Political Activities Officer - Vice President

Morgan Stanley; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 95,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Morgan Stanley seeks a Government and Political Activities Compliance (GPAC) Officer to advise on U.S. government interactions and manage the firm’s policy on political contributions and employee fundraising.

The role sits in Legal & Compliance as a VP-level position focused on federal, state, and municipal regulations affecting government interactions across business units. Responsibilities include pre-clearance management, lobbying filings, trainings on ethics, and cross-functional

Qualifications

• 7+ years of relevant experience in finance, law firm, or government.
• Strong research, written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to assess regulatory requirements and advise stakeholders on compliance obligations.
• Experience with political law, ethics, and pay-to-play rules.

Responsibilities

• Manage the firm's pre-clearance processes for employee and corporate political activities.
• Review government solicitations to determine if procurement lobbyist registration is required.
• Manage the firm's political law filings such as lobbying reports and pay-to-play certifications.
• Create and conduct trainings for business units on pay-to-play and governmental ethics.
• Monitor and test adherence to the firm's political law compliance program.
• Collaborate cross-functionally on technology projects, audits, and controls for political law compliance.
• Maintain and update policies in line with current regulations.

Skills

Pay-to-play knowledge

Regulatory compliance

Executive communication

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree required

JD preferred

Tools

Copilot

Claude

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Teams

SharePoint

Adobe

Job description

We're seeking someone to join our team as a Government and Political Activities Compliance (GPAC) Officer to provide advisory coverage to business units on the various aspects of U.S. government interactions, administer the Firm's policy on U.S. political contributions and fundraising activities of employees, as well as compliance with applicable U.S. federal, state, and municipal rules that govern business interactions with government entities.

In the Legal & Compliance division, we assist the Firm in achieving its business objectives by facilitating and overseeing the Firm's management of legal, regulatory and franchise risk. This is a Vice President level position within the Government and Political Activities Compliance Group (GPAC) which focuses on compliance with U.S. federal, state and municipal regulations governing interactions with U.S. government officials, including political contribution/pay-to-play regulations, lobbying laws, placement agent activity, outside business activities, and gifts & entertainment/ethics rules across all of Morgan Stanley's various Business Units. GPAC designs, executes, and monitors applicable policies, procedures, and controls governing employee political activities and interactions with U.S. government officials.

Since 1935, Morgan Stanley is known as a global leader in financial services, always evolving and innovating to better serve our clients and our communities in more than 40 countries around the world.

What you'll do in the role:

• Managing the firm's pre-clearance processes for employee and corporate political activities, outside government/political activities, post-government employment restrictions, outside business activities, and gifts and business entertainment requests for U.S. Government Officials
• Review business solicitations of U.S. government entity business to determine if procurement lobbyist registration is required
• Managing the firm's various political law filings such as lobbying reports and pay-to-play certifications
• Creating and conducting trainings for business units, as well as other areas that serve a control function, to address pay-to-play and governmental ethics issues
• Monitoring and testing adherence to the firm's political law compliance program
• Collaborating cross-functionally with other GFC and Legal and Compliance stakeholders on the development and implementation of technology projects, internal audits, regulatory requests and implementation of controls for the overall political law compliance program
• Maintaining and updating applicable policies and procedures consistent with current regulations.

What you'll bring to the role:

• Knowledge of US pay-to-play and ethics issues at federal, state and municipal levels
• 7+ years of relevant experience, preferably at a large/complex financial institution, law firm, or government/regulatory body.
• Exceptional research, written, and verbal communications skills, attention to detail, effective time management and project management.
• Ability to assess regulatory requirements and advise stakeholders on compliance obligations and risk mitigation strategies
• Strong executive presence with the ability to communicate effectively and engage confidently with business clients and senior leaders across Legal and Compliance
• Demonstrates strong technology aptitude, with the ability to quickly learn new systems and tools, and using AI and available tools to implement process enhancements,
• Proficient with Copilot, Claude, Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and Adobe
• JD preferred, Bachelor's degree required

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MORGAN STANLEY:

At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients – helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that’s differentiated – and we've done that for 90 years. Our values - putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back - aren't just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what's best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you'll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. There's also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work.

To learn more about our offices across the globe, please copy and paste https://www.morganstanley.com/about-us/global-offices into your browser.

Salary range for the position: $95000 - $170000 Yr. The successful candidate may be eligible for an annual discretionary incentive compensation award. The successful candidate may be eligible to participate in the relevant business unit's incentive compensation plan, which also may include a discretionary bonus component. Morgan Stanley offers a full spectrum of benefits, including Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Account, Dependent Day Care Savings Account, Life Insurance, Disability and Other Insurance Plans, Paid Time Off (including Sick Leave consistent with state and local law, Parental Leave and X Vacation Days annually), 10 Paid Holidays, 401(k), and Short/Long Term Disability, in addition to other special perks reserved for our employees. Please visit mybenefits.morganstanley.com to learn more about our benefit offerings.

Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a workforce that is diverse in experience and background. Our recruiting efforts reflect our strong commitment to a culture of inclusion, where individuals are hired, developed, and advanced based on their skills and talents.

Our workforce reflects a broad cross-section of the global communities in which we operate, bringing a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives, and experiences.

For more information, please visit: https://www.morganstanley.com/people-opportunities/eeo.