Senior Ethics Advisor

Jet Propulsion Laboratory; United States; On-site; USD 148,408 - 163,280; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision plans

Retirement plans

Learning and development opportunities

Flexible schedule

Parental leave

Job summary

Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California is seeking a Senior Ethics Advisor to implement the Ethics and Business Conduct Program. The role involves advising personnel on compliance issues and leading investigations into potential ethics violations.

Ideal candidates will have extensive experience in ethics and compliance, along with a Bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant field. The position offers competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and a focus on work-life balance.

Qualifications

• A minimum of 9 years of related work experience; Master’s with 7 years or PhD with 5 years.
• Wide-ranging experience and advanced knowledge in human resources.
• Ability to provide authoritative advice on ethics issues.

Responsibilities

• Implement the Ethics and Business Conduct Program.
• Advise and educate personnel on business conduct issues.
• Lead investigations of potential violations of ethics standards.

Skills

Conflict resolution

Excellent communication

Critical thinking

Discretion and judgment

Multitasking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in relevant field

Master’s degree or PhD

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Database applications

Job description

Senior Ethics Advisor

Location: Pasadena, California.

Annual salary range: $148,408 - $163,280.

Responsibilities

• Implement the Ethics and Business Conduct Program at the Laboratory; administer compliance with business ethics regulations and policies, focusing on conflicts of interest (COI), procurement ethics, and proper use of JPL and sponsor resources.
• Advise, coach, and educate personnel on complex, confidential, and time‑critical ethics and business conduct issues.
• Collaborate with Legal, Security, HR, Caltech Internal Audit, and Acquisition on ethics‑related matters.
• Lead investigations of potential or known violations of ethics standards, including planning, interviewing, evidence gathering, analysis, and report writing.
• Evaluate employee outside activities and COI disclosures to identify risks, determine actions, and ensure policy compliance; conduct internal ethics reviews as needed.
• Support development and delivery of ethics communications, training, and awareness programs; conduct training sessions.
• Formulate, review, maintain, apply, and disseminate ethics policies and procedures; oversee ethics requirements aligning with government and industry standards.
• Contribute to database management and quarterly performance reporting, including data collection, risk identification, and management presentations.
• Utilize IT systems and advanced techniques for investigations and internal reviews, including data searches and information retrieval.
• Lead operational or procedural assignments requiring discretion, independent judgment, and complexity; handle confidential information and provide solutions.
• Conduct themselves with ethics and utmost integrity while carrying out 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 with a minimum of 7 years; or PhD with a minimum of 5 years.
• Wide‑ranging experience and advanced knowledge of human resources, personnel security, internal audit, acquisition, or other compliance‑oriented field.
• Ability to identify and resolve conflicts of interest.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, active listening, critical thinking, multitasking, and time‑management skills.
• Extensive experience handling confidential information with a track record of good judgment and discretion.
• Demonstrated ability to provide authoritative advice on ethics issues, supervise investigations, write reports, and facilitate corrective action.
• Experience planning and conducting internal investigations.
• Proven ability to develop and deliver ethics and compliance training.
• Strong business acumen, professional presence, interpersonal skills, and ability to interact effectively with all levels of personnel; exercise extraordinary tact, diplomacy, and discretion.
• Experience with Microsoft Office applications—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, database applications.
• Excellent organization and ability to work under varying deadlines; 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, such as CCEP (Certified Ethics and Compliance Professional), CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner), or CIA (Certified Internal Auditor).

Benefits

• Health, dental, vision, and wellbeing plans.
• Retirement plans.
• Paid time off.
• Learning and development opportunities.
• Rideshare and childcare assistance.
• Flexible schedule.
• Parental leave.
• Work‑life balance initiatives.

Equal Opportunity Employment

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.

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 United States or have other protected status under 8U.S.C.1324b(a)(3). The Designated Countries List is available here.