Compliance Officer at Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc

About the job

The Compliance Officer supports the Head, Compliance to maintain a firm grip on compliance risk and controls, monitor and evaluate the compliance health of the company and its subsidiaries, by ensuring it meets its compliance obligations and complies with regulatory requirements.

The Compliance Officer will coordinate, embed, and maintain the compliance program by putting in place minimum standards, guidelines, procedures; evaluate and investigate compliance issues / risks within the operations; protect the company from loss or reputational damage; and improve the way the company does business and relates to its stakeholders.

Accountabilities

• Provide key regulatory advice and assurance to the Business on all matters that pertain to Compliance risk management and controls. Work with the other assurance function to provide an independent Second Line of Defense approach to risk-based monitoring and evaluation by focusing on current, high impact compliance risks, developing assessments, and providing input over control effectiveness through formal reporting, as well as monitoring remediation activities.
• Legislative and Regulatory developments – Provide proactive guidance and advice on the current interpretation of relevant Nigeria, UK and international statutes, regulations, legislations, conventions, best practice and key learnings that could affect the SEPLAT Group’s business operations or strategies being developed. Monitor changes in relevant legislation and the regulatory environment and take appropriate action to protect SEPLAT's operations, image and reputation. Advise the General Counsel on internal investigations, regulatory enforcement in respect of operational matters, business strategy and operations, antitrust concerns, etc.
• Support the delivery of all Compliance workstreams on mergers and acquisitions, divestures, financing and debt restructuring, corporate finance and tax, corporate restructuring, enterprise risk management, intellectual property rights and protection, corporate law and all corporate compliance matters.
• Monitor and manage the implementation of the Group Compliance programs / framework; and act as any other regulatory compliance Focal Point. Coordinate compliance information and document requests for audits.
• Provide support to Managers in the fulfilment of their compliance responsibilities: assist in developing policies that comply with regulatory requirements, implement new regulations, controls and respond to policy violations.
• Evaluate company operations to determine compliance risk and regularly audit company procedures, practices, documents to identify possible weaknesses or risk and advise on mitigation.
• Work with relevant Business Units to develop an effective compliance-training program, including appropriate introductory training for new employees as well as ongoing training for all employees and managers.
• Proactively identify areas of high/critical and legal risks; ensuring their inclusion in the risk management framework; and that contingency plans exist for identified elements. Provide clients with advice and counsel regarding legal requirements, best practices, and strategies for managing risk arising from non-compliance.
• External Counsel – Support the Head, Compliance in managing the panel of Nigerian and International Law Firms that support the matters arising from the Compliance Functions, and advise the General Counsel on the use, optimization, retention and evaluation of such Firms.
• Business Support – Provide expert legal advice and assurance to the Human Resources, Business Integrity, Internal Controls, Internal Audit, Insurance and Tax teams in activities around employment services, anti-bribery, enterprise risk, tax, etc. Ensure that all Legal considerations are properly identified and addressed.
• Functional Responsibilities – Ensure that the results of processes, practices and objectives of the Compliance function of the Legal and Company Secretariat Department are aligned with SEPLAT’s business strategy, goals and objectives. Contribute to, and deploy within the Compliance unit, the vision for success within the Department.
• Manage Dispute Resolution – Support the Corporate Functions in resolving all disputes emanating from their processes through the use of appropriate alternative dispute resolution proceedings while maintaining an optimal and cost-effective activity/portfolio split between internal and external (local and foreign) counsel.

Minimum Qualification:

Educational Background

• A degree in Law, Finance, Business management or a related field is required. An MBA, a Master's degree, a Ph. D. in Law or a Finance certification will be an added advantage.
• Must be qualified to practice as a lawyer in Nigeria and be a member of the Nigerian Bar Association.

Industry experience

• Exposure and working experience with an International oil firm for at least 5 years
• Legal experience in Corporate Law and Compliance across geographies (especially Nigeria and the United Kingdom)

Competencies

• Proven experience in initiating, developing, implementing, and maintaining written policies and written procedures, testing and risk assessment programs within the Oil & Gas industry.
• Practical knowledge of compliance risk management in mergers and acquisitions, divestures, financing, debt restructuring, financial planning/budget/reporting, tax, intellectual property rights and protection, corporate restructuring, enterprise risk management, government and stakeholder public advocacy, and corporate compliance in Nigeria and UK.
• Proven ability to deliver in a challenging and fast-paced environment with levelheadedness, an issues-management and problem-solving approach.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work well in a team environment.
• Strong ability to communicate concisely with a wide variety of audiences, including the Executive Team, other Senior Management, international counter-parties and key external stakeholders. Proven ability to engage and align stakeholders.
• Demonstrated expertise in working effectively in teams and across a cross-border, matrix based working environment with multiple stakeholders.