Compliance & Partner Relations Lead

• Monitor regulatory, grant, contractual, and industry requirements and communicate impacts to leadership.
• Coordinate audits, inspections, certifications, and compliance reporting activities.
• Maintain compliance documentation, records, permits, licenses, and regulatory filings.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for strategic partners, vendors, industry associations, and government entities.
• Manage partner onboarding, compliance verification, contract obligations, and performance reviews.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with funding agencies, utility partners, municipalities, and telecommunications organizations.
• Support federal, state, and local grant compliance requirements, including reporting and documentation.
• Identify compliance risks and implement corrective action plans.
• Collaborate with legal, finance, operations, engineering, and executive leadership teams.
• Track key contractual obligations and ensure internal accountability for deliverables.
• Assist with RFP, RFQ, procurement, and vendor management processes.
• Prepare executive reports regarding compliance status, risks, audits, and partnership performance.
• Support mergers, acquisitions, and business development activities through due diligence reviews.
• Monitor vendor performance, safety compliance initiatives, and tax compliance tracking.
• Explicit ownership of the company's compliance program, governance framework, and compliance controls.
• Leadership of grant and funding compliance activities (BEAD, ARPA, FCC, USDA, state grants, etc.).
• Oversight of procurement compliance requirements, including 2 CFR 200, BABA, and audit readiness.
• Responsibility for compliance training and promoting organizational awareness of regulatory obligations.
• Maintenance of a compliance risk register and management of corrective action plans.
• Representation of the company with regulatory agencies, funding organizations, municipalities, and industry associations.
• Audit readiness, regulatory inquiry response, and compliance investigations.
• Formal advisory role to executive leadership on compliance, regulatory, contractual, and partner-related matters.

KPIs

• Regulatory and grant reporting submitted accurately and on time.
• Audit findings and compliance deficiencies minimized.
• Partner satisfaction and retention rates.
• Contractual obligations completed by required deadlines.
• Vendor and partner onboarding completion times.
• Reduction in compliance-related risks and violations.
• Successful completion of certifications, permits, and renewals.
• Partner issue resolution time.
• Compliance training completion rates.
• Accuracy and timeliness of executive compliance reporting.

This job description is intended to provide general guidance regarding the responsibilities and expectations of this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications. Employees may be assigned additional tasks, projects, or responsibilities as business needs require. Management reserves the right to modify, assign, or remove duties and responsibilities at any time.

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Telecommunications, Public Administration, Compliance, Legal Studies, or related field preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in compliance, regulatory affairs, contract administration, partner management, or telecommunications operations.
• Strong understanding of regulatory compliance, contracts, grants, and vendor management.
• Experience working with government agencies, funding programs, or telecommunications providers preferred.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-management skills.
• Strong organizational and project-management abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities simultaneously.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and business management software.