Equinix is the world’s digital infrastructure company®, operating over 260 data centers across the globe. Digital leaders harness Equinix's trusted platform to bring together and interconnect foundational infrastructure at software speed. Equinix enables organizations to access all the right places, partners and possibilities to scale with agility, speed the launch of digital services, deliver world-class experiences and multiply their value, while supporting their sustainability goals.

A leadership role at Equinix means you will drive and collaborate on work that impacts the world. We embrace diversity in thought and contribution and are committed to providing an equitable work environment that is foundational to our core values as a company and is vital to our success.

Job Summary

You will serve as the global leader specializing in Ethics & Compliance. This is a key leadership role responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining an effective ethics and compliance program that aligns with the company’s core values, legal obligations and strategic goals. The VP, Legal - Ethics & Compliance will work to foster a culture of integrity and ethical decision-making across the organization, ensuring compliance with laws, regulations, and internal policies in the increasingly regulated environment of the data center industry.

Responsibilities

Ethics and Compliance Strategy

• Compliance Strategy: Design, develop and implement a comprehensive compliance strategy that is risk based, proportionate, and aligned with the organization’s goals and objectives. This includes establishing policies, procedures and controls to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations and industry standard

• Staying current: Stay up to date with relevant laws, regulations, and industry best practices to ensure the organization’s compliance, particularly as the organization extends its presence in high-risk jurisdictions. Monitor changes in the ethics and compliance regulatory landscape and assess their impact on the organization’s operations

• Risk Assessment: Conduct regular risk assessments to identify potential compliance risks and develop strategies to mitigate them. This may involve evaluating internal processes, conducting audits, and implementing risk management frameworks.  Evaluate risk-tailored resource allocation and provide updates and input on revisions based on assessment

• Lessons learned: process for tracking and incorporating lessons learned from risk assessment and prior issues, including from other companies operating in the same industry/region into compliance strategy

Responsibility for Operational Integration

• Develop and enforce policies addressing ethical conduct, conflicts of interest, whistleblowing, anti-bribery, and corruption

• Responsible for integrating policies and procedures and ensuring employees’ understanding of the policies

• Evaluate how compliance policies and procedures are reinforced through internal controls, working with other relevant functions

• Training key gatekeepers in the control processes to identify and escalate concerns

Build Culture and Trust

• Champion an ethical culture across the organization by developing and leading training programs on ethics, compliance, and integrity

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the executive team and board of directors on ethical practices, compliance matters, and emerging regulatory trends

• Provide guidance and support to employees on ethical decision-making and encourage a strong compliance mindset throughout the organization. Encourage open dialogue and accountability at all levels of the organization through clear communication and accessible reporting mechanisms

• Foster “open door” atmosphere across organization to ensure that concerns and issues come to the attention of the ethics and compliance organization

Ethical Risk Management

• Identify and assess ethics-related risks in business activities, including supply chain operations, third-party relationships, and customer engagements. Promote and uphold the company’s core values and ethical standards in all business operations

Reporting & Investigations

• Evaluate effectiveness of reporting mechanisms, including employee awareness of reporting methods

• Responsible for developing processes for evaluating complaints and reports and scoping investigations.  Process to ensure that investigations are properly evaluated, scoped, and are independent, objective, appropriately conducted and properly documented

• Work with other groups on tracking investigations and results

• Lead internal investigations into alleged misconduct, ensuring thorough, unbiased, and confidential handling of issues

Monitoring and Reporting

• Oversee compliance audits and monitoring activities to evaluate the effectiveness of the ethics and compliance program

• Report on program effectiveness, key findings, and risk mitigation efforts to the board of directors and executive leadership

• Ensure accurate and timely disclosures to regulatory authorities and stakeholders

Leadership and Collaboration

• Lead and develop a team of compliance and ethics professionals, fostering a high-performance culture

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Legal, Human Resources, IT, and Operations, to integrate ethical standards and compliance measures into all business processes

• Create a collaborative, transparent and entrepreneurial culture, in partnership with corporate leadership

• Motivate employees around a shared vision and effectively manage change

Qualifications

• 15+ years legal experience, with at least 10 years in a relevant practice area(s)

• Deep knowledge of ethics and compliance standards, anti-bribery laws and sanctions

• Strong leadership, problem-solving, and decision-making skills

• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills to effectively engage with stakeholders at all levels

• Experience executing against global compliance goals and objectives

• Experience building and/or operating an Ethics & Compliance program at a global company

• Executive presence with the ability to influence C-suite & cross-functional executives.

• High business acumen around multiple legal disciplines

• Adept at balancing short-term pressures with long-term goals

• Ability to inspire behavior change and motivate teams

• Strategy and planning experience with the ability to designate priorities and be decisive when faced with ambiguity

• Execution and results driven

• Establish high performance standards, goal setting, and following through with plans while holding teams accountable for results

Certifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school

• Relevant certifications (e.g., Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional, Certified Fraud Examiner) are highly desirable

The United States targeted pay range for this position in the following locations are:

-San Francisco, Bay Area CA & New York: $310,000 to $390,000 per year
-Colorado: $290,000 to $370,000 per year

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Our pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum target for new hire pay for the full-time position determined by role, level, and location. Individual pay is based on additional factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education and/or training. This position may be offered in other locations. Your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

The targeted pay range listed reflects the base pay only and does not include bonus, equity, or benefits. Employees are eligible for bonus, and equity may be offered depending on the position.

As an employee, you become important to Equinix’s success. Details about our company benefits can be found at the following link: USA Benefits eBook

Equinix is committed to ensuring that our employment process is open to all individuals, including those with a disability.  If you are a qualified candidate and need assistance or an accommodation, please let us know by completing this form.

Equinix is an Equal Employment Opportunity and, in the U.S., an Affirmative Action employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to unlawful consideration of race, color, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, place of birth, citizenship, sex, pregnancy / childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or domestic partnership status, age, veteran or military status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, political / organizational affiliation, status as a victim or family member of a victim of crime or abuse, or any other status protected by applicable law.