Regional Fraud and Corruption Investigator – Remote

Location: United States, Africa and Middle East (Remote)

This position is open to any Mercy Corps office location. Valid unrestricted work authorization in the country in which you will be based is required at the time of application for this position.

Position Status: Exempt, Full-time, Regular

Salary Level:

• US: Starting salary for this role will be $64,000 – $76,000 commensurate to experience.
• Based on local benchmark for candidates outside of the United States.

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps’ global fraud and corruption team is a key part of the Mercy Corps Ethics and Compliance Department (ECD) and leads our organizational efforts to prevent, detect, deter and respond to fraud and corruption issues. The team reports to the Senior Director, Fraud and Corruption Investigations, who reports to the Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer (CECO). The global fraud and corruption team is bolstered by a global network of investigators and focal points working at the country level to investigate fraud and corruption and raise awareness about ethics and fraud and corruption.

The Position

Under the direction of the Senior Fraud and Corruption Investigator, the Regional Fraud and Corruption Investigator will serve as the focal point for ensuring compliance with Mercy Corps’ ethics policies and procedures in either the Middle East or Africa. They will ensure that Mercy Corps takes all reports of misconduct seriously and investigates allegations of fraud and corruption thoroughly and impartially consistent with sector-wide best practices and donor expectations. The Regional Investigator will plan, conduct and prepare reports for assigned fraud and corruption investigations. They may be supported by Integrity Focal Points, who are field-based team members trained to support but not lead investigations. Investigations will be conducted in the field and remotely, working in diverse cultural contexts and time zones.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND VISION

• Deliver quality results even under difficult or changing conditions.
• Ensure that lessons learned are captured from fraud and corruption investigations for the agency to consider when revising policies, procedures, and training.
• Understands ethics related compliance requirements and what it takes to ensure a culture that takes ethical issues and obligations seriously.

INVESTIGATIONS

• Ensure investigations are conducted in a manner that considers the safety and security of all involved
• Effectively plan and execute impartial, thorough, timely and confidential investigations into allegations of fraud and corruption
• Develop and draft timely investigation plans that identify risks
• Conduct whistleblower, witness, and subject interviews, both in-person and remotely
• Identify, collect, and review documentary evidence needed for investigations
• Prepare comprehensive investigation reports, which may be subject to third-party (donor) review, on a timely basis, working with other functions to provide clear recommendations for internal control improvements
• Discuss findings and recommendations with country-level senior management and other team members as required
• Coordinate with Integrity Focal Points to support investigation efforts when possible
• Maintain knowledge of Mercy Corps’ internal policies and procedures
• Ensure investigation files are organized, thorough, and maintained in a confidential manner Maintain appropriate confidentiality within the agency and with third parties

TRAINING AND AWARENESS

• Help build trust and confidence in Mercy Corps’ reporting, investigation, and follow up systems, and foster a climate where team members feel confident and comfortable coming forward with issues
• In coordination with established onboarding processes, assist with the onboarding of new team members to ensure awareness and understanding of Mercy Corps’ ethics policie
• Conduct and/or coordinate regular anti-fraud and anti-corruption trainings for team members

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP

• Consistently strive to exceed expectations and demonstrate flexibility, resilience and the ability to maintain positive relationships and composure, even under difficult circumstances
• Maintain high ethical standards and treat people with respect and dignity
• Demonstrate an awareness of personal strengths and development needs, modeling non-defensive behavior and openness to feedback; builds a culture of feedback and learning
• Identify a robust personal Work Plan that reflects Mercy Corps’ performance expectations, including development objectives that contribute to Mercy Corps’ objectives

SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES

• Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
• Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
• Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.

Supervisory Responsibility

The Regional Fraud and Corruption Investigator has no supervisory responsibilities.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Senior Fraud and Corruption Investigator

Works Directly With: Senior Director, Fraud and Corruption; Integrity Focal Points; country-level senior management teams

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualifications & Transferable Skills

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) and 4+ years of professional experience; including at least 3 years as a trained and practiced investigator.
• Experience working in the Middle East or Africa is preferred.
• Experience working in humanitarian aid or development, either living overseas or spending a significant amount of time in foreign countries, is preferred
• Proven investigative skills and the ability to act as a lead investigator, including the interviewing of subjects of complaints and witnesses, the collection of potential evidence, and other related investigative procedures.
• Demonstrated ability to produce detailed investigation reports.
• Demonstrated knowledge and interest in ethics, fraud, and corruption, and a sensitivity to cultural diversity and gender issues.
• Solid understanding of a wide-range of ethics violations, including fraud and corruption
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Fluency in English (both written and verbal) is required. Proficiency in Arabic (for Middle East roles) or French (for Africa roles) is preferred and considered a plus for the role.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, effective organizational and interpersonal skills
• Ability to navigate difficult circumstances with a calm demeanor and in a methodical, analytical manner.
• Additional experience as an ethics officer, attorney, or similar position is preferred

Success Factors

The successful Regional Fraud and Corruption Investigator will have (or quickly develop) knowledge of the INGO environment; deep knowledge of best practices in conducting fraud and corruption investigations; a proven ability to analyze complex situations with varying cultures, languages and education levels; the ability to objectively document and prioritize findings and to develop workable recommendations for improvement. This person will have an utmost understanding of and appreciation for the confidential nature of this work. Effective, positive communication is essential to success in this position.