Director, Legal and Risk Operations

MILKEN INSTITUTE•Santa Monica, CA

2d•$120,000 - $130,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Legal and Risk Operations works with the Milken Institute’s General Counsel to manage legal, compliance, and risk management functions in a complex nonprofit environment. The role supports legal integrity and risk mitigation across domestic and international operations, grant-funded activities, and partnerships with governmental and foreign entities. It is intended for a seasoned professional with substantial experience in contract management, internal policy development, and project management. The position manages contract workflows and systems, supports international compliance and due diligence, and assists with organizational policy and governance. It also contributes to AI risk and emerging technology governance, board and committee operations, litigation and employment matters, audits, donor reviews, and compliance reporting. The role works across program, finance, development, HR, and IT teams. The position is based on a hybrid schedule: three days per week in person at the Santa Monica office (Tuesday through Thursday) and two days remote. Occasional travel to other offices or venues may be required, along with occasional work outside traditional hours. The schedule may change at the Institute’s discretion.

Requirements

5–8+ years of experience in operations, contract management, compliance, or governance.
Strong drafting, organizational, and analytical skills.
Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment in a mission-driven environment.
Skills in contract lifecycle management, including drafting and analysis.
Skills in policy drafting and implementation.
Ability to collaborate cross-functionally.
Discretion and ability to maintain confidentiality.
Must be eligible and authorized to work in the United States; the Institute is not sponsoring visas.
Applicants must submit both a resume and cover letter.

Nice To Haves

JD preferred but not required; equivalent experience as a high-functioning operations director in a nonprofit, international NGO, or regulated corporate environment will be considered.
Experience working with international programs, grants, or donor-funded initiatives is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Draft, review, negotiate, and manage sponsor and donor agreements, vendor contracts, grant and foundation funding agreements, MOUs, consulting agreements, NDAs, and international partnership agreements in collaboration with internal stakeholders.
Oversee the full contract lifecycle, including intake, risk review, approvals, execution, tracking, and renewal.
Manage the Luminance Contract Management System as the Institute’s contracts repository and workflow tool.
Maintain contract templates and clause libraries aligned with nonprofit regulatory requirements and donor restrictions.
Conduct sanctions and risk/compliance checks for transactions involving foreign entities, international partners, and cross-border funding.
Coordinate due diligence on donors, grantees, award winners, partners, and others, escalating potential risks to the General Counsel as appropriate.
Assist the General Counsel in drafting, updating, and implementing employee handbook and HR policies, ethics and conflict-of-interest policies, whistleblower and ethics reporting procedures, data protection and records management policies, and AI governance and responsible-use policies.
Develop and maintain internal procedures that operationalize legal and compliance requirements across departments.
Support policy dissemination, training materials, and internal communications related to legal compliance.
Support the design and implementation of an AI Risk Assessment and Governance Framework, including risk identification and mitigation procedures, alignment with ethical standards, donor expectations and data protection requirements, and review protocols for AI-enabled tools.
Monitor emerging legal and regulatory developments relevant to nonprofit use of AI and data analytics.
Manage agendas, briefing materials, minutes, and follow-up actions for the Risk Committee and related governance bodies.
Track legal and compliance action items and support reporting to senior leadership and the Board.
Assist with governance documentation, including charters, resolutions, and policy approvals.
Assist the General Counsel and outside counsel with litigation and dispute management, including document collection, discovery coordination, and matter tracking.
Support HR in responding to employment disputes, internal investigations, and regulatory inquiries.
Serve as a liaison to program, finance, development, HR, and IT teams to integrate legal and risk considerations into operational decision-making.
Support audits, donor reviews, and compliance reporting related to legal and risk matters.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Travel occasionally to other offices or venues to assist with events as needed and interact virtually with staff in other U.S. and international locations.