Senior Director, Regulatory and Grants Compliance

JSI · Greenbelt, MD · 3 wk ago

HybridFull-time

About the Role

JSI’s clients are building and running the networks that close the digital divide. Rural incumbent local exchange carriers, competitive carriers, and electric cooperatives have secured historic levels of broadband funding through BEAD, ARPA, and other federal and state programs — and every dollar of it carries post-award compliance obligations that most providers are not staffed to handle alone. That is the work we do.

We are hiring a Senior Director, Regulatory and Grants Compliance to lead JSI’s grants and post-award compliance practice. You will own the practice outright — setting the methodology, carrying the revenue target, writing and closing the work, and serving as the firm’s senior authority on post-award compliance. You will report directly to the Vice President, Regulatory Affairs & Compliance, sit on the department’s leadership team, and lead a team that includes a Senior Manager as well as individual contributors. You will operate with significant autonomy over how the work gets done.

The role exists because the firm is growing and changing at the same time. Broadband funding has expanded what our clients need from us faster than any single leader could absorb, and we are integrating recently combined organizations while that happens. We need a leader who can build the grants practice into something durable while holding delivery quality steady underneath. This is a newly defined role with transition support available from the colleague previously leading this work.

Responsibilities

Grants and Post-Award Compliance Practice
- Own JSI’s grants and post-award compliance practice, refining methodology, tooling, and quality standards for compliance under 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Guidance) and specific terms of BEAD, ARPA, and other federal/state broadband awards.
- Serve as the firm’s senior escalation point for complex, ambiguous, or high-risk post-award matters, including audits and awarding-agency inquiries.
- Anticipate future funding program requirements and position the practice proactively.
Business Development & Revenue Growth
- Hold accountability for grants practice revenue and pipeline targets; own the business development cycle end-to-end in partnership with Sales and other colleagues.
- Identify and qualify opportunities within existing and prospective clients, scope engagements, set pricing, write and present proposals, and close deals with support from a Senior Manager.
- Represent JSI’s grants compliance capabilities in client meetings, industry forums, webinars, and thought leadership.
- Partner with sales, marketing, engineering, and finance to build and position bundled service offerings.
People Leadership
- Lead, develop, and supervise a team including a Senior Manager and individual contributors.
- Own hiring, onboarding, performance management, and difficult decisions to maintain service quality and continuity.
- Build bench strength and technical depth to ensure the practice is not dependent on any single individual.
Operations, Integrations, & Innovation
- Lead integration of people, processes, systems, and client ownership across recently combined organizations.
- Plan and execute complex initiatives spanning multiple teams, timelines, and dependencies.
- Identify operational, compliance, and delivery risks and implement mitigation strategies.
- Drive process improvement and automation, including AI tooling, to enhance efficiency and client experience.
Client Delivery
- Personally deliver complex post-award compliance engagements, audit responses, and senior advisory services, with a billable hours requirement.

Requirements

8 to 10+ years of people management experience, including managing managers or senior-level professional staff.
12+ years of professional experience in grants compliance, telecommunications regulatory compliance, or a closely related field.
Demonstrated expertise in post-award grant compliance, including direct experience applying 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Guidance).
Direct, substantive experience with the BEAD program, including its post-award compliance and reporting requirements.
Demonstrated experience with telecommunications regulatory compliance for communications providers, including FCC filings, USAC program requirements, and state PUC or PSC proceedings.
Proven track record of closing professional services engagements from qualification through signature.
Experience carrying a revenue or pipeline target independently.
Ability to operate at a senior leadership level while partnering with VP- and C-suite-level colleagues.
Experience balancing hands-on client delivery with practice leadership and business development.
Experience leading teams across multiple locations.
Excellent written and verbal communication, including explaining regulatory and funding risk to non-specialist audiences.
Sound judgment, discretion with confidential information, and organizational discipline in a fast-moving environment.
Proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Adobe Acrobat.
Ability to travel.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in a consulting or professional services environment serving multiple clients concurrently.
Direct experience with ARPA or other federal/state broadband funding programs on the recipient or advisor side.
Familiarity with the regulatory environment for rural and incumbent local exchange carriers.
Experience with post-merger or post-acquisition integration.
Experience building or scaling a service line or practice area from an early stage.
Familiarity with Smartsheet or comparable project and compliance tracking platforms.

Benefits