Sr Director, Legal - Ethics & Compliance

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Job Summary

You will serve as the global leader specializing in Ethics & Compliance reporting to the VP, Risk and Compliance Officer.   You will be the  leader of our Ethics & Compliance work and team. This is a key leadership role responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining an effective ethics and compliance program that aligns with the company’s core values, legal obligations and strategic goals. The Senior Director, Legal - Ethics & Compliance will work to foster a culture of integrity and ethical decision-making across the organization, ensuring compliance with laws, regulations, and internal policies in the increasingly regulated environment of the data center industry.

Responsibilities

Ethics and Compliance Strategy

• Compliance Strategy: Design, develop and implement a comprehensive compliance strategy that is risk based, proportionate, and aligned with the organization’s goals and objectives. This includes establishing policies, procedures and controls to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations and industry standard

• Staying current: Stay up to date with relevant laws, regulations, and industry best practices to ensure the organization’s compliance, particularly as the organization extends its presence in high-risk jurisdictions. Monitor changes in the ethics and compliance regulatory landscape and assess their impact on the organization’s operations

• Risk Assessment: Conduct regular risk assessments in partnership with our Risk team to identify potential compliance risks and develop strategies to mitigate them. This may involve evaluating internal processes, conducting audits, and implementing risk management frameworks.  Evaluate risk-tailored resource allocations and make recommendations based on assessments

• Lessons learned: Create and maintain a process for tracking and incorporating lessons learned from risk assessment and prior issues, including from other companies operating in the same industry/region into compliance strategy

Responsibility for Operational Integration

• Develop and enforce policies addressing ethical conduct, conflicts of interest, whistleblowing, anti-bribery, and corruption.   Where required develop versions of the policies for specific jurisdictions or business lines

• Responsible for integrating policies and procedures and ensuring employees’ understanding of the policies

• Evaluate how compliance policies and procedures are reinforced through internal controls, working with other relevant functions

• Training key gatekeepers in the control processes to identify and escalate concerns

Build Culture and Trust

• Champion an ethical culture across the organization by developing and leading training programs on ethics, compliance, and integrity and by being a visible advocate for integrity and good corporate citizenship

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Executive Team and Board of Directors on ethical practices, compliance matters, and emerging regulatory trends

• Provide guidance and support to employees on ethical decision-making and encourage a strong compliance mindset throughout the organization. Encourage open dialogue and accountability at all levels of the organization through clear communication and accessible reporting mechanisms

• Foster “open door” atmosphere across organization to ensure that concerns and issues come to the attention of the ethics and compliance organization

Ethical Risk Management

• Identify and assess ethics-related risks in business activities in partnership with the Risk team, including supply chain operations, third-party relationships, and customer engagements. Promote and uphold the company’s core values and ethical standards in all business operations

Violations & Investigations

• Evaluate effectiveness of reporting mechanisms, including employee awareness of reporting methods

• Responsible for developing processes for evaluating complaints and reports and performing investigations.  Instruct and work with internal investigations team to ensure that investigations are properly evaluated, scoped, and documented for compliance purposes

• Work closely with Litigation and Investigations teams when outside investigations are required

Monitoring and Reporting

• Oversee compliance audits and monitoring activities to evaluate the effectiveness of the ethics and compliance program

• Report on program effectiveness, key findings, and risk mitigation efforts to the Board of Directors and executive leadership

• Ensure accurate and timely disclosures to regulatory authorities and stakeholders

Leadership and Collaboration

• Lead and develop a team of compliance and ethics professionals, fostering a high-performance culture

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Legal, Human Resources, IT, and Operations, to integrate ethical standards and compliance measures into all business processes

• Create a collaborative, transparent and entrepreneurial culture, in partnership with corporate leadership

• Motivate employees around a shared vision and effectively manage change

Qualifications

• 10+ years legal experience in a relevant practice area(s)

• Deep knowledge of ethics and compliance standards, anti-bribery laws and sanctions

• Strong leadership, problem-solving, and decision-making skills

• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills to effectively engage with stakeholders at all levels

• Demonstrated ability to think broadly about risk, not only from a compliance perspective

• Experience executing against global compliance goals and objectives

• Experience building and/or operating an Ethics & Compliance program at a global company, including developing markets

• Executive presence with the ability to influence cross-functional executives

• High business acumen around multiple legal disciplines

• Adept at balancing short-term pressures with long-term goals

• Ability to inspire behavior change and motivate teams

• Strategy and planning experience with the ability to designate priorities and be decisive when faced with ambiguity

• Execution and results driven

• Establish high performance standards, goal setting, and following through with plans while holding teams accountable for results

• Speaking a language in addition to English is a plus

Certifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school or another degree with significant experience in the areas set forth above

• Relevant certifications (e.g., Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional, Certified Fraud Examiner) are highly desirable

The United States targeted pay range for this position in the following location is / locations are:

• San Francisco Bay Area: $270,000 to $350,000 per year

• Colorado: $250,000 to $320,000 per year

Our pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum target for new hire pay for the full-time position determined by role, level, and location. Individual pay is based on additional factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education and/or training.
This position may be offered in other locations. Your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process.
The targeted pay range listed reflects the base pay only and does not include bonus, equity, or benefits. Employees are eligible for bonus, and equity may be offered depending on the position.
 

Equinix is committed to ensuring that our employment process is open to all individuals, including those with a disability.  If you are a qualified candidate and need assistance or an accommodation, please let us know by completing this form.

Equinix is an Equal Employment Opportunity and, in the U.S., an Affirmative Action employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to unlawful consideration of race, color, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, place of birth, citizenship, sex, pregnancy / childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or domestic partnership status, age, veteran or military status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, political / organizational affiliation, status as a victim or family member of a victim of crime or abuse, or any other status protected by applicable law.