Job # 071218 Job Title Chief Ethics Officer Job Family Legal Location Washington, DC Appointment International Hire Job Posted 08-Aug-2007 Closing Date 05-Sep-2007 Language Requirements English [Essential] Appointment Type Term (Duration: 4 yrs)
Background / General description Appointment Type: 5 Year Term A commitment to integrity and the highest ethical standards is fundamental to the success of the World Bank Group (WBG). The goal of the Office of Ethics and Business Conduct (EBC) is ensuring the awareness and understanding of all WBG staff of the WBG’s Core Values and ethical standards. The EBC advises on actions that might constitute misconduct, clarifies conflict of interest concerns, and provides guidance on WBG policies or procedures. In addition to providing training on ethics awareness and integrity to staff, EBC administers the WBG Financial Disclosure Program and benchmarks the WBG against best practices in other organizations.
The EBC is designed to provide support and guidance to management and staff, as they operate globally, consistent with the mission and core values of the WBG. The Chief Ethics Officer provides relevant guidance, communications and training to assist staff in understanding and complying with both the letter and the spirit of applicable rules, procedures, policies and regulations.
The EBC reports to the President of the World Bank, and on administrative matters, reports to appropriate Managing Director. The Chief Ethics Officer carries out his/her duties independently. The EBC is one of the five independent units of the WBG’s Conflict Resolution System (CRS) – the other four being: (i) the Office of the Ombudsman; (ii) the Office of Mediation; (iii) the Appeals Committee; and (iv) the Administrative Tribunal. The CRS supports staff through provision of specialized services, from informal counseling to formal review of concerns. The functions, roles and responsibilities of the CRS units are currently under review to decide what these should be in the future and their proper placement within the institution.
Duties and Accountabilities The Chief Ethics Officer is accountable for providing leadership and communicating the vision on all matters relating to ethics at the WBG. Conflicts of Interest and Financial Disclosure are principal areas of focus, and the Chief Ethics Officer is expected to pay particular attention to outreach and prevention. The Chief Ethics Officer will advise the President and senior management on all matters relating to ethics and business conduct. The specific responsibilities, inter alia, are:
Conflicts of Interest
• Oversee and advise on staff/management queries pertaining to conflicts of interests involving the WBG, whether personal or business/organizational in nature, and make recommendations to senior management on related Bank policies and guidelines as needed.
• Exercise professional judgment to manage and oversee satisfactory closure/resolution of conflict of interest cases.
• Counsel staff and/or refer matters to appropriate parties, as needed.
Implementation and Strategic Development of Financial Disclosure Program
• Oversee the implementation, review and communications strategy for compliance with the Bank’s financial disclosure process, and the subsequent report of findings.
• Oversee the strategic evolution of the program so that it remains best practice among international development institutions and continues to better help WBG staff members identify and resolve personal financial conflicts of interest before they become a risk to the institution and to the staff member.
• Ensure understanding of and full compliance with financial disclosure requirements and objectives, overall ethical standards, and with laws, regulations, policies and procedures.
Misconduct
• Advise staff and management on actions that could constitute misconduct.
• Work with staff to encourage them to comply with their personal legal obligations (e.g. spousal or child support payments, compliance with G5 program rules, etc.); follow up in certain instances (where other departments are not responsible) if they do not do so voluntarily.
Prevention and Outreach
• Take an active role in fostering management and employee awareness of Bank standards on ethical behavior, business practices/conduct, etc., as established in the Code of Professional Ethics.
• Support management and staff in fostering a healthy work environment of high ethical standards and full compliance with laws, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Take a proactive role in developing upstream programs, such as seminars and conferences, to help staff and managers identify and resolve conflicts of interest, and to help prevent unethical business conduct and practices across the WBG.
• Coordinate EBC outreach and education to promote and increase awareness of the WBG’s values, standards of conduct and procedures through training, orientation and induction programs, and relevant communication media to provide a continuous reinforcement of the Bank’s ethical work culture.
• Establish/develop/maintain partnerships with key WBG units and managers and with ethics professionals in other organizations to promote the WBG’s ethical standards within the WBG and with its clients, vendors and other external organizations.
• Take the lead in establishing policy recommendations and guidelines to deal with new or evolving areas related to the ethical aspects of corporate behavior, developing and disseminating best practices.
• Undertake analytical work and prepare a variety of reports and communications, including regular communications to all staff and to target groups, such as managers, on ethics matters.
Management of the EBC office
• Be responsible for developing and managing the EBC staff, budget preparation, work program and strategy.
• Manage the Ethics HelpLine and other case intakes to provide staff guidance concerning the Code of Professional Ethics, rules, policies, procedures and to allow staff and stakeholders to report suspected instances of violations of the Code of Professional Ethics.
• Ensure that EBC internal/external websites, Code of Professional Ethics and other EBC brochures and materials are up to date.
• Serve as Chair of the Outside Interest Committee and advise managers per current rules and policies.
Selection Criteria The successful candidate will have: • An advanced university degree in law, criminal justice or other relevant field. • A minimum of 15 years of experience – including 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience in the field of corporate or business ethics and related fields, preferably in the international arena. • Demonstrated ability to make sound judgments based on legal grounding and ability to communicate advice with authority. • An impeccable record for integrity and ethical behavior. • Knowledge of current industry best practices relating to corporate ethics and business conduct/practices, preferred. • Proven conceptual, analytical, and evaluative skills; and an ability to conduct independent research and analysis. • Good knowledge or understanding of the Bank Group and its operations is desirable. • Strong interpersonal skills – including the ability to work effectively in a team/task force as participant or team leader, and with senior staff and managers. • Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively on highly sensitive issues with staff and managers at all levels, with particular emphasis on developing trust and demonstrating fairness. • Experience and demonstrated sensitivity in working with cross cultural aspects of human relations, and the ability to influence appropriately. • Excellent communications skills (oral, written and presentational) and proven ability to prepare, present and discuss findings and recommendations on issues clearly and concisely, and to organize and produce major reports. • Ability to coach and mentor junior staff.
Bank-wide Managerial Selection Criteria Client Orientation: balances a responsive and proactive approach to meeting client needs; encourages staff to understand client needs and concerns; provides customized services and products as appropriate;
Inspires passion in Bank’s mission: shows great drive and commitment to Bank mission; helps others understand how their daily work contributes to the Bank’s mission and inspires others to proactively meet the Bank’s development objectives in partnership with clients;
Focuses on the big picture and overall strategic framework for development: identifies and pursues strategic initiatives which provide the greatest value and sustainable impact; balances long and short-term trade-offs; communicates clearly and precisely the development goals and the strategies for achieving them;
Selects, coaches and appraises staff effectively: builds a team diverse in gender and nationality. Appraises accurately their ability and potential, gives candid performance feedback, rewards desirable behaviors, provides support for professional development efforts linked to business objectives;
Plans and manages staff to achieve quality results: Develops realistic plans with available human resources; establishes high standards of performance and demonstrates a commitment to excellence; empowers staff by removing obstacles to achieve business goals; focuses on results and delivers what is promised, on time and within budget; takes accountability, i.e. accepts responsibility for successes and failures; does not blame others if things go wrong. Holds others accountable, supports others to succeed and acknowledges their contributions;
Encourages innovation in an open, team-based environment: Creates an environment conducive to teamwork, continuous learning and innovation; builds alliances and promotes open communication and collaboration to achieve joint objectives; creates an environment for learning and knowledge sharing;Maintains high standards of personal integrity: establishes straightforward, productive relationships; treats all individuals with fairness and respect; demonstrates sensitivity for cultural/gender differences;
Influences and resolves differences across organizational boundaries: Gains support and commitment from others even without formal authority; resolves differences by determining needs and forging solutions that benefit all parties; promotes collaboration and facilitates teamwork across organizational boundaries;
Understands the Bank’s financial structure and products: (i.e. understands financial statements, how the Bank is funded, the key financial risks the Bank faces and how they are mitigated; how net income is used; and the Bank’s lending products and other financial products and how they are used) – uses analytical tools to make effective business decisions.
