term adherence and organizational alignment
• Expertise in quantifying, scoring, and tracking institutional risks through a formal risk register risk management framework, with a demonstrated ability to communicate complex risk profiles to leadership to drive organizational change and proactive mitigation
• Familiarity with managing insurance renewals and experience translating business operations to organizational risk to insurance policy
• Proven experience interpreting and operationalizing data privacy frameworks and best practices to advise internal teams on the ethical collection, storage, and sharing of sensitive information while maintaining organizational efficiency
• Proven experience in the administration and optimization of technology systems or databases designed for compliance; includes demonstrated ability to lead the end-to-end rollout of new digital processes, maintain high data integrity, and drive long-term staff adoption through targeted training and change management
• Proven experience designing and standardizing procurement workflows, including the creation of user-friendly templates (RFPs, bid tabs, selection memos) and guidance materials that translate complex policies into actionable steps
• Demonstrated commitment and enthusiasm for Rainforest Trust's mission and respect for our core values: Partner for Impact; Respect & Empower People; Act with Integrity & Transparency; Lead with Data; Invest Efficiently.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Rainforest Trust values the diversity of our planet and environment and wants our team to reflect the richness of the global population we serve. We believe that striving to maintain a demographically diverse workforce where employees are treated equitably and feel a strong sense of inclusion is not only an ethical imperative but also a key driver of innovation and excellence, enhancing our ability to fulfill our mission of conserving and protecting our natural environment.

We put this belief into action by striving to apply this lens to every aspect of employment, from how we hire and recruit, to how we determine compensation and benefits, to the training and development we offer, and the working conditions we create.

If you think you have what it takes, but don't necessarily meet every single qualification, please still get in touch. We'd love to have a chat and see if you could be a great fit!

We are an equal-opportunity employer and give all qualified applicants consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.

WORKING CONDITIONS AND TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

Rainforest Trust is a remote first organization and the incumbent will be expected to work primarily from home with an excellent internet connection, though part-time office space may be available in Washington DC. Occasional national and/or international travel may be required for organizational meetings and other events.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by a teammate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Ability to remain in a stationary position at a computer terminal for an extended period. The person in this position frequently communicates with colleagues both verbally and in writing and must be able to exchange accurate, neat and thorough information.

ANTICIPATED SALARY

The salary range for this position is $75,000 - $83,000 commensurate with experience. This base compensation range represents the anticipated low and high range of wages for this position. Salaries will vary and will be based on various factors, such as the candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies, and proficiency for the role. Information on other benefits may be found on our Careers Page.