Contracts and Compliance Manager

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.

Since 2000, more than 5 million people and partners have contributed $1 billion to support 2 million teacher requests for classroom resources and experiences. Projects range from art supplies to build the set for a school musical, to books and puzzles that affirm students’ identities, to bird seed for an at-home science project. We proudly serve all US public schools, public charter schools, and Head Start centers, and we combat systemic inequity by driving a majority of donations to schools that have been historically underfunded due to economic and racial inequity.

DonorsChoose has been recognized as a best place to work by GOOD Magazine and the Nonprofit Times, while Fast Company named DonorsChoose one of the 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World—the first time a charity has made this list. Our dedicated team works from across the United States to bring classroom dreams to life.

About the Legal Team

The Legal function at DonorsChoose is brand new, and we are building it from the ground up. The Legal function is responsible for partnering with other teams across the organization to help manage risk in a complex business environment so that the organization can deliver at the highest levels for teachers and students.  The Legal team reports to the CFO. 

About the Role

We are looking for a dynamic and detail-oriented Contracts and Compliance Manager to help us continue our mission. If you thrive in a collaborative environment and enjoy providing practical, business-focused legal solutions, this could be the perfect role for you!

In this role you will: 

• Work closely with the VP of Legal and stakeholders across the organization to ensure legal contract provisions, such as provisions concerning privacy, intellectual property, and compliance are resolved in line with DonorsChoose standards, with an eye toward providing pragmatic and business-minded solutions
• Prepare contract compliance analysis and summaries 
• Complete final review of contracts, including by comparing contracting documents and preparing those agreements for signature 
• Partner with other DonorsChoose teams including, Finance, Procurement, Information Technology, and Operations, to ensure contracts are consistent with internal policies and processes
• Manage contract lifecycle management system 
• Contribute to various contract process improvement projects, including the creation and updates of legal templates, playbooks, training materials, and CLM processes 
• Manage the organization’s legal risk management processes
• Develop and manage contract compliance communications for the Legal Team

This role may be perfect for you if:

• You hold a BA or BS degree; a JD and/or CIPP-US certification is a plus, but not required.
• You have  2 to 5+ years of experience drafting consultant, technology, and grant agreements with an emphasis on technology and data privacy matters.
• You are skilled at collaborating cross-functionally and enjoy working with diverse teams.
• You have experience working within contract lifecycle management systems (such as LinkSquares, SpotDraft, or HighQ) and are familiar with Slack.
• You enjoy building processes and thrive in situations where there is ambiguity to be resolved
• You are proactive—when you notice something that needs attention, you speak up and aren’t afraid to ask questions

Compensation & Benefits

Our compensation philosophy ensures that we are both externally competitive with tech-forward nonprofits of a similar size and internally fair in our pay practices. The following ranges represent the target offer range given the scope and experience expectations for this role.

• The hiring salary range for this role is $68,000 - $80,000.
• We have a hiring salary range of $72,5000 -  $87,550 for specific higher cost-of-labor locations, which include New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, and Washington, D.C.

Once employees are hired, everyone at DonorsChoose is eligible to receive annual performance-based raises as they grow in their role. We are open to a variety of experiences and recognize that the person we hire may be less experienced or more senior than this job description as posted. If you don’t check every box listed here, or you know you’d bring additional experience to the table, we hope you’ll submit your application. 

In addition, we offer full-time staff 25 paid vacation days per year and 11 paid holidays, a rich employer-paid individual and family health plan, a matching 401(k) plan (up to 5% of base salary), annual professional development stipend, and casual and flexible work environment. To learn more about what it is like to work for DonorsChoose, visit our careers page.

Hybrid Workplace and Other Details

In this role, you’ll have the option to work a flexible hybrid schedule in our NYC office, or to work fully remotely from CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, ME, MA, MD, MI, NJ, NY, OR, PA, RI, TX, VA, WA, WI.

Candidates who are not in the NYC area should expect to travel to our NYC office on an as-needed basis, about 4-6 times per year. All work-related travel expenses will be covered by the organization.

DonorsChoose participates in E-Verify. We will provide the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization. 

EQUITY
Combating systemic inequity is crucial to a brighter future for all. This reality fuels our ambitions and drives us to persevere.

INGENUITY
Complex problems require innovative solutions. We dream big, get creative, roll up our sleeves, and take action. We believe the best products can change the world.

HUMANITY 
People are the heart of our team and the communities we serve. Our compassion informs our goals and how we work together to achieve them. 

INTEGRITY
We strive to do right. We’re up-front about the facts. We boldly learn and grow from mistakes.

LEARNING
Education is the beating heart of our organization, inside and out. We’re curious. We listen. We know we don’t know everything. 

GRATITUDE
We begin and end with thanks. We take joy in our mission, our communities, and each other.

To Apply

Please submit your resume and complete the application questions online. To help us understand your unique experiences and perspectives, we kindly ask that you do not use AI writing tools to create your responses. A cover letter is optional; if you choose to include one, you may address it to Angela Thompson, VP of Legal.

A Final Note

The DonorsChoose team works toward a nation where students in every community have the resources needed for an excellent education. To do this we hire and support a diverse team of the best and the brightest talent available.

We are an organization increasingly representative of the varied races and ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations, religious and political beliefs, and abilities that comprise our nation. DonorsChoose focuses on attracting, retaining, and advancing diverse talent because it makes us more effective, high-performing, creative, and resilient.  

If you are passionate about our mission, highly skilled in your field, and looking for a place where you can bring all of yourself to work, we want you.