Foreign Activities Manager

The Azrieli Foundation is one of Canadas largest philanthropic foundations, supporting initiatives in education, science and healthcare, research and the arts. Through strategic grants and partnerships, we strive to foster innovation and empowerment and drive positive change within these critical sectors in Canada and Israel.

We are looking for a highly organized Foreign Activities Manager to support our work in Israel and Canada. This role is central to ensuring the Foundations foreign activities are executed with integrity, transparency, and in full compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Working closely with the Chief Legal Officer and grants teams, the Foreign Activities Manager will oversee a diverse portfolio of projects and grants, manage stakeholder relationships, and contribute to the development and implementation of compliance frameworks and risk management strategies.

This position is best suited for someone with a work or education background in regulatory compliance in the philanthropic space. However, if that kind of work sounds interesting to you, and you have the capacity to learn new skills, and a passion for the kind of work we do, we would still encourage you to apply.

Key Responsibilities:

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

• Collaborate with the Chief Legal Officer and grants managers in Canada and Israel to develop, implement, manage, and assess comprehensive legal compliance programs for the organization in connection with its work in Israel
  Learn and apply relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards to help ensure the Foundation's compliance with regulatory requirements
  Conduct due diligence reviews and risk assessments with potential and existing intermediaries and grantees
  Review intermediary and grantee reports, including financial reports (with the assistance of a bookkeeper), to ensure they meet regulatory requirements and Foundation standards, and work with organizations to bring their reporting into full compliance
  Regularly review reporting with the Chief Legal Officer and grants managers to identify gaps and deficiencies, determine what additional information is required, and ensure that reports are complete
  Regularly follow up with organizations to ensure that compliance needs and goals are met
  Help ensure Foundation books and records meet regulatory standards and assist in tracking and maintaining accurate records of compliance activities, ensuring accountability across all teams
  Work with the Chief Legal Officer and grants managers in Israel and Canada to conduct regular assessments to identify and address potential issues and risks, including proactively assessing processes, practices and documents
  Keep abreast of changes in the regulatory environment and update internal stakeholders accordingly
  Assist in the development and implementation of risk management strategies
  

Grants and Project Administration

• Manage a diverse portfolio of projects, activities and grants throughout their lifecycle, from intake to payment processing to report monitoring and evaluation, using the Foundations database for grants work
  Manage project lifecycles by tracking activities and milestones to ensure all intermediaries meet the agreement's terms on schedule
  Work within the structure of the Azrieli Foundations grant-making process, policies and strategic framework to ensure that proposals and documentation put forward by identified organizations may be appropriately reviewed and considered by the Azrieli Foundations Board of Directors
  Data management in connection with our foreign activity work
  Assess the performance and outcomes of work to assist in Board decision-making about future projects
  

Stakeholder Engagement and Relationship Management

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams in Israel and Canada to ensure that foreign activity processes, policies and procedures align with Foundation requirements
  Conduct onboarding meetings with intermediaries to explain reporting requirements and compliance obligations
  Hold regular meetings with intermediaries to discuss project activities, agreement amendments, and reporting obligations
  Work with relevant stakeholders in Israel and in Canada to address complex foreign activity issues as they arise
  Facilitate internal discussions to review prospective projects, opportunities, and priorities
  

Training, Administration, and Internal Support

• Participate in the development of agreements for new projects in collaboration with the Chief Legal Officer
  Provide training and guidance to internal teams on foreign activity matters, processes and best practices
  Develop and deliver materials for internal and external use to promote awareness of the Foundations compliance obligations and expectations
  Prepare and submit regular reports to management and relevant stakeholders on foreign activity work, compliance activities, and internal evaluations
  Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the Foundation's foreign activities program and make recommendations for process improvement

Qualifications

Experience and Education

• Bachelors degree required; advanced degree preferred, ideally in law, public policy, international relations, or a related field
• Five (5) + years of professional experience, preferably in the non-profit sector, ideally in a program director or project manager role
• Experience in a compliance, regulatory, legal, or highly regulated environment is preferred
• Experience in client-facing roles or stakeholder relationship management is strongly preferred

Skills and Knowledge

• Ability to learn and apply relevant laws, regulations, and sector standards
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess risk and ensure compliance
• Excellent problem-solving and critical thinking skills
• Robust project management skills, including strong organizational and time-management capabilities
• Proficiency in MS Office and web-based program management and knowledge-sharing platforms
• Knowledge of Hebrew is strongly preferred

Attributes and Personal Characteristics

• Ability to learn independently and apply recently acquired knowledge to new challenges
• Ability to build and maintain collaborative relationships
• Ability to work independently and as part of cross-functional teams
• High level of accuracy and meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and maintain confidentiality
• Highly organized, flexible, and creative, with the ability to adapt to shifting priorities and meet tight deadlines

Living Our Values

Our values are the bedrock of our culture. They shape how we work, how we collaborate and how we make decisionsevery single day. Those who succeed at the Azrieli Foundation exemplify the core principles of:

• Integrity & respect
• Taking on big challenges
• Excellence
• Passion for making a difference
• Results-oriented mindset
• Sustainable impact

Inclusivity and Accessibility

Living our values means creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, supported and empowered to contribute. Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is one way we put those values into practice.

We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and value diverse backgrounds, abilities and ways of thinking. Diversity and inclusion make our organization strong, productive and innovative. Applicants with lived experience who identify as neurodivergent are strongly encouraged to apply.

We are committed to creating inclusive and barrier-free recruitment and selection processes. If you require an accommodation during the application or recruitment process, please contact [email protected].

About the Foundation

Driven by a strong belief in philanthropys powerful role and responsibility, the Azrieli Foundation empowers people by supporting a broad range of organizations, facilitating innovative outcomes and increasing knowledge and understanding in the search for practical and novel solutions.

With a firm conviction that everyone has potential, we work to open doors, break ground and nurture networks, empowering the most vulnerable to the most exceptional to achieve their best and contribute to society.

In addition to strategic philanthropic investments, the Azrieli Foundation operates several initiatives including the Azrieli Fellows Program, the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence, the Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program, the Azrieli Music, Arts and Culture Centre and others.