Senior Specialist, Special Investigations at Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa

Job Description

• The Senior Special Investigator, MEA, based in South Africa has responsibility for special investigations in MEA. This role is part of the global Compliance, Ethics, and Integrity Office with responsibility to conduct investigations involving alleged violations of law, Company policy, and the Code of Conduct by employees. This position requires an individual with the highest integrity who can work independently to conduct investigations and mitigate risk to the Company. We investigate issues throughout the Company, which provides this position insight into all aspects of the business. We work closely with our trusted colleagues from the broader Office of General Counsel (OGC), People Matters (PM), Human Resources (HR), Security, Internal Audit (IA), and Internal Control (IC) to resolve reported and identified concerns. Occasional travel may be required, and this role is office based.

Responsibilities
Position Responsibilities:

• Assess allegations, properly scope and conduct investigations.
• Align scoping and investigation procedures with SI Management to ensure proper scope and timely completion of investigations. 
• Conduct professional and tailored investigation procedures including investigative interviews and communication with complainants. 
• Carrying out preliminary and background interviews as part of the fact-finding process.
• Preparing documentation and taking notes for interviews.
• Providing forensic analysis of case materials, ranging from expense reports to contractual arrangements.
• Perform email reviews and other data analysis of collected information.
• Provide timely and well synthesized investigation reporting and updates to management. 
• Manage multiple tasks and prioritize changing workloads.
• Routinely engage with leadership and cross functional teams. Effectively deliver difficult or unpopular messages with a diplomatic, solution-oriented approach.
• Support remediation both internally and externally as needed.
• Provide accurate and timely updates in the Case Management System (CMS).

Position Requirements / Primary Skills Required:

• High integrity.
• Self-starter.
• Good judgement, excellent communication and team working skills.
• Flexibility and a creative approach to problem solving.
• Always looking for new ways to improve our processes and reduce the likelihood of further issues.
• A sound understanding of general anti-bribery and anti-corruption risks, basic employment law principles, fraud detection, and investigation techniques.
• Curiosity, patience, and emotional resilience with outstanding interpersonal skills. 

Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.

• Exceptional attention to detail, thoroughness, objectivity, and precision as reflected in research and reporting.
• Strong work ethic and high level of professionalism. 
• Willingness to embrace change.
• Ability to learn and comprehend quickly.
• Ability to analyze, interpret, and succinctly summarize large volumes of data and other information.
• Able to ensure confidentiality in investigative matters.
• Ability to handle the investigation independently or with a team.
• Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office suite, specifically Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, is required.
• Familiarity with Relativity is a plus.

Qualifications

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university.
• Relevant professional post graduate qualification, Certified Fraud Examiner or Chartered Accountant, or Law Degree an advantage.
• Relevant investigations experience is an advantage.

Experience:

• Minimum 2+ years in legal, consulting, audit, internal control, finance, human resources, or compliance role. 
• Preference for experience at a multi-national corporation and working with a global team.
• Preference for experience at an in-house / corporate investigations function, or alternatively, at a major audit/accounting firm, or international law firm performing investigative work on behalf of clients.
• Preference for experience performing or supporting objective corporate investigations, including fact-finding and assessment of allegations and potential risk.
• Experience with fraud and misconduct, forensic accounting, third-party risk management, human resources, conflicts of interest, theft, and bribery investigations.
• Preference for experience in evaluating information to determine compliance with Company policies and procedures, laws, and regulations. 
• Experience in analyzing and reporting data in order to identify issues, trends, or exceptions to drive improvement of results and find solutions.
• Preference for experience with project management (planning, organizing, and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of a specific project goals and objectives).