Senior Ethics Advisor

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Pasadena (CA); On-site; USD 148,408 - 163,280; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision, and retirement plans

Paid time off

Flexible schedule

Parental leave

Job summary

The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) seeks a Senior Ethics Advisor to implement the Ethics and Business Conduct Program. Responsibilities include advising personnel on ethical issues, leading investigations, and ensuring compliance with regulations.

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree with at least 9 years of experience, or a Master’s/PhD with relevant experience, strong communication skills, and proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.

Benefits include comprehensive health plans, work-life balance initiatives, and a pay range of $148,408 to $163,280 annually.

Qualifications

• Minimum 9 years of related work experience for Bachelor's degree holders.
• Master's degree requires 7 years, PhD requires 5 years of experience.
• Experience with confidential information and ethical guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Advise and educate personnel on ethics questions.
• Lead investigations of ethics violations.
• Formulate and disseminate ethics-related policies.

Skills

Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Critical thinking

Time management

Ability to identify and resolve conflicts of interest

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, social sciences, or related discipline

Master’s degree or PhD in similar disciplines

Tools

Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Job description

Job Details

New ideas are all around us, but only a few will change the world. That’s our focus at JPL. We ask the biggest questions, then search the universe for answers—literally. We build upon ideas that have guided generations, then share our discoveries to inspire generations to come. Your mission—your opportunity—is to seek out the answers that bring us one step closer. If you’re driven to discover, create, and inspire something that lasts a lifetime and beyond, you’re ready for JPL.

Located in Pasadena, California, JPL has a campus‑like environment situated on 177 acres in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and offers a work environment unlike any other: we inspire passion, foster innovation, build collaboration, and reward excellence.

Responsibilities

We are seeking a Senior Ethics Advisor to join our Ethics Team who will be reporting to the JPL Ethics Officer and as part of the Ethics Office team, implement the Ethics and Business Conduct Program at the Laboratory; administer and ensure compliance with business ethics regulations and policies with specific emphasis on assessing and resolving conflicts of interest (COI), procurement ethics, and proper use of JPL and sponsor resources.

Tasks include but are not limited to:

• Advise, coach, and educate all levels of personnel on a wide range of ethics and business conduct questions and issues that are complex, highly confidential, extremely sensitive, and have frequent, critical deadlines.
• Work closely with business partners, such as Legal, Security, HR, Caltech Internal Audit, and Acquisition, on ethics‑related issues.
• Lead investigations of potential and known violations of ethics and business conduct standards raised by employees, business partners and other third parties, including planning, interviewing, gathering and analyzing evidence, and writing investigation reports.
• Evaluate and analyze employee outside activities and other COI disclosures to identify risks, determine appropriate action, and ensure compliance with policy; conduct other internal ethics reviews as needed.
• Support the development and implementation of ethics communications, training, and awareness programs; conduct ethics training as needed.
• Formulate, review, maintain, apply, and disseminate ethics‑related policies and procedures to employees across the Laboratory; oversee ethics requirements and related processes, ensuring consistency with government and industry standards.
• Contribute to database management and drafting of quarterly Ethics Office performance reports, including the collection and reporting of data and metrics; identify trends and risks; prepare reports and presentations for management on critical, highly complex topics.
• Utilize knowledge of, and experience with, information technology systems, concepts, and practices, as well as advanced techniques for the use of technology in leading investigations and conducting other internal ethics reviews, including data searches and the retrieval of information from computers and communications.
• Under minimal direction, lead operational and / or procedural assignments that require the exercise of considerable discretion and independent judgment, and are often complex, multidimensional and/or cross‑disciplinary in nature. Tasks involve the handling of confidential information. Understand the implications of work and make recommendations for solutions. Determine methods and procedures on new assignments.
• The incumbent is expected to conduct themselves ethically and with the utmost integrity in carrying out their responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four‑year college or university in business, social sciences, human resources, or related discipline with a minimum of 9 years of related work experience; Master’s degree in similar disciplines with a minimum of 7 years of related work experience; or PhD in similar disciplines with a minimum of 5 years of related work experience.
• Wide‑ranging experience and advanced knowledge of one or more of the following areas: human resources, personnel security, internal audit, acquisition, or other compliance‑oriented field.
• Able to identify and resolve a conflict of interest.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, active listening, critical thinking, multi‑tasking and time management skills.
• Extensive experience dealing with confidential information appropriately and a successful track record for exercising good judgment and discretion.
• Significant and demonstrated experience in providing authoritative advice on ethics issues, supervising and conducting reviews and investigations, writing reports, and facilitating corrective action.
• Experience planning and conducting internal investigations.
• Proven ability to develop and deliver ethics and related compliance training.
• Strong business acumen, professional presence, interpersonal skills, and ability to interact effectively with all levels of personnel; ability to exercise extraordinary tact, diplomacy, discretion.
• Experience with Microsoft Office applications – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, database applications.
• Excellent organization skills and the ability to work under varying deadlines and remain flexible as demands and priorities change.
• Ability to work independently, manage heavy workloads and balance conflicting priorities.

Preferred Skills

• Professional certification(s) applicable to job responsibilities a plus. Preferred CCEP (Certified Ethics and Compliance Professional). Preferred CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner) and/or CIA (Certified Internal Auditor) certification.

Benefits and Compensation

JPL has a catalog of benefits and perks that span from the traditional to the unique. This includes a variety of health, dental, vision, wellbeing, and retirement plans, paid time off, learning, rideshare, childcare, flexible schedule, parental leave and many more. Our focus is on work‑life balance, and living healthy, fulfilling lives as we Dare Mighty Things Together. For benefits eligible positions, benefits are effective the first day of the month coincident with or immediately following the employee’s start date.

For further benefits information click Benefits and Perks.

The typical full‑time equivalent annual hiring range for this job in Pasadena, California is $148,408 – $163,280.

Equal Opportunity Employer

JPL is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy or perceived pregnancy, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, protected military or veteran status or any other characteristic or condition protected by Federal, state or local law.

In addition, JPL is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

EEO is the Law. EEO is the Law Supplement. Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federal facility. Due to rules imposed by NASA, JPL will not accept applications from citizens of designated countries or those born in a designated country unless they are U.S. Citizens, Legal Permanent Residents of the U.S. or have other protected status under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). The Designated Countries List is available here.