Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, LACERA

Lacera•Pasadena, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer oversees the Ethics and Compliance Office and reports functionally to the Chief Executive Officer, LACERA, Board of Retirement, Board of Investments, and the Boards’ Audit, Compliance, Risk, and Ethics (ACRE) Committee, and administratively to LACERA's Chief Counsel. The position is responsible for directing the formulation, development, and implementation of an enterprise-wide ethics and compliance program, as an independent function within management, in relation to the risks related to ethical standards and compliance with laws, regulations, policies, and procedures applicable to LACERA’s governance and operations, including pension administration, benefits, healthcare, finance, and investments. As a key member of LACERA’s executive team, the position will collaborate with the Executive Office and internal business partners to promote a culture of ethics and compliance and a risk aware and risk intelligent environment by aligning ethics and compliance, risk management, and compliance with strategy setting, including the development and implementation of policies, procedures, processes, and education that promote compliance effectiveness and an ethical culture. The position must possess a thorough knowledge of ethics and compliance risk principles and practices, and sufficient experience in ethics and compliance processes to understand and effectively address legal obligations, assess, and mitigate ethics and compliance risk, and promote organizational integrity through the operation of an effective ethics and compliance programs. The position must also exercise a knowledge of organizational and management practices related to the development and implementation of an ethics and compliance program, policies, and operational needs; methods and techniques of designing workflows and mapping processes; defined benefit plan structures, designs, and administration; and principles and practices of investment management compliance and monitoring, project management, and supervision with respect to ethics and compliance risk functions.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree in accounting, business administration, finance, legal studies, public administration, or a related field from an accredited college or university.
Five (5) years of responsible experience designing, developing, and implementing ethics and compliance programs or auditing and investigating ethics and compliance risks and concerns for a large public pension or multi-service public or private sector organization.

Nice To Haves

Leading ethics and compliance programs in large, complex, and regulated organizations, including directing and educating governing bodies, executives, management, and staff at all levels.
Building, implementing and improving an ethics and compliance program within an aligned risk management framework.
Interpreting and applying laws, regulations, and governance requirements applicable to public-sector or financial organizations.
Applying corporate ethics and compliance best practices as outlined in the United States Sentencing Guidelines and Department of Justice Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs memorandum.
Advising management and staff on ethics and compliance risks and control gaps.
Educating and presenting ethics and compliance issues to governing bodies, executives, management, and staff at all levels.
Operating effectively in a Board-facing, executive advisory role.
Exercising sound judgment, discretion, and independence in sensitive and high-visibility matters.
Building collaborative relationships while maintaining objectivity, independence, authority, and credibility.
Knowledge of County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 (CERL).
Certification as a Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP).
Experience with public pensions, governmental organizations, financial institutions, or similarly regulated environments.

Responsibilities

Oversees the Ethics and Compliance Office.
Reports functionally to the Chief Executive Officer, LACERA, Board of Retirement, Board of Investments, and the Boards’ Audit, Compliance, Risk, and Ethics (ACRE) Committee.
Reports administratively to LACERA's Chief Counsel.
Directs the formulation, development, and implementation of an enterprise-wide ethics and compliance program.
Manages risks related to ethical standards and compliance with laws, regulations, policies, and procedures applicable to LACERA’s governance and operations.
Collaborates with the Executive Office and internal business partners to promote a culture of ethics and compliance.
Promotes a risk-aware and risk-intelligent environment.
Aligns ethics and compliance, risk management, and compliance with strategy setting.
Develops and implements policies, procedures, processes, and education that promote compliance effectiveness and an ethical culture.
Exercises knowledge of organizational and management practices related to the development and implementation of an ethics and compliance program, policies, and operational needs.
Applies methods and techniques of designing workflows and mapping processes.
Understands defined benefit plan structures, designs, and administration.
Applies principles and practices of investment management compliance and monitoring.
Manages projects and supervises ethics and compliance risk functions.