Overview

Princeton University is a private, coeducational university located in Princeton, New Jersey, midway between New York City and Philadelphia.  The University has a 600-acre central campus with a population of approximately 5,000 undergraduate students and approximately 7,000 employees (including more than 1,000 faculty members).

 

Princeton, the fourth-oldest college in the United States, strives to be one of the leading research universities and the most outstanding undergraduate college in the world.  As a research university, it seeks to achieve the highest levels of distinction in the discovery and transmission of knowledge and understanding.  At the same time, Princeton is distinctive among research universities in its commitment to undergraduate teaching. 

 

The Office of Audit and Compliance (OAC) at Princeton University serves as a proactive partner with University management and staff to continuously improve business processes, internal controls, and compliance mechanisms.  The University’s institutional compliance program is based on industry best practices for effective compliance and ethics programs.  The compliance function helps to ensure that the University maintains the highest levels of integrity in its daily operations as it pursues its overall educational mission.  The institutional responsibility for regulatory compliance is decentralized with several persons charged with regulatory compliance responsibility in their respective areas (referred to as compliance leads) with central oversight and monitoring.  OAC is seeking a competent candidate with high professional and ethical standards who will assist in coordinating the efforts of the compliance leads and conducting compliance reviews to provide assurance regarding the adequacy of mechanisms to address compliance risks. 

 

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Vice President and Chief Audit and Compliance Officer, the Associate Director, Compliance (Associate Director) will be integral in helping to oversee and manage the University’s compliance program by providing compliance support through education, resources, oversight, and assistance to the Princeton community. Provides leadership and assists VP CACO in continuous maturity of the University’s compliance program focused on “Federal Sentencing Guidelines” elements. The Associate Director will assist in establishing and maintaining an effective framework to mitigate overall institutional compliance risk and creating an environment of compliance awareness by partnering with the University community to promote honesty and integrity in the University’s operations and activities.

Responsibilities

The key responsibilities of this position include:

 

Risk Assessment and Strategic Planning             20%                            

• Assists in promoting an institutional culture of integrity and ethical decision-making.
• Assists the VP CACO in developing and executing the vision and strategy for continuous maturity of the University’s compliance program.
• Develops & maintains a comprehensive compliance risk universe and implements annual compliance plans for the University based on systematic and ongoing risk assessment conducted in coordination with senior management, the internal auditors, and the University’s network of compliance leads and peer institutions.
• Manages and assures completion of the annual compliance plan, provides effective supervision and time management, measures of progress, and proposes revisions to reflect changing priorities.
• Works with external auditors to ensure key compliance risks are appropriately identified and evaluated.

 

Project Management 60%

• Plans and implements the annual compliance work plan. Responsible for effective management of the projects on the work plan. Supervises and develops compliance staff and manages co-sourced service providers.
• Partners with the Office of the General Counsel to update, maintain, and ensure adoption of the University’s compliance tools and mechanisms, periodically contacts the University’s compliance leads to verify their attentiveness to institutional regulatory compliance obligations and identify any significant gaps.
• Creates enhanced awareness of regulatory requirements and ensures adequate training resources are available to comply with the requirements.
• Provides “early warning” services to appropriate University personnel regarding key regulatory changes or compliance initiatives by government audit or regulatory agencies.
• Independently performs and/or partners with the Office of the General Counsel to conduct compliance assessments/reviews to identify and mitigate risks and provide appropriate management reporting.
• Identifies and develops initiatives and subcommittees to address and resolve strategic and/or University-wide compliance areas of concern. Ensures coordination with appropriate University offices and resolution of issues. 
• Investigates compliance reports received on the University Hotline in conjunction with appropriate University offices as needed, follows up to ensure appropriate action and reporting.
• Assists in performance of special projects, as required.
• Demonstrates creativity, foresight, and superior judgment and thoroughness in the performance of services and management of all tasks.

 

Leadership Activities 20%

• Prepares and presents the results of University compliance activities to the University’s Executive Compliance Committee (ECC) and to the Audit and Compliance Committee of the Board of Trustees.
• Identifies new and emerging compliance items for presentation to the ECC
• Responsible for the overall direction of the compliance function and the daily operations, and management of compliance projects.
• Assists in the administration of the Office of Audit and Compliance, including preparation of Compliance activity reports, recruitment, and providing training and guidance to facilitate professional development of department personnel.
• Maintains close working relationships with University senior management, especially the Office of the General Counsel, and compliance leads in various academic and administrative units throughout the campus.
• Serves as the OAC representative on University-wide oversight committees for major compliance-related initiatives.
• Keeps abreast of leading practices in compliance training, monitoring, and effectiveness. Networks with colleagues from professional associations and other Universities to share information on industry risks and regularly benchmarks best practices.
• Augments the compliance website with compliance updates, tools, and resources.

Qualifications

Essential Qualifications:

Required:  Bachelor's degree.  Strong leadership, supervisory, verbal, and written communication skills. Exceptional interpersonal skills, able to influence people, solve problems, trouble shoot and think creatively. Significant experience in assessing compliance risks in a large research university or other complex environment.  Knowledge of best practices and criteria for effective compliance and ethics programs. Advanced project management skills, superior mentoring skills and ability to work in a highly collaborative environment.

 

Desired:  Working knowledge of OMB Circulars A‑21, A-110, A-133.  Advanced degree (e.g., MBA, JD), and additional professional certifications (e.g., CFE).  Leadership positions within the compliance, ethics, or internal auditing profession.  Familiarity with Enterprise Risk Management within academic settings.  Minimum of seven years of experience in compliance, research, consulting, or management roles, including increasingly responsible leadership experience.  Experience in an academic institution is highly desirable. 

 

This role is Princeton-based and does not require travel.

 

The finalist will be required to successfully pass a background check.

 

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Standard Weekly Hours36.25Eligible for OvertimeNoBenefits EligibleYesProbationary Period180 daysEssential Services Personnel (see policy for detail)NoPhysical Capacity Exam RequiredNoValid Driver’s License RequiredNo Experience LevelDirector#LI-JE1