VP, Ombuds & Ethics

Role Summary/Purpose:

The VP, Ombuds and Ethics will champion a culture of integrity, fairness, and transparency within the organization. This leader will serve as a trusted advisor and resource for employees, management, and executives to address potential ethical, compliance, and conduct-related matters. The role involves ombuds (ethics/integrity) program management, conflict of interest program management, as well as providing guidance on appropriate conduct risk metrics, themes and potential issues.  This leader must demonstrate a strong commitment to a workplace where ethics and fair and responsible conduct are prioritized and reinforced at all organizational levels.

Essential Responsibilities:

Ombuds Program

• Own the Ethics/Ombuds Program charter and operating model, including scope, independence, decision rights, escalation thresholds, and relationship to HR/Legal investigations.  Ensure the program respects confidentiality, anti-retaliation principles and embraces impartiality and objectivity.
• Ensure consistent taxonomy and documentation standards for concerns (categorization, substantiation/outcome labels, root-cause tagging) to improve trend accuracy and defensibility.
• Establish and monitor service standards (SLAs) for intake, triage, handoffs, case updates, time-to-close, and communications to concern raisers, with periodic quality reviews.
• Act as a confidential and neutral resource for employees to discuss concerns, conflicts, or potential misconduct and foster a culture where employees feel empowered to speak up and report concerns.

Conflict of Interest

• Oversee the Conflict-of-Interest Program and Policy ensuring proper and timely notification to all employees of their requirement to complete the conflict-of-interest survey periodically, evaluation and assessment of employee conflict of interest disclosures in partnership with business leaders, HR and Legal, and regular reporting and escalation of past due surveys to leadership.
• Enhance COI program and escalation criteria for high-risk disclosures (outside employment, gifts/entertainment, vendor relationships, political activity where relevant) and ensure consistent dispositioning.
• Perform periodic COI control testing (sampling, validation, timeliness, completeness)

Conduct Risk

• Partner with Fraud, Legal and relevant Compliance leaders on enterprise “conduct risk” governance, including enhancement of conduct risk appetite/indicators and integrating ethics themes into enterprise risk reporting. Develop a forward-looking emerging conduct risk view (e.g., incentive risks, customer harm signals, workforce pressures, new products/partners) and recommend proactive controls.
• Partner with applicable stakeholders to perform root-cause analysis and thematic remediation for recurring issues (e.g., sales practices, servicing, collections, management behavior), including tracking corrective actions to closure.

Policies and Training

• Oversee the review and potential revisions of the Code of Conduct
• Develop and deliver ethics and conduct training programs to educate employees on relevant policies and risk management. 

Reporting

• Chair the Ombuds Subcommittee providing data regarding trends and themes related to concern reporting in various geographical locations and business functions.  In conjunction with the Legal Department, identify and report on issues that may arise out of investigations as well as actions to appropriately mitigate the risk identified.
• Prepare and present reports to the Audit Committee of the Board on a regular basis on ethics, conduct and concern trends and themes as well as related risks and corrective action leveraging key performance and key risk indicators associated with the Ombuds program. 

Supplier Management

• Perform supplier management duties related to the third-party vendor who provides the Conflict-of-Interest platform and the Ombuds hotline, website, and case management/reporting tools for the Ombuds Program including SOC reports, privacy/security requirements, BCP/DR testing, and periodic vendor performance and risk reviews.
• Integrate ethics expectations into the supplier lifecycle in partnership with Third Party Risk Management/Procurement; ensure the supplier code is updated

Regulatory Change Management/Internal Audit and Exam Readiness

• Monitor regulatory changes and update policies and processes to comply with legal and regulatory requirements regarding ethics and conduct risk. Drive continued enhancements to the Ombuds and Conflict of Interest programs and conduct risk metrics leveraging information from industry benchmarking
• Engage with internal and external stakeholders, such as Internal Audit and regulatory bodies, when necessary answering requests for information.

People Leadership

• Build and manage a high-performing team including development  of future leaders and succession planning
• Perform other duties and/or special projects as assigned.

Qualifications/Requirements:

• BA/BS in business, risk management or related field with 10+ years of experience in ethics, compliance, Human Resources, Risk Management, Legal, especially in a Financial Institution. In lieu of a degree, 12+ years of experience in ethics, compliance, Human Resources, Risk Management, Legal, especially in a Financial Institution.
• 3+ years managing and leading a team
• Strong knowledge of ethics frameworks, regulatory compliance, and employment law.
• Demonstrated experience in conflict resolution, mediation, or investigation.
• Commitment to fostering an inclusive, ethical, and transparent workplace culture.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to present clear, compelling information to diverse audiences including executive leaders and Board level committees
• Demonstrates a high level of integrity and commitment to ethical standards with the ability to handle sensitive situations discreetly.
• Excellent leadership and team management skills and demonstrated ability to think strategically, lead change and influence outside one’s span of control.
• Highly organized and detail oriented.
• Strong analytical skills to assess data sets.
• Ability and flexibility to travel for business as required

Desired Characteristics:

• Active listener with balanced judgement.
• Ability to take a landscape view, understand macro-level risks and how and where day to day activities and details connect to larger themes.
• Excellent judgment in determining relative weight and importance of risks, given Synchrony’s business evolution and the evolution of the external landscape.
• Diplomatic challenge and relationship-building skills.
• Skilled in analyzing complex issues and developing fair, effective solutions.

Grade/Level: 14

The salary range for this position is 150,000.00 - 250,000.00 USD Annual and is eligible for an annual bonus based on individual and company performance.

Actual compensation offered within the posted salary range will be based upon work experience, skill level or knowledge.

Salaries are adjusted according to market in CA, NY Metro and Seattle.

Our Way of Working:

We’re proud to offer you flexibility. At Synchrony, our way of working allows you to have the option to work from home near one of our Hubs or come into one of our offices. You will be required to commute to your nearest Hub (either virtual or physical) for in-person engagement activities such as regular business or team meetings, training and culture events. 

*Field Sales and some Commercial team roles may have varied location requirements based upon partner obligations or preferences.

Eligibility Requirements:

• You must be 18 years or older
• You must have a high school diploma or equivalent
• You must be willing to take a drug test, submit to a background investigation and submit fingerprints as part of the onboarding process
• You must be able to satisfy the requirements of Section 19 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act.
• New hires (Level 4-7) must have 9 months of continuous service with the company before they are eligible to post on other roles.  Once this new hire time in position requirement is met, the associate will have a minimum 6 months’ time in position before they can post for future non-exempt roles.  Employees, level 8 or greater, must have at least 18 months’ time in position before they can post.  All internal employees must consistently meet performance expectations and have approval from your manager to post (or the approval of your manager and HR if you don’t meet the time in position or performance expectations).

Legal authorization to work in the U.S. is required.  We will not sponsor individuals for employment visas, now or in the future, for this job opening. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status. 

Our Commitment:

When you join us, you’ll be part of an inclusive culture where your individual skills, experience, and voice are not only heard – but valued. Together, we’re building a future where we can all belong, connect, and turn ideals into action. More than 50% of our workforce is engaged in our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), where community and passion intersect to offer a safe space to learn and grow.

This starts when you choose to apply for a role at Synchrony. We ensure all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status. We’re proud to have an award-winning culture for all. 

Reasonable Accommodation Notice:

• Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment.
• If you need special accommodations, please call our Career Support Line so that we can discuss your specific situation. We can be reached at 1-866-301-5627.   Representatives are available from 8am – 5pm Monday to Friday, Central Standard Time

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