Director of Global Operations and Compliance

About LSM
Laudato Si' Movement (LSM) is an international network of 900 Catholic organizations and thousands of grassroots leaders, all working together to care for our common home and advance climate and ecological justice. We act at the forefront of faith-based efforts to protect the environment, and our work is very fast-paced, with multiple projects and priorities managed daily. We enjoy a collaborative working environment in which everyone is committed to tackling the planetary crisis with courage and love. We believe as Pope Francis said in Laudato Si', that "truly, much can be done"

About this role
Over the past eleven years, the Laudato Si' Movement's secretariat has grown from a small team of 4 to a dynamic organization with over 50 staff across 5 continents, making a big impact by motivating the global Catholic community to protect our common home. We are seeking a brilliant and friendly Director of Global Operations and Compliance who can continue to develop and take to the next level all aspects of our operations during this critical time of LSM's growth.
This Director role is a senior-level strategic role overseeing day-to-day operations and compliance-related issues of LSM, while also being a versatile doer who can successfully tackle the complex challenges of a global nonprofit organisation. The Director will identify opportunities, challenges, and solutions across teams while specifically managing the operations, human resources, administrative, and legal functions, ensuring best practices and full compliance in the jurisdictions in which LSM has an operational footprint.
Duties and Responsibilities
Strategic Operations Leadership

• Lead the development and execution of LSM's global operational strategy, ensuring alignment with mission, values, and strategic priorities.
• Build and strengthen organisational systems integration across finance, HR, IT, governance, data protection, and compliance.
• Ensure operational cohesion between the US headquarters and future EU/other international offices.
• Drive the adoption of efficient processes, technologies, and shared-service models across the organisation.
• Manage organizational and administrative functions across the organization.
• Works with the Board, in particular the Internal Affairs Committee, on all internal matters outside of finance.

Governance & Organisational Compliance

• Oversee governance standards across LSM entities, ensuring compliance with US, EU, Irish, and other national legal frameworks where LSM has a footprint.
• Support the Boards of Directors/Trustees with governance planning, annual calendars, training, and best practices.
• Maintain and enhance global policy frameworks, including safeguarding, conflict of interest, anti-fraud, risk management, and financial governance policies.
• Ensure timely regulatory filings, board appointments, and statutory updates for all LSM legal entities.
• Proactively manages legal matters in consultation with the attorney, board, and other organizational leadership, as relevant.
• Lead the organisational, legal, and administrative setup of the EU subsidiary (Ireland or Belgium), ensuring the new entity complies with: Company/association law; Charity regulations; Employment law; Tax/VAT requirements; EU funding rules, and GDPR.
• In liaison with the board, develop governance structures and the relationship between the US parent and the EU entity.
• In close collaboration with the Director of Finance, oversee operational readiness: banking, payroll, insurance, finance systems, policies, staffing, and audit arrangements.
• Serve as the executive link between EU operations and the global leadership team.

People Operations and International Employment

• Oversee the work of the Global People Operations advisor and provide supervision on the day-to-day staffing issues and decisions.
• Oversee global HR frameworks, ensuring consistent and legally compliant practices across countries.
• Ensure employment contracts, handbooks, compensation frameworks, and HR policies meet local and international standards.
• Oversee international hiring, onboarding, benefits compliance, and performance frameworks.
• Support and advise on organisational culture, wellbeing, DEI, and mission alignment in staff practices.

Global Risk Management

• Lead organisational risk assessment and mitigation across global operations.
• Develop and maintain LSM's enterprise risk framework.
• Ensure compliance with GDPR and other data protection laws; supervise the DPO.
• Oversee cybersecurity, insurance, and data governance strategies.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Serve as a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).
• Lead and mentor the Operations team - currently 4 staff (including future hires such as the EU Compliance Officer).
• Work cross-functionally with regional programmes, development, communications, and advocacy teams to provide operational stability.
• Represent LSM in external partnerships related to operations, governance, or compliance.

Supervision of Operations

• Maintains liability and other relevant insurance, including research, cost comparison, and broker relations.
• Oversees the management of internal digital platforms such as Slack, Zoho, Zoom, and Google Workplace. Proactively recommends and implements new changes to optimize and streamline team operations.
• Oversees the coordination of regular team meetings, such as weekly and monthly meetings, and annual team retreats.
• Oversees the process of incoming ground mail, phone, and other administrative tasks as needed.
• Maintains knowledge of emerging technologies and trends in operations management.
• Implements and monitors sustainability measures across LSM's operations to ensure the organization has a minimal ecological footprint, in collaboration with the LSAP team.

Professional Experience

• At least 8 years' experience with operations management, compliance, international human resources practices, and systems development experience, particularly in international NGOs in a remote environment.
• Aptitude and experience with all operational aspects of non-profit planning, management, and compliance.
• In-depth understanding of compliance issues associated with international charities in the United States, the EU, and Ireland.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong intercultural and interpersonal skills.
• An understanding of grassroots volunteers, national, and international nonprofit programming and administration, including fundraising, programmatic campaigning, intercultural sensitivity, IT security, translations, and data analytics.
• Adept at the use of Google Workplace and relevant software platforms including Zoom and Zoho.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or Master's degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, or any other related field.
• Certification in Project management and people management is useful, not essential.
• Language skills:  English is essential. Spanish, Italian, and French are useful, but not essential.

Personal Qualities The candidate should:

• Have enthusiasm for supporting a vibrant, caring, high-performing organizational culture and user-friendly operating procedures.
• Be committed to a "growth mindset" and improving staff performance and satisfaction, developing a responsive and equitable international HR program.
• Demonstrated leadership ability, team management, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong commitment to LSM's mission to care for our common home and advance climate and ecological justice.
• Comfort with working in a Catholic environment that is rooted in prayer and the spirituality of Laudato Si' (being Catholic is not a requirement).
• Be flexible, collaborative, and enthusiastic about working in international contexts and with those of diverse cultures.
• Be flexible with work hours, with the ability to work up to several days/month in early morning or late evening due to the international nature of LSM's work.

Salary: Competitive salary commensurate with experience

Hours: 40 hours per week

Location: Open to applicants in the USA, Ireland, Ecuador, Brazil, and Kenya. Consideration will be given to exceptional candidates in other European countries. The direct supervisor is located in Ireland (GMT), and regular meetings during either morning or afternoon for this time zone will be necessary.

Work environment: Remote with occasional presence at in-person meetings or events by prior arrangement.

Type: Full-time position

Start Date: As soon as possible

Application Deadline: January 20, 2026

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