Social Impact Compliance Associate Manager

PepsiCo • Chicago, IL

49d

About The Position

Lead the design and execution of a best-in-class compliance, risk management, and governance framework for Social Impact & PepsiCo Foundation grantmaking—ensuring all programs are compliant with PepsiCo Foundation governance criteria (when applicable), Inclusion for Growth (IfG) standards, Spendwise Policy, and all other regulatory requirements, while enabling scalable, auditable operations.

Requirements

• 6–8 years of experience in compliance, risk management, audit, grants management, or nonprofit/philanthropic operations, including direct ownership of a control environment.
• Bachelor's degree required in business, finance, accounting, public policy, nonprofit management, legal studies, or a related field.
• Proven experience building organizational capability and governance processes, including designing policies, controls, and decision frameworks from the ground up; developing training, tools, and guidance that embed compliance discipline across teams; and driving adoption in organizations new to formal governance.
• Demonstrated ownership of a compliance or governance framework that was built from scratch or materially rebuilt, with the ability to operate effectively in ambiguity.
• Hands-on audit experience, including responding to internal audit findings, developing remediation plans, and closing findings with documented evidence.
• Nonprofit due diligence expertise, including 501(c)(3) validation, financial transparency review, conflict of interest and Board affiliation screening, watchlist checks, and third-party due diligence for international grants.
• Experience embedding compliance controls into systems and workflows, such as approval gates, required fields, and audit trails within a grants management or comparable enterprise platform (e.g., CyberGrants, Bonterra, Blackbaud, Benevity).
• Policy authorship and documentation skills, with the ability to produce policies, SOPs, and decision criteria that withstand internal and external scrutiny.
• Strong cross-functional influence without direct authority, partnering effectively with Legal, Finance, Communications, and global program teams.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end grant compliance and eligibility validation: Ensure all Foundation grants meet defined eligibility and compliance standards, including nonprofit status, financial transparency, governance structures, and program alignment with FDN strategic criteria. Validate COI (conflict of interest) and Board of Director (BOD) affiliations and enforce eligibility guidelines across all grantees. Ensure all required documentation (e.g., reputational assessments, financial reports, TPDD requirements for international grants) is complete prior to approval.
• Embed Inclusion for Growth (IfG) compliance into all grants and programs: Serve as the central owner for integrating IfG governance into grant design, ensuring all programs are compliant, open, and defensible. Ensure all programs meet “open to all” requirements and avoid restricted eligibility based on demographic characteristics. Identify and mitigate legal and reputational risks related to program framing, targeting, and communications. Advise/train teams on compliant program structuring while maintaining intended impact.
• Design and run the global compliance framework for Social Impact: Develop and institutionalize a standardized compliance and governance framework across Foundation and business giving. Define policies, controls, and approval processes that ensure objective, consistent, and defensible funding decisions. Establish clear criteria, thresholds, and audit trails across grant lifecycle stages. Ensure alignment with internal audit expectations and PepsiCo business risk standards.
• Oversee compliance controls within grant management systems: Partner with the Systems Lead to embed compliance requirements into platforms (e.g., CyberGrants/Bonterra). Ensure required fields, workflows, watchlists, and approval gates are consistently enforced in the system. Drive transition from manual processes to system-enabled, auditable controls and workflows. Monitor exceptions, flags, and incomplete submissions to ensure compliance before approval.
• Lead risk management and audit readiness across the grant portfolio: Own proactive risk identification and mitigation across all grants and partners. Conduct due diligence and third-party risk assessments for nonprofit partners. Ensure full audit readiness (through self-audit practices), including documentation traceability, compliance evidence, and process consistency. Lead remediation efforts tied to audit findings (e.g., eligibility validation, process standardization, and control automation).
• Act as strategic compliance advisor to program teams: Provide expert guidance to program teams on compliant grant design and execution. Enable speed and innovation while ensuring compliance risks are proactively managed. Develop training, tools, and guidance to build compliance capability across the global Social Impact organization. Serve as the primary point of contact for complex or high-risk compliance decisions.

Benefits

• Bonus based on performance and eligibility target payout is 10% of annual salary paid out annually.
• Paid time off subject to eligibility, including paid parental leave, vacation, sick, and bereavement.
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, Health, and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Insurance (Accident, Group Legal, Life), Defined Contribution Retirement Plan.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager