Chief of Compliance

United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF); New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Leadership role

Professional development

International exposure

Diversity & inclusion

Job summary

United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) — Office of Investment Management in New York — seeks a Senior Compliance Officer to lead and strengthen the organization’s compliance program across its $100+ billion multi-asset portfolio. You will oversee governance, internal controls, and risk management while promoting integrity and transparency.

The role reports to the Chief of the Risk and Compliance Section and leads the Compliance Team within OIM.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, or Law is required.
• A first-level degree with relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.
• A recognized law license is desirable.
• Credentials in compliance (e.g., CFE) are desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and day-to-day management of OIM's compliance programme, ensuring policies, controls, and tools are documented and implemented.
• Oversee identification, assessment, and management of investment compliance risks with timely mitigations.
• Serve as Compliance Focal Point for new investment initiatives and ensure compliance considerations are addressed.
• Strengthen governance and internal controls with clear accountability, reporting, and performance monitoring.
• Lead compliance testing and surveillance to identify deviations and ensure proper escalation and resolution.
• Coordinate third-party due diligence and maintain the compliance reputational risk dashboard.
• Participate in Governance forums (Compliance Committee, Risk Committee) and serve as Secretary of the Compliance Committee.
• Lead the delivery of compliance and ethics training programs, including annual ethics training.
• Serve as audit focal point for Board of Auditors and OIOS investigations, coordinating examinations and actioning findings.
• Provide ICT/compliance oversight and support strategic initiatives from leadership.
• Mentor and develop Compliance Team members and drive data-driven insights for management reports.
• Lead data collection and analysis of compliance metrics to support decision-making.

Skills

Leadership

Governance

Risk management

Data-driven oversight

Training development

Audit coordination

Stakeholder engagement

Third-party due diligence

Education

Master's degree (MBA) in Business Admin / Finance / Economics / Law

First-level university degree with relevant experience

Law license desirable

Certified Fraud Examiner credentials desirable

Job description

Chief of Compliance, P5 (Job No. 287349)- Deadline to apply: 11 December 2026

Job Summary

Join the Office of Investment Management (OIM) of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) as a Senior Compliance Officer and play a critical leadership role in strengthening investment compliance, governance, and ethical standards across a globally recognized institutional investment organization. As the leader of OIM's Compliance Team, you will oversee the development and implementation of compliance frameworks, strengthen internal controls, and promote a culture of integrity, accountability, and transparency.

Be part of a globally recognized investment organization managing a $100+ billion multi-asset class portfolio, approximately 85% of which is actively managed in-house. OIM invests across global equities, fixed income, foreign exchange, private equity, real estate, infrastructure, timber, and commodities and brings together professionals from more than 45 countries.

The Senior Compliance Officer is based in New York and leads the Compliance Team within the Risk and Compliance Section of OIM. The position reports directly to the Chief of the Risk and Compliance Section, who reports to the Representative of the Secretary-General (RSG).

The role is responsible for leading OIM's compliance programme, overseeing investment compliance activities, strengthening internal controls, identifying and mitigating compliance risks, and ensuring adherence to established policies and procedures. The Senior Compliance Officer will lead compliance monitoring and testing, coordinate third-party due diligence, support governance committees, oversee audit and investigation-related activities, and promote ethical standards and data-driven compliance oversight across OIM.

Job Responsibilities

The role involves and is not limited to the following responsibilities:

• Lead the ongoing development, enhancement, and day-to-day management of OIM's compliance programme, ensuring policies, procedures, controls, and supporting tools are well documented, communicated, and effectively implemented.
• Oversee the identification, assessment, and management of investment compliance risks, ensuring appropriate policies, procedures, and mitigation measures are established and implemented in a timely manner.
• Serve as the Compliance Focal Point for new investment initiatives, including the introduction and implementation of new financial instruments, ensuring compliance considerations are appropriately addressed.
• Strengthen compliance governance and internal controls by promoting segregation of duties, clear accountability, defined responsibilities, performance monitoring, and effective reporting mechanisms.
• Lead transactional compliance testing and surveillance activities to identify deviations from established policies and standards, ensuring findings are appropriately reviewed, escalated, and resolved.
• Monitor and assess material compliance issues, identify potential weaknesses in existing controls and risk identification processes, and recommend improvements to strengthen the compliance framework.
• Oversee compliance matters relating to conflicts of interest, reputational risk, insider trading, gifts and hospitality, anti-fraud, and anti-corruption, ensuring relevant policies are regularly reviewed and updated.
• Conduct periodic compliance assessments and evaluations, analyzing testing outcomes and emerging risks to identify potential compliance concerns and strengthen preventive controls.
• Coordinate third-party compliance due diligence, including reputational risk screening, and ensure the timely maintenance of OIM's compliance reputational risk dashboard.
• Participate in key governance forums, including the Compliance Committee and Risk Committee, and serve as Secretary of the Compliance Committee, supporting effective oversight and decision-making.
• Lead the development and delivery of compliance and ethics training programmes, including OIM's annual ethics training, to strengthen staff awareness and adherence to established standards.
• Serve as the primary audit focal point for the Board of Auditors and the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), coordinating examinations, facilitating information requests, and overseeing the resolution of audit findings and observations.
• Act as the focal point for OIOS investigations, facilitating documentation retrieval, e-Discovery activities, and coordination with relevant stakeholders.
• Provide oversight of compliance matters relating to information and communications technology (ICT) and business continuity policies, ensuring appropriate compliance considerations are incorporated.
• Support strategic and ad hoc initiatives requested by the Representative of the Secretary-General and the Chief Risk and Compliance Officer, providing compliance expertise and guidance.
• Lead, mentor, and develop Compliance Team members, promoting professional development, knowledge-sharing, and effective collaboration.
• Lead the collection and analysis of compliance-related data, identify emerging trends and patterns, and provide data-driven insights and management reports to support informed decision-making and strengthen compliance oversight.

Required Qualifications, Capabilities, and Skills

• Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in Business Administration (MBA), Finance, Economics, Law or related field is required.
• A first level university degree in combination with academic qualifications and experience in investment compliance may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.
• A recognized law license or equivalent is desirable.
• A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience working in investment management/financial institutions is required.
• A minimum of seven years of direct experience with investment compliance is required.
• A minimum of 2 years of investment compliance experience in a pension fund setting is desirable.
• Industry-recognized credentials in compliance is desirable.
• Certified fraud examiner credentials are desirable.

Some of our benefits include:

• Working in a globally recognized, mission-driven international organization managing a $100+ billion global investment portfolio.
• Opportunity to lead OIM's Compliance Team and shape investment compliance frameworks, governance practices, and ethical standards across a diversified institutional investment portfolio.
• Lead high-impact initiatives involving investment compliance, risk surveillance, third-party due diligence, anti-fraud measures, and internal controls.
• Work with a diverse, inclusive, and multicultural team representing more than 45 countries.
• Collaborate with senior leadership, investment professionals, risk management specialists, and oversight bodies to strengthen organizational accountability, transparency, and investment integrity.
• Gain exposure to investment governance, compliance committee leadership, audit coordination, investigative support, and data-driven compliance monitoring within the United Nations system.
• Opportunities for professional development, leadership growth, and continuous learning.