Chief Compliance Officer

Madison Air; United States; On-site; USD 250,000 - 380,000; Full time

Job summary

Madison Air is seeking a Chief Compliance Officer to design and lead a scalable global compliance program as the company grows toward a public listing and international footprint. Reporting to the General Counsel, this build role will embed ethics, trade compliance, investigations, policy governance and training into everyday decisions across a decentralized, matrixed organization.

The ideal candidate has 15+ years in compliance, with experience in acquisitions, global trade, and board-facing

Qualifications

• 15+ years in ethics and compliance, legal, investigations, global trade, regulatory, or risk roles.
• Experience building or scaling a global compliance program in a complex multinational.
• Proven leadership of global trade compliance in industrial or manufacturing environments.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute a multi-year global compliance strategy and operating model.
• Build governance networks and partner with business leaders across geographies.
• Lead or oversee investigations, training, monitoring and remediation programs.
• Embed trade compliance into commercial and operational processes company-wide.
• Provide board-ready reporting on program maturity and risks.

Skills

Global trade compliance

Leadership

Acquisition integration

Policy governance

Training programs

Education

Bachelor's degree

Juris Doctor or compliance credential

Job description

Chicago, Illinois, is the preferred location; however, location is flexible, and qualified candidates based elsewhere in the United States will be considered.

The Opportunity

Madison Air is seeking a business-minded, hands-on Chief Compliance Officer to design, build and lead a scalable global compliance program. Reporting to the General Counsel, this leader will establish the enterprise framework, capabilities and culture needed to support Madison Air as a public company with an expanding international footprint and an active acquisition strategy.

This is a build role. The Chief Compliance Officer will create practical systems that protect the company, enable responsible growth and embed compliance into everyday business decisions without adding unnecessary bureaucracy. The leader will work in a matrix environment, across a decentralized portfolio, partnering with corporate functions and business leadership to set clear standards, identify risk early and drive consistent execution.

About Madison Air

At Madison Air, we make the world safer, healthier and more productive through the power of better air. Our businesses deliver differentiated air movement, ventilation, filtration, purification and indoor air quality solutions across mission-critical industrial, commercial and residential applications.

We operate with an owner’s mindset and a long-term view. Our culture is grounded in entrepreneurial spirit, trust and a bias for action. We believe ethics and integrity are assumed, we say what we do and do what we say, and we act with speed while remaining accountable for results. The Chief Compliance Officer must strengthen that culture by building compliance into how we grow, operate and integrate businesses globally.

Role Mission

Build a robust global ethics and compliance program that protects Madison Air, enables informed risk-taking and scales with the company’s growth. In a matrixed environment, the Chief Compliance Officer will bring together global trade compliance, ethics, investigations, policy governance, compliance risk assessment, training, monitoring, reporting and acquisition integration into a practical enterprise framework.

Scope of Responsibility

Global Compliance Program

• Design and execute a multi-year global compliance strategy and operating model aligned with Madison Air’s business priorities, public-company obligations and international growth.
• Conduct and maintain an enterprise compliance risk assessment, translating identified risks into clear priorities, ownership, controls, training and monitoring.
• Establish a governance structure and network of business-level compliance partners or champions by leading through others.
• Develop meaningful program metrics and dashboards for the General Counsel, executive leadership and the appropriate Board committee.
• Continuously evaluate program effectiveness, emerging risks and resource needs, and adjust the roadmap as Madison Air evolves.
• Build and lead a global trade compliance program covering export controls, economic sanctions, restricted-party screening, customs, import and export requirements, product classification, country of origin, valuation, anti-boycott requirements and applicable free-trade or preferential-duty programs.
• Partner with supply chain, sourcing, logistics, engineering, sales, finance, IT and business leaders to embed trade compliance into commercial and operational processes.
• Establish clear roles, decision rights, escalation paths, controls, recordkeeping and monitoring across Madison Air businesses and geographies.
• Assess and strengthen trade-compliance capabilities within current and acquired businesses, including use of third-party brokers, distributors, freight providers and other intermediaries.
• Monitor regulatory and geopolitical developments and translate changes into timely business guidance and action.

Ethics, Speak Up and Investigations

• Own and continuously improve Madison Air’s Code of Ethics, Speak Up and whistleblower programs.
• Promote an environment in which employees are comfortable raising concerns and understand the company’s commitment to non-retaliation.
• Establish consistent global protocols for intake, triage, investigation, documentation, remediation and closure of concerns.
• Lead or oversee sensitive investigations involving potential legal, regulatory, financial, ethical or conduct violations, working with HR, Internal Audit, Finance and outside counsel as appropriate.
• Identify themes and root causes from investigations and ensure corrective actions are completed and sustained.

Policy Governance, Training and Monitoring

• Lead an enterprise policy-governance process that assigns accountable owners, required review cycles, approvals, employee acknowledgements and document retention expectations.
• Develop role-based training and communications that are concise, relevant and connected to the decisions employees make in their work.
• Oversee annual Code of Ethics training and certification and targeted training for higher-risk roles, businesses and geographies.
• Establish risk-based monitoring, testing and remediation processes; coordinate with Internal Audit to avoid duplication and strengthen assurance.
• Develop a third-party compliance framework proportionate to risk, including diligence, contracting expectations, monitoring and escalation.

Public Company and Board Governance

• Partner with the General Counsel, CFO, Internal Audit, HR, IT and business leaders on compliance matters arising from Madison Air’s status as a public company.
• Support compliance related to the Code of Ethics, whistleblower requirements, insider trading, disclosure controls, conflicts of interest, books and records, and applicable laws and regulations.
• Provide clear, fact-based reporting to executive leadership and the appropriate Board committee on program maturity, investigations, emerging risks, trends, training, trade compliance and remediation.
• Serve as a trusted and independent advisor who is willing to challenge, escalation and act when the circumstances require it.

Candidate Profile

Experience

• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in ethics and compliance, legal, investigations, global trade, regulatory, audit or enterprise risk roles.
• Experience building, transforming or materially scaling a global compliance program within a publicly traded or similarly complex multinational company.
• Demonstrated leadership of global trade compliance in an industrial, manufacturing, engineered-products or similarly complex operating environment.
• Significant experience with acquisition diligence and post-close compliance integration in an acquisitive company.
• Experience presenting to executive leadership and a Board or Board committee.
• Working knowledge of core compliance domains, including anti-corruption, trade and sanctions, conflicts of interest, whistleblower administration, third-party risk, investigations, policy governance, training, monitoring and remediation.
• Experience operating across multiple countries, cultures and regulatory environments.
• Bachelor’s degree required. Juris Doctor, advanced degree or relevant compliance/trade credential preferred.

Leadership Characteristics

• Builder who can move from strategy to execution and create a function from the ground up.
• High integrity, sound judgment and the courage to raise difficult issues directly.
• Practical business partner who understands operations and enables responsible growth rather than relying on policy alone.
• Entrepreneurial and resourceful, with a bias for action and the ability to course-correct as the company evolves.
• Straightforward communicator who can simplify complex requirements for leaders and employees.
• Lead through others, influential in a decentralized environment and effective without relying solely on formal authority.
• Globally minded, culturally aware and comfortable leading through ambiguity and change.
• Team-oriented leader who develops talent, creates accountability and builds trusted relationships.

Why Madison Air

This is an opportunity to build a critical enterprise capability at an important point in Madison Air’s evolution. The Chief Compliance Officer will shape how the company grows responsibly, integrates acquisitions, manages global trade and regulatory risk, and sustains a culture of trust and accountability. The role offers direct access to senior leadership, broad enterprise impact and the opportunity to create a compliance program designed for Madison Air’s next chapter.