Director, Risk and Compliance

Background

Global Fishing Watch is an international, non-profit organization committed to advancing ocean governance through increased transparency. We create and publicly share knowledge about human activity at sea to enable fair and sustainable use of our ocean. Founded in 2015 through a collaboration between Oceana, SkyTruth, and Google, Global Fishing Watch became an independent non-profit organization in June 2017. Using cutting-edge technology, we create and publicly share map visualizations, data, and analysis tools to enable scientific research and drive a transformation in how we manage our ocean. Our major focus is on commercial fishing because it is the most widespread human activity at sea, the most impactful on ocean health, and the most crucial for global livelihoods and food security. By 2030, we aim to monitor and visualize the impact of ocean-going vessels, both industrial and small-scale, that are responsible for the vast majority of the global seafood catch. We believe human activity at sea should be common knowledge to safeguard the global ocean commons for the common good of all.

The Position

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Director, Risk and Compliance (“Director”) provides strategic leadership for risk management, compliance, and internal audit. As a member of the senior management team, the Director will champion a culture of compliance, ensuring adherence to legal and regulatory requirements, implementing best practices, and advising on risk and compliance across the organization.

The Director oversees the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of policies and procedures for risk and compliance management. They provide guidance on risk identification, measurement, monitoring, and control, supporting the senior management team in executing the annual risk management plan.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in non-profit compliance laws and regulations in the US, UK and globally, with a strategic approach to minimizing risk. They will foster a culture of accountability that aligns operations with our values and drives high performance.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Compliance

• Develop and enforce company policies, internal controls, and regulations.
• Monitor business operations, conduct audits, and ensure legal, policy, and ethical compliance.
• Review contracts for alignment with rules, regulations and internal policies.
• Assess future ventures for compliance risks.
• Provide staff with training and guidance to carry out their responsibilities in a lawful and ethical manner.
• Work with external partners and stakeholders to ensure GFW is compliant in internal policies as well as legal and regulatory contexts.
• Maintain and enforce procurement procedures, approved vendor lists, monitoring requirements and delivery partner reviews to ensure proper use of funds.

Risk Management

• Establish governance policies covering anti-corruption, safeguarding, and bribery and terrorist financing.
• Lead the development and implementation of a risk management framework, including ongoing monitoring and reporting.
• Minimize legal risks by understanding current and proposed legislation and recommending new procedures to comply with legal requirements.
• Develop and maintain a legal register to support Global Fishing Watch’s compliance with legislation in the various jurisdictions where we operate.
• Develop a Business Continuity Plan.
• Collaborate with Finance to ensure sufficient financial capacity, sound internal controls to manage proposed projects, and overall financial health.
• Partner with Human Resources to ensure operational systems align with relevant HR policies and support socially responsible practices, including gender equality and DEI.
• Operate retaliation-free reporting channels and respond to reports of noncompliance promptly.
• Maintain a program-specific risk register and a conflict-of-interest register.
• Secure appropriate insurance coverage.

Management

• Set up the Compliance and Risk Management team and supervise staff (1 hire planned in 2025), providing leadership, guidance and feedback and supporting teams to resolve complex problems.
• Establish strategic goals and objectives, manage performance and maintain the department’s budget.
• Develop, coordinate, and enforce systems, policies, and procedures.
• Ensure a safe, secure, welcoming, and legal work environment.

Strategy and Leadership

• Act as a focal point for risk and compliance on the senior management team.
• Contribute to the development, delivery, reporting and review of Global Fishing Watch’s organizational strategy, in collaboration with the senior management team.
• Provide review and advice as needed to the senior executive group on policies and procedures.
• Drive stakeholder collaboration, ensuring effective cross-functional cohesion.
• Nurture the long-term values, reputation and resources of the organization.
• Participate in senior management team meetings, provide briefings, escalate issues and risks as needed, and contribute to key initiatives such as the diversity, equity, and inclusion working group and data ethics working group.

Other

• Support the development and implementation of organizational monitoring, evaluation and learning efforts.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Desired Skills and Qualifications

Candidates should possess many of the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in law, finance, business administration, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 10+ years managing compliance programs for US non-profits, including compliance policy development and building a culture of compliance and risk management.
• Deep understanding of compliance laws, non-profit regulations and donor-led compliance requirements.
• Effective communication skills, with the ability to explain complex regulations and requirements to different stakeholders.
• Highly organized, analytical, detail oriented and self-motivated.
• Proven ability to build relationships and collaborate effectively.
• Skilled in training delivery and staff coaching.
• Ability to take ownership of projects and communicate project updates to stakeholders in a transparent and proactive manner.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities to a high standard of detail under tight deadlines in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• Familiarity with global collaboration and communication in global matrixed/remote organizations.
• Experience with compliance programs across multiple countries, especially the UK and EU.
• Professional proficiency in French or Spanish is a plus.