Regional Ethics and Compliance Officer

At WSP, you can access our global scale, contribute to landmark projects and connect with the brightest minds in your field to do the best work of your life. You can embrace your curiosity in a culture that celebrates new ideas and diverse perspectives. You can experience a world of opportunity and the chance to shape a career as unique as you.

The Middle-East Ethics and Compliance Officer is responsible for promoting an ethical business culture across the Middle-East region, one of the fastest growing regions in WSP’s portfolio.

The MEE&CO will be a member of the regional Senior Leadership Team, and the WSP Regional Ethics & Compliance team in the EMEIA region.  They will report to the Head of Ethics and Compliance for UKEMEA, with a dotted line to the Regional Head of Legal.

In selecting the right candidate, emphasis will be placed equally on (a) leadership and advocacy skills within large complex organisations, and on (b) technical understanding of the requirements of an E&C program based on best-practice anglo-saxon legislations (UK, Canada, US) and understanding of how to implement these requirements in practice in a Middle-East-based business.

The role will be based in the regional headquarters of the business in Dubai, UAE, and will involve monthly travels to KSA and routine travels to the rest of the region for general business coverage, trainings, leadership engagements, and investigations.  It will also involve regular travel to India, where the Middle-East has large teams, and where the MEE&CO will oversee a small business structure that reports into the ME region.  Finally, occasional regional and/or global travels for E&C team meetings will also be expected.

Your new role, what’s involved?

• Develop and implement the Regional E&C program, based on the general strategic direction of the Global E&C program and with the support and input of the regional senior leadership team and the Head of E&C for UKEMEA.
• Update and maintain Regional E&C policies and procedures based on the Global E&C policies, to ensure they are properly tailored, understood, communicated and respected in the region.
• Coordinate with relevant regional functions and management the development and continuous improvement of regional governance processes, policies, systems, and key E&C controls. Among these, oversee the proper operation of the region’s gift, entertainment and hospitality registry, conflict of interest registry, and prospect integrity reviews, and third party vetting processes.
• Develop regional, country-, function- or project-specific trainings, tools and communications, based on your assessment of needs and in collaboration with relevant management.
• Embed pertinent E&C content in the various business communities (e.g. Early Career Professionals, PANs, country-team networks) and processes (e.g. new opportunity evaluations, new project manager trainings, new staff onboarding).
• Engage with senior and middle management regularly to understand their project/department’s E&C needs; address their queries, develop bespoke responses as needed; advise them on fulfilling their E&C responsibilities, especially their Tone at the Top engagements.
• Participate in business and leadership initiatives, volunteer to support and represent both E&C and SLT in these initiatives.
• Manage the socialisation, planning and roll-out of Global E&C communications, trainings, initiatives, working with regional management and communications; develop and update E&C content in newsletters and on intranet pages.
• Maintain E&C program records and key metrics, prepare periodic reports to Global CECO and regional managements.
• Ensure that E&C inquiries from WSP personnel are answered promptly and pertinently.
• Plan, conduct and report on internal investigations warranted by allegations received in the Business Conduct Helpline, or directly by the MEE&CO, or referred from managers; work with Global E&C investigation resources as needed.
• With support from resources in India and the Head of E&C for UKEMEA, ensure the ongoing implementation of a fit-for-purpose E&C program in the India-based part of the business.
• Regularly report into Head of E&C for UKEMEA; work with Head on personal development and structural program needs, including future team size and composition and budgets.
• Participate in regional and/or global E&C team coordination meetings, partner with E&CO counterparts in other regions on common and/or global initiatives where needed.

We’d love to hear from you if you have:

• Experience developing and managing E&C programs for a company OR Experience managing a relevant corporate function with working knowledge of anti-corruption, anti-fraud and competition legislation.
• Minimum 10 years’ of professional experience.
• Experience working in the Middle-East, or advising on operations in the Middle-East
• Either advanced Ethics & Compliance qualifications (degree in a field related to business ethics, CCEP or similar designation) or relevant business or legal qualifications (LLL and/or LLB).
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to persuade and lead people; experience in change management in organisations a plus.
• Strong ability to handle complex or risky compliance issues and investigations.
• Organization skills, attention to detail, and ability to balance providing timely and responsive support to the business with program-driven planning, development and reporting dutieS.
• Fluency in Arabic will be a strong asset.
• Verbal and written communications skills to effectively communicate in a clear and concise manner to company executives, auditors, lawyers, and non-lawyers.

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