Job Description

Job Title: Compliance and Regulatory Reporting Officer

Department: Legal Department

Location: Remote or Sierra Club office Washington D.C./Oakland

Reports To: Assistant General Counsel, Director of Compliance

Context: At the Sierra Club, we believe in the power of interdependence. Together, we remain committed to the fight for a healthy climate built on a foundation of environmental, racial, economic, and gender justice – a future where all people benefit from a healthy, thriving planet and a direct connection to nature. As the climate crisis and deeply entrenched systemic racism all fuel injustice, we will continue to fight for a bold, transformational agenda that recognizes the interconnectedness between our planet, our humanity, and our future. By recognizing that our destinies are tied, we continue to name that all things are fundamentally connected, and the overlap between ecology, race, gender, and representative government will move to either advance our collective humanity or to oppress it. Sierra Club has close to 800 staff across the country and a network of 64 local chapters that are led and fueled by thousands of volunteers. We are also proud to be a unionized employer, with three labor unions representing more than half of our employees.

Scope: Prepare, provide initial review, and file regulatory campaign finance and lobbying reports related to the organization’s electoral and lobbying efforts. Provides Club-wide political operations, accounting & administrative reporting support. Administers the review of regulatory compliance for Sierra Club 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), Voter Education and Electoral programs and activities. Creates, helps coordinate the preparation of training materials, and delivers Sierra Club staff and volunteer trainings to ensure Sierra Club’s compliance with all applicable federal regulations regarding the use and application of C3, C4, Voter Education (527) and PAC funds. Acts as Compliance lead on designated campaigns and programs.

Job activities include but are not limited to:

Prepares, analyzes, and files Federal Elections Commission, Internal Revenue Service, state election commission, and lobbying disclosure regulatory reports. Collaborates with the Accounting Team to ensure campaign finance reports and bank accounts are reconciled on a monthly basis.
Tracks several types of political expenditures such as direct contributions, coordinated in-kind contributions, and independent expenditures. Develops and maintains an internal tracking system to ensure streamlined and timely reporting of expenditures. Provides regular report updates to the Compliance Director and National Political staff. Flags, analyzes, and offers recommendations to the Compliance Director on potential reporting issues.
Works with IT to troubleshoot and resolve issues with internal and external software necessary to track expenses, complete monthly billings and journals, and file various reports.
Works with Compliance Director, IT, Finance, National Political Team, and other stakeholders to develop and enforce written policies and operational procedures for program compliance rules in accordance with: IRS code, FEC regulations, Sierra Club Finance Department policies, The Sierra Club Foundation policies, industry practices and donor intent.
Vets and processes requests for direct campaign contributions, vendor payments, and reimbursements; works with Accounts Payable to process these requests on a timely basis.
Works with Compliance Director and relevant experts in responding to FEC, IRS, and Congressional lobbying inquiries, including research, analysis and amending reports.
Prepares and reviews monthly journal entries and account billings for federal and state PAC expenditures. Responsible for tracking PAC transactions and identifying inaccurately billed expenses. Works with Finance, Operations, and relevant experts to resolve issues with state and federal PAC bank accounts, billing, and payment procedures.
Administers the regulatory compliance review function of material submitted related to Sierra Club’s programs and activities to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and internal policies.
Acts as regulatory compliance lead on designated campaigns and programs, working with respective teams to develop and implement compliant programs.
Develops and delivers regulatory compliance trainings and materials. Works to ensure that information about legal regulatory changes are implemented and distributed to Club staff and volunteers. Maintains the Compliance and Political Compliance sections of the website. Responsible for publicly disclosing IRS reports onto the Sierra Club website.
Performs miscellaneous duties as requested.
This position requires occasional overtime to meet special deadlines, projects, other staff absences, or emergencies. Under these circumstances, overtime will rarely exceed 5 hours per week or 15 hours on a monthly basis.

The successful candidate must demonstrate the following skills, experience and competencies:

Three (3) to five (5) years experience or working knowledge of IRS, FEC, state campaign finance, and lobbying regulations and reporting requirements. Experience in filing federal and state campaign finance and lobbying reports.
Demonstrated skill and effectiveness in preparing training and instructional materials and in conducting training programs.
Demonstrated ability to manage and track data.
Proficiency in Google Suite and Microsoft software suite and tools, including Excel. NGP EveryAction 8 experience is a plus.
Excellent analytic, communication and organizational skills and attention to detail required. Working knowledge of general accounting principles.
Equity Must Have: Committed to evolution. You are committed to continuously deepening and evolving your own understanding of systems of oppression through study, openness, and humility. And you easily recognize your own relationship to privilege and power, examining and shifting your behaviors as appropriate.

The strongest candidates will also demonstrate the following skills, experience and competencies:

Experience engaging multigenerational teams across multiple group identities.
An understanding and commitment to the Sierra Club’s core values of Anti-racism, Balance, Collaboration, Justice and Transformation.
A passion and commitment to the Sierra Club mission.
Culturally competent, inclusive, and adept at meeting people where they are.

Compensation and Benefits:

The salary range for this position is $85,000 – $95,000.

This position is represented by a collective bargaining unit and is subject to the terms and conditions of the contract between Sierra Club and Progressive Workers Union or Sierra Employee Alliance, depending on location.

This is a category 5 exempt represented position.

Sierra Club values the expertise and talents of foreign nationals. Sierra Club sponsors both nonimmigrant and immigrant visas when certain criteria are met, based on immigration laws and organizational needs. Such sponsorship is at the discretion of the Department Head and Sierra Club People Department in consultation with the employee’s manager. The Sierra Club cannot guarantee the approval of a visa petition. The Sierra Club is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce belonging.

How to Apply

Visit our Careers website to apply:

https://phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf01/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=SIERRACLUB&cws=39&rid=2286

The Sierra Club provides equal employment and advancement opportunities to all staff members. Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, lived experience and skills. The Sierra Club does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, immigration status, socioeconomic status, ancestry, age, size, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, familial status, veteran status, disability, AIDS/HIV status, medical condition, prior conviction, arrest history, traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The Sierra Club values applicants who are people that identify as Black, Indigenous, and other minoritized groups; women; queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender fluid people.

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Compliance & Regulatory Reporting Officer