Realty Income aims to be a globally recognized leader in the S&P 100, committed to creating long-term value for all stakeholders. These stakeholders include our dedicated team members, who embody our purpose: building enduring relationships and brighter financial futures. This guiding principle serves as a beacon for our team, influencing every action we take.
Realty Income’s employees consistently invest their time, commitment, and dedication into the company, and in turn, they receive investment returns in the form of purpose, belonging, and opportunities for advancement.
Realty Income is committed to best-in-class corporate responsibility practices through environmental initiatives, governance programs, and community outreach projects. From the boardroom to the breakroom, our team members make a difference every day.
Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer, the Global Compliance Officer’s (GCO) main role is to provide leadership and legal guidance on ethics and compliance issues and foster a culture of compliance within the company. The GCO is responsible for the continuous improvement, development, implementation, and enforcement of Realty Income’s compliance program, including policies, procedures, and controls to prevent, detect, and resolve compliance issues. The GCO will provide legal guidance to ensure our business processes and procedures adhere to applicable laws, rules, and regulations. This position will drive a culture of ethics and compliance. This role will also oversee providing guidance, legal advice, and training to employees and senior management on ethics and compliance matters, monitoring and reporting on compliance performance, and liaising with external regulators and auditors.
What you will be working on:
- Develop and update the company’s compliance strategy, policies, and procedures consistent with the U.S. Department of Justice’s guidance on corporate compliance programs. This will include the company’s code of conduct, anti-corruption, conflict of interest, speak up, financial regulatory and other policies.
- Set the tone of ethics and compliance throughout the company through an effective programmatic compliance program to drive compliance consistent with Realty Income’s values of ethics and compliance.
- Provide sound advice and guidance to senior management, the board, and the business on a wide range of matters affecting the company’s ethics and compliance program.
- Work with departments within the organization to assist in identifying and assessing the compliance risks and opportunities facing the company, providing advice to ensure they are properly addressed, and implementing appropriate controls and mitigation measures.
- Monitor and audit compliance performance and activities of the company and its employees, agents, partners, and vendors, and ensuring timely and accurate reporting of compliance information.
- Report to senior management and the board of directors (including global subsidiary boards of directors or governing bodies) on ethics and compliance matters.
- Conduct and oversee internal investigations to assess potential compliance violations, breaches, or complaints. Lead and participate in investigative interviews, evidence gathering and analysis, investigation status meetings.
- Advise the company on its obligations and implementing corrective and preventive actions as well as opportunities to improve business processes.
- Develop and facilitate remedial action plans, including training and awareness activities relating to findings and outcomes from internal reviews or investigations.
- Document processes and procedures relating to the company’s speak-up hotline and internal investigations program(s) including oversight of the implementation of technological resources.
- Provide guidance and support to other internal teams (such as people success/human relations and internal audit).
- Horizon-scanning, analyzing investigation, enforcement and regulatory trends and advising the company on emerging risks.
- Prepare periodic reports for the company’s senior management or board of directors.
- Direct group processes on Anti-Money Laundering / Counter-Terrorist Financing / Financial Sanctions.
- Oversee and maintain compliance activities concerning group fund licenses / registrations and regulated third parties.
- Oversee a third-party due diligence system.
- Manage and supervise the compliance staff and resources, and ensuring that they have the necessary skills, knowledge, and tools to perform their duties.
- Coordinate and oversee the compliance training and awareness programs, and ensuring that they are relevant, effective, and engaging, working with individual departments in the organization to facilitate this, as appropriate.
- Liaise and communicate with regulators, auditors, consultants, and other external parties on compliance matters, and representing the company in compliance-related inquiries, audits, inspections, investigations, law enforcement queries and litigation.
- Keep abreast of the latest developments and best practices in compliance and ensuring the company’s compliance program is updated and compliant with the changing regulatory and business environment.
- Manage and provide oversight and guidance to a global compliance team comprised of generalist and specialist compliance personnel (e.g., fund compliance, financial crimes, etc.) with varying levels of experience.
What we need from you:
- Juris Doctorate or international equivalent degree in Law.
- 15+ years of relevant legal practice experience in white-collar crime or regulatory compliance including significant in-house experience in a real estate or financial services business.
- 10+ years of relevant experience in ethics and compliance, including helping organizations ensure compliance with the U.K. Bribery Act, U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other financial crime laws (e.g. Anti-Money Laundering, Financial Sanctions).
- 10+ years of holding compliance leadership positions, including Head of Compliance, AML Officer, Data Protection Officer.
- Previously approved by a financial regulator or banking authority to hold a senior Compliance Officer role in a regulated entity advantageous.
- Native English language capability; additional European languages advantageous.
Certificates, licenses, or registrations:
- Qualified lawyer with license to practice.
- A professional certification or accreditation in compliance, such as from the Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics, International Compliance Association or a financial services or banking institute desirable.
- A professional certification or accreditation in Data Privacy such as from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (CIPP/US or CIPP/E) or other desirable.
