General Counsel and Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer - Pact, Inc.

PACT Overview:Pact is an international nonprofit that works in nearly 40 countries building solutions for human development that are evidence-based, data-driven and owned by the communities we serve. Founded in 1971, Pact works with partners to build resilience, improve accountability, and strengthen knowledge and skills for sustainable social impact.Department:Legal and Compliance - Pact exists to help create a world where those who are poor and marginalized exercise their voice, build their own solutions, and take ownership of their future. The Legal and Compliance department contributes to realizing this purpose by: • Supporting Pact’s vision and mission by providing innovative solutions within a compliance-oriented perspective. • Providing timely and accurate risk mitigation-focused support to the organization, with a special emphasis on successful program implementation throughout the business lifecycle for every activity, from pre-positioning, proposal development, prime award negotiation, and implementation through closeout. • Building internal capacity and champion effective knowledge management within our global community of legal and compliance practitioners.Position Overview:

The General Counsel and Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer (“GC/CECO”) oversees all legal and compliance work for the organization. The GC/CECO is accountable for all aspects of Pact’s legal affairs and ethics and compliance program.  The GC/CECO also oversees the following functions:  grants and contracts, ethics and compliance, internal investigations, and internal audit.

The GC/CECO serves as a champion for Pact’s core ethical values and risk management, works collaboratively with management and the Board of Directors, and promote an organizational culture that prioritizes ethical leadership and ethical decision-making.  The GC/CECO shall assess legal risk and provide legal services and support both domestically and overseas.

The GC/CECO also serves as Board Secretary and works with the Board of Directors on legal, audit and governance matters. The GC/CECO reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer and has a reporting line to the Finance & Audit Committee of the Board of Directors for all relevant matters.

Key Responsibilities:

Legal

• Will provide legal advice on the myriad issues that arise in a global international development organization.
• Will review contracts and other transactional matters and will provide advice and negotiate with third parties on behalf of the organization.
• Will mitigate risks and provide advice on employment matters.
• Will manage litigation.
• Will handle corporate matters with regard to Pact entities and and related organizations.
• Will serve as Board Secretary and handle all Board related legal matters.
• Will handle foreign country boards and related matters.
• Will handle foreign country registrations and related matters.
• Will oversee the risk registry for the organization.
• Will oversee outside counsel.
• Will handle all other legal matters for the organization.

 

Compliance, Grants and Contracts

 

• Will be responsible for overseeing the Grants & Contracts team and ensuring performance of grants and contract management.
• Will work with other Pact functions and approximately 30 country programs to ensure the highest quality design, implementation and and donor compliance in Pact’s programs.
• Will handle disputes with donors and mitigate risk on grants and contracts management.
• Will oversee the team’s ongoing efforts to provide appropriate policies, procedures and training to the global staff.
• Will handle all other matters related to grants and contracts management.
• Will oversee the team’s efforts to comply with donor and regulatory requirements on issues including child safeguarding, anti- trafficking, and watchlist compliance.
• Will ensure that the Code of Conduct is up to date and comprehensive, as well as the training for the Code.
• Will supervise the team to ensure other compliance training is developed and rolled out as needed.

 

Investigations and Internal Audit

 

• Will oversee the internal audit team that is responsible for conducting regular audits on all DC and global country offices.
• Will oversee the internal audits efforts to update policies and procedures for audits and provide appropriate consistency in audits and presentation of findings.
• Will oversee the internal audit team’s presentatons to the Board Finance & Audit Committee.
• Will oversee the internal audit’s team efforts to track post-audit corrective actions.
• Will serve as Chair of the Ethics Committee that oversees all internal investigations and the organization’s Hotline.
• Will oversee and provide direction to the investigation staff to ensure fair and proper internal investigations of staff and third parties.
• Will review, edit, revise and approve all internal investigation reports.
• Will provide investigation advice throughout.
• Will oversee the team’s presentations on the Hotline and investigations to the Board’s Finance and Audit Committee.

 

Executive Committee

• Will serve as a member of the CEO’s Executive Committee.
• Will collaborate with the COO, CFO, CHRO, SVPs of Business Development and Programs on all organizational matters that require the GC’s support, input and advice.

All other duties as assigned

Basic Requirements:

 

• Juris doctorate (JD) and 15+ years relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience, including 12 years of management experience.
• Pact seeks an executive with at least 10 years of relevant experience in the practice of law with a reputable law firm, nonprofit organization, or commercial institution as an attorney. The successful candidate will have experience in core nonprofit legal issues including, but not limited to, federal tax exemption, corporate governance, contracts, federal awards, employment, intellectual property, and related disciplines. They will have experience working on matters involving ethics and compliance and relevant experience working with and managing U.S. and foreign outside legal counsel. They will have a genuine passion for Pact’s mission of working across the globe to improve the lives of those who are challenged by poverty and marginalization.
• The GC/CECO will have excellent communication, organization, and negotiation skills, including an ability to effectively relate to senior management and Board members. They must have the demonstrated ability to work effectively in a complex, high-tension and multicultural environment. Further, they should be able and willing to travel 30% of the time, sometimes to remote locations overseas. The candidate must possess a J.D., have an active license to practice law in the U.S. (state or federal), and have not previously been suspended or disbarred from the practice of law.

 

In terms of the performance and personal competencies required for the position, we would highlight the following:

• Excellent skills in collaborating across divisions, functions, and geography, with a knack for engaging colleagues at all levels in projects and processes while continuing to own and drive them.
• Strong commitment to and understanding of multiculturism, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• The ability to nurture a culture of ethics, integrity, responsibility, and accountability across the organization.
• The inclination to seek and analyze data from a variety of sources to support decisions and to align others with the organization's overall strategy.
• An entrepreneurial and creative approach to developing new, innovative ideas that will stretch the organization.
• Excellent advisory skills to counsel leadership on strategic decision-making.
• Comfortable with ambiguity; the ability to adapt nimbly and lead others through complex situations.
• An individual who seeks data and input from others to foresee possible threats or unintended circumstances from decisions; someone who takes smart risks.
• A leader who is viewed by others as having a high degree of integrity and forethought in their approach to making decisions; the ability to act in a transparent and consistent manner while always taking into account what is best for the organization.
• The ability to persevere in the face of challenges and exhibit a steadfast resolve and relentless commitment to higher standards, which commands respect from followers.
• Naturally connects and builds strong relationships with others, demonstrating strong emotional intelligence and an ability to communicate clearly and persuasively.
• An ability to inspire trust and followership in others through compelling influence, powerful charisma, passion in his/her beliefs, and active drive.
• Superb writing and project management skills.

 

Preferred Qualifications:

Preferred qualifications for the position are:

• Relevant in-house or outside legal practice experience working with or for one or more international NGOs, ideally as the senior or #2 in-house legal counsel of an international NGO
• Relevant in-house or outside legal practice experience in international development, particularly in emerging markets
• Relevant in-house or outside legal practice experience working with and advising recipients of U.S. Government grants and/or cooperative agreements
• Multi-lingual skills

Experience overseeing and coordinating with international field offices preferred

 

 

The salary for this position is determined based on a wide variety of factors including but not limited to an individuals skill sets, experience, training, certifications, education, as well as business needs and internal equity. At Pact, employees are typically not hired at the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are made based on the aforementioned circumstances. A reasonable estimate of the current range is $200,000-280,000