Location: New York, NY HQ USA
Job Description
The IRC
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people affected by humanitarian crises to survive, recover, and gain control of their lives. Founded at the call of physicist, humanitarian – and refugee – Albert Einstein in 1933, the IRC is now at work in over 50 crisis-affected countries, over 40 US cities, as well as in communities throughout Europe and the Americas. We deliver lasting impact by providing health care, helping children learn, and empowering individuals and communities to become self-reliant, always seeking to address the inequalities facing women and girls.
The IRC and its partners support over 30 million people each year in countries affected by crisis. We are committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in our work, creative partnerships and, most crucially, accountability to those we serve. The IRC is a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable.
The Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer (CECO) Position
The Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer leads the Ethics and Compliance Program and provides leadership on all matters relating to ethics at the IRC. The responsibilities include ensuring that staff members and other personnel observe and perform their duties in line with the organization’s four core values of Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. This is achieved through awareness raising and promoting a culture of ethics, transparency and accountability. The incumbent provides independent, expert advice to staff in relation to the IRC's Code of Conduct "IRC Way” and keeps such policies relevant and up to date. The Unit is responsible for the assessment of compliance issues and potential breaches, assuring they are appropriately evaluated, investigated and resolved; this includes allegations of fraudulent practices, sexual exploitation and abuse and complaints of retaliation. This role will serve as a primary focal point for external regulators and donors on such matters.
Key Working Relationships
•Reports to the Senior Vice President and General Counsel and provides regular reports to the Chief Executive Officer, Audit Committees of the Boards of Directors (US, UK and Germany), and the IRC Leadership Board (IRC’s senior management team).
•Leads a diverse and distributed team, with staff based in the US and internationally.
•The CECO interacts with senior managers and field staff for international and US programs, Internal Audit, Finance, Office of the General Counsel, Human Resources, Global Supply Chain, Awards Management Unit (donor compliance), Inspector General Offices, peer organizations, major donors, as well as NGO’s compliance and investigation teams.
Specific Responsibilities of CECO
•Leads and implements an effective program to enhance integrity, compliance and the ethical conduct of IRC activities. Monitors and assesses the performance of the Ethics and Compliance Program and related activities on an ongoing basis, taking appropriate steps to improve its effectiveness, when necessary.
•Provides insights in the form of regular updates and annual report on the progress of the Program.
•Leads cross-functional working groups associated with the Ethics and Compliance Program. Mentors and coaches other compliance personnel across various business segments, functions and geographies.
•Oversees the development of a fraud prevention program in collaboration with relevant IRC departments to ensure that donor funds are used for their intended purpose – for IRC clients.
•Coordinates the development of standards, education, outreach and training programs on ethics, including information sessions, workshops, e-learning ethics training and briefings, in order to increase awareness of ethical issues. Ensures that IRC implements annual training on the Code of Conduct and related policies.
•Designs the strategy and response to alleged violations of the Code of Conduct, policies, procedures, regulations and laws. Oversees the triage and uniform handling of such allegations. Provides direction and management of the ethic's hotline, reporting channels and donor disclosures. Protects against retaliation for reporting misconduct and for assisting with investigations.
•Participates on the Risk and Compliance Committee and Enterprise Risk Management process and facilitates efforts to identify, assess and prioritize organizational risks. Ensures that identified risks are appropriately mitigated and that leadership is kept informed of key risks and related strategies.
•Develops and maintains partnerships with key IRC departments, managers and with ethics professionals in other organizations to promote and champion IRC’s ethical standards and with its external partners (including implementing partners, suppliers and other external entities).
•Provides timely analysis and data to key IRC departments, in particular Crisis Response, Recovery & Development (CRRD) and Resettlement, Asylum & Integration (RAI), to ensure that management priorities and actions are informed by learning arising from ECU’s investigative and other activities.
•Works with multiple collaborators, ensuring that appropriate due diligence processes are in place and effective across the IRC to mitigate integrity and/or compliance risks to the organization.
Qualifications, Experience and Personal Characteristics
•Education
oUndergraduate degree
oGraduate degree in law
•Work Experience
oAt least ten (10) years of professional compliance experience, including time leading an in-house compliance function in the private or public sector with at least five (5) years at a senior level
oIdeally has held the position of Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer in a global organization
•Required experience
oBuilding the capabilities of a global ethics and compliance function in a growing organization
oAdvancing effective compliance and ethics strategies across decentralized/remote operations globally
oBroad based compliance and ethics training
oKnowledgeable and current on issues of compliance and integrity
oConducting and managing investigations related to fraud, corruption, safeguarding and violations of other administrative, legal and statutory requirements, in challenging environments
•Preferred experience
oCollaborating with government regulators, donors and the law enforcement community
oWorking in developing countries
oFamiliarity with government contracting and/or government grant-making processes
oExperience with non-profits and preferably international NGOs
oFluency in English is required; French, Arabic and/or Spanish language skills a plus
•Skills and Competencies
oExecutive presence and diplomacy skills to effectively implement ethics and compliance programs across multiple countries and environments with different cultures
oHigh degree of integrity and credibility
oOrganizationally astute and knows how to effectively use resources in a complex environment
oStrategic with excellent legal and business judgment
oExcellent verbal and written communication skills, along with superb analytical skills
oAbility to successfully manage and motivate teams
oCollaborative nature
oAbility to work with and build consensus among multiple teams and constituents
oPeople-centered, open and humble
oAbility to work effectively and with impact through matrixed relationships
oUnderstands the importance of operating with cultural sensitivity
The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.
IRC et les employés de IRC doivent adhérer aux valeurs et principes contenus dans le IRC WAY (normes de conduite professionnelle). Ce sont l’Intégrité, le Service, et la Responsabilité. En conformité avec ces valeurs, IRC opère et fait respecter les politiques sur la protection des bénéficiaires contre l’exploitation et les abus, la protection de l’enfant, le harcèlement sur les lieux de travail, l’intégrité financière, et les représailles.
Compensation:
Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement:
In accordance with IRC’s duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards and our commitment to safeguard the health of our employees, clients, and communities, IRC requires new hires to furnish proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be considered for any in-office or hybrid positions. All IRC US offices require full vaccination to attend any in-office functions (e.g., meetings, trainings).
Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity:
IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.
Equal Opportunity Employer:
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
US Benefits:
We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days (depending on role and tenure), medical insurance starting at $145 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus a 3-7% base IRC contribution (3 year vesting), disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.
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