Compliance Specialist

Salary Range:$75,000.00 To $93,000.00 Annually

Location - Remote, USA

FLSA Status - Exempt, Regular, Full-Time

• Union Status Union (SEIU Local 1021)

Organization Description

Tides Advocacy is a team of political, legal, and financial experts that identify, connect, and fuel movements for social justice and the health of our democracy. We leverage our 25-year progressive network, navigate the rules, and solve problems in order to make advocacy accessible to social change innovators.

Tides Advocacy is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization serving over 85 fiscally sponsored partners (“partners”) who promote equity, justice, and dignity for all. They are engaged in policy, legislative, ballot, and electoral campaigns as well as public education and other social welfare activities. For more information, please visit tidesadvocacy.org.

Position Summary

The Compliance Specialist will support advocacy work and related programmatic operations at Tides Advocacy. In particular, the Compliance Specialist will be primarily responsible for tracking and reporting lobbying activities, managing the lobbying timekeeping system, filing registrations, flagging potential compliance issues associated with proposed activities, and maintaining, organizing and preparing relevant training materials, and leading lobbying trainings. Compliance Specialist is also responsible for state and local charitable solicitation and business registration filings and creating and maintaining any related processes in order to prepare and file accurate reports. Compliance Specialist will research fundraising (charitable) registrations and business registrations. In all of their work, the Compliance Specialist will work closely with the Sr. Compliance Manager and other members of the Legal, Risk and Compliance (“LRC”) team to identify, resolve and anticipate issues.

The Compliance Specialist is an exempt position and works collaboratively with the department at large. Exempt employees are expected to work the appropriate and necessary time in order to complete key assignments and related tasks on schedule.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Lobbying and Gift Rules (55%)

• Prepare lobbying registrations and reports in multiple jurisdictions for review and approval by the Sr. Compliance Manager; file same after approval.
• Maintain a lobbying reporting calendar, following up with project staff and others for required information. Work proactively with partners on potential registration and reporting activities.
• As needed, gather material for a regulatory audit related to lobbying reporting.
• Manage lobbying time tracking system, including adding or removing staff, answering questions, following up as needed to obtain time reports, working with IT to modify as needed.
• Review time reports and expenses coded as lobbying monthly and flag new jurisdiction for research to determine if additional lobbying registrations are required. Follow up with appropriate departments or partners for additional information.
• Maintain an internal knowledge management database related to local, state and federal lobbying reporting and registration requirements, and gift and ethics rules.
• Respond to inquiries from Tides Advocacy staff and partner staff concerning lobbying and advocacy reporting and registration requirements.
• Organize, maintain and prepare lobbying guidance provided to Tides Advocacy staff and fiscally sponsored projects. Identify compliance issues reflected in proposed lobbying and other advocacy activities, including related to gift and ethics rules.
• Stay up to date on changes in rules and regulations that affect lobbying, advocacy, and gift rules compliance.

Charitable Solicitation and Business Registrations (35%)

• Serve as the primary contact with Tides Advocacy’s chosen vendor(s) (“Vendors”) for state and local service of process, charitable solicitation registration and reporting, and business registrations in every jurisdiction that requires the same.
• Work with Vendors to prepare and file Tides Advocacy’s annual charitable solicitation registration/reporting and business registration filings, subject to approval. If Vendor assistance is unavailable for a given local jurisdiction, prepare additional registrations for approval and direct filing as needed.
• Establish any process needed to compile information from multiple departments and partners in order to file annual charitable solicitation registration/reporting and business registrations.
• Research and evaluate jurisdiction-specific requirements as needed.

Materials and Training Support (10%)

• Support in the preparation and presentations of compliance trainings and resource materials for internal and partner staff.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Prior experience and familiarity of lobbying regulations and ethics rules; prior experience with time tracking systems a plus
• Prior experience and understanding of charitable solicitation and business registration regulations
• Familiarity with legal frameworks governing organizations exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4) and 527 of the Internal Revenue Code
• Strong organizational skills and project management skills
• Ability to work independently within a fast-paced, task-directed, deadline-oriented environment
• Ability to manage a variety of activities and pay close attention to detail
• Strong verbal and written communications skills with the ability to cooperate and work collaboratively toward solutions that generally benefit all involved parties
• Strong critical thinking and decision-making ability
• Ability to hold information confidential with excellent judgment

Education and Experience

Required

• High School Diploma or equivalent
• 2+ years of direct experience with lobbying and other issue advocacy compliance
• 1+ years of experience with business and/or charitable solicitation registration

Preferred

• Familiarity with Salesforce and Microsoft Office Suite

Equal Employment Opportunity

Tides Advocacy is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage and seek applications from women, people of color, and bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race (including hairstyle and texture), religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical condition including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related conditions.

Applicants with Disabilities

Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please reach out to us via tajobs@tides.org if you have any reasonable accommodation questions or requests.