Compliance Officer

at  Oikocredit International

RESULT AREAS OF THE DEPARTMENT

The Legal & Compliance team is part of the Finance & Risk Unit and is responsible for providing excellent legal and compliance services and support to Oikocredit including all regional offices, branches, and subsidiaries while at the same time being critical in monitoring the Legal, Regulatory and Compliance risks.
Since Oikocredit is a worldwide organisation with multiple offices, operating across multiple jurisdictions and working with stakeholders with a diverse cultural background, and in view of the fact that laws and regulations change regularly, the Legal & Compliance team must constantly keep an overview of applicable regulations and best practices in all these jurisdictions and assess how these impact the organisation, taking into consideration the essential aspects of Oikocredit’s business (e.g., governance, strategy, people, processes, culture, and communication).
The Legal & Compliance team plays a crucial role to ‘protect and enable’ Oikocredit’s business and strategy and safeguard its reputation. The department acts as the first point of contact for regulators and provides training to Managing Board, Executive Committee, Supervisory Board, senior management, and all staff to increase compliance awareness.

The Legal & Compliance team is set up in the following manner:

• Legal team Impact Investments supporting the Impact Investments (Credit and Equity Units) and Finance and Community Building (Innovation Hub, Renewable Energy, Capacity Building and Agribusiness) teams on all legal matters for these business lines.
• Legal team Corporate & Capital Raising supporting Investor Relations, Operations, IT, Finance, Risk, Strategy & Sustainable Impact, HR & Communications, Compliance, Cooperative Affairs, Managing Board, Supervisory Board and Executive Committee on all legal matters for these business lines/governance bodies as well as supporting the local offices and subsidiaries and ISUP.
• Compliance team supporting all business units globally including the local offices and subsidiaries.

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE

• Academic degree in the field of law, finance and banking, or economics.
• Minimum of 7 years of work experience in a compliance-related function, preferably within a financial institution or multinational corporation with exposure in higher-risk jurisdictions.
• Ability to assess complex matters in the fields of Ethics & Integrity, Third-Party Due Diligence, and Data Protection, providing clear guidance and recommendations to colleagues where needed in a comprehensive, practical manner.
• Experience in embedding appropriate compliance risk management and compliance frameworks, processes, and reviews.
• Ability to identify, understand and assess trends and developments in compliance risk management.
• Strong verbal, written, and people skills, with the ability to interface and develop relationships with all levels of management and staff in a cross-cultural environment.
• Highly motivated and pro-active, with the ability to articulate company vision and policy, prioritising areas of higher risk.
• Ability to work remotely and manage own workload and schedule.
• Ability to work independently, exploring solutions together with other colleagues to address local issues and improve efficiency.
• Strong analytical and research skills, with attention to detail.
• Excellent fluency in English; good knowledge of Spanish, French, and / or German is a plus.
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.

JOB PURPOSE

The Compliance Officer is part of the Compliance Function (a 2nd-Line role) and of the Legal & Compliance team. The Compliance Officer (i) assists Oikocredit and its senior management in identifying, assessing, and effectively managing Oikocredit’s compliance risks; and (ii) acts as navigator for good conduct.
The Compliance Function advises senior management on the following risk categories: Client Integrity (e.g., KYC, sanctions, money laundering), Client Protection & Product Integrity (e.g., duty of care, privacy), and Organisation & Employee Integrity (e.g., fraud, conflicts of interest, other misconducts).

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide pro-active, timely, and high-quality advice on questions from the business units on compliance risk management, policies, issues, and potential incidents, particularly involving Oikocredit’s KYC/CDD processes.
• Stay up to date on relevant internal and external developments (including changes in laws and regulations), translating these into policies and assessing how the organisation will be impacted.
• Keep Compliance-owned policies up to date, ensuring that these are easy to read and adequately implemented (including the Code of Conduct, KYC/CDD policies, Conflicts of Interest Policy, Whistleblowing Policy, Data Protection Policy, etc.).
• Develop and maintain effective compliance risk management and control systems (e.g., the quarterly Compliance Report), including monitoring and reporting to prevent or deal with potential violations of internal policies.
• Perform compliance risk assessments and internal investigations, with inputs and advice on operational issues, best practices, and opportunities for improvement.
• Assist with maintaining the Compliance Training Programme for staff members and take initiatives to increase knowledge and awareness on compliance-related matters, organising additional training sessions where needed.
• Assist with preparing the Annual Compliance Plan in alignment with key stakeholders.
• Prepare reports for senior management and external regulatory bodies as appropriate.