Business Integrity Officer – Foods & Special Projects

Job Title: Business Integrity Officer – Foods & Special Projects

Job Location: Bangalore

About Unilever

Be part of the world’s most successful, purpose-led business. Work with brands that are well-loved around the world, that improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We promote innovation, big and small, to make our business win and grow; and we believe in business as a force for good. Unleash your curiosity, challenge ideas and disrupt processes; use your energy to make this happen. Our brilliant business leaders and colleagues provide mentorship and inspiration, so you can be at your best.

Every individual here can bring their purpose to life through their work. Join us and you’ll be surrounded by inspiring leaders and supportive peers. Among them, you’ll channel your purpose, bring fresh ideas to the table, and simply be you. As you work to make a real impact on the business and the world, we’ll work to help you become a better you.

Who we are…and what we offer

In order to unlock our full potential and accelerate business performance, Unilever has set out a Growth Action Plan. It outlines the steps we are taking to deliver faster growth, drive productivity and simplicity, and dial up our performance culture.  Our 30 Power Brands are front and centre of our Growth Action Plan, as is unmissable brand superiority across and accelerating science and technology.

We are at the forefront of innovation and digitalisation with GenAI tools, data and Powerhouses shaping the future of how we work. The Legal Powerhouses are part of the legal function and provide defined, structured services to our other lawyers and to the broader business. Unilever's legal team has recently been awarded Most Innovative In-House Legal Team in Europe and In-House Legal Team using GenerativeAI. 

Business Context and Main Purpose of the Job

At Unilever, our commitment to “Value with Values” requires ongoing efforts to embed a culture of integrity across our entire operational footprint. This implies significant efforts to prevent, detect, and if necessary, investigate potential concerns relating to our Code of Business Principles and Code Policies (the Code), and to hold individuals accountable where appropriate. Unilever sets similarly high standards in selecting suppliers and business partners.

The Business Integrity Officer – Foods & Special Projects is the global BI leader for Foods, one of Unilever Business Groups and the leader of some of our key future transformational projects in ethics and compliance. He/she also serves as the most senior BI representative in the greater Asia, providing high level business partnering and guidance to the BI team based in the region. This role supports global and Business Unit leaders, as owners of Code and business integrity risks inherent in their operations, to identify and mitigate these by reference to the Code and the tools that govern relations between Unilever and third parties. They manage the Business Integrity Committees of the BG, ensuring robust oversight and governance for such matters, and are a respected and visible Go-To person for the escalation of BI-related issues.

The BIO must demonstrate the values, skills, judgment, drive, and influence needed to deploy Unilever’s Business Integrity framework, liaising with subject matter experts (SMEs), for optimal results consistent with the Unilever global roadmap for Business Integrity. Due to the seniority and expertise of the role, there is an expectation to also lead and collaborate in the continuous enhancement of the different elements of the Business Integrity Framework, to lead investigations from time to time, and to represent the function in other geographies as required.

The leader is an important member of the global BI function and Foods legal teams. He/she will report to the Chief Ethics & Compliance Counsel.

Essential roles and responsibilities include:

Leadership and strategy

• Develop and deploy strategy that aligns with business goals, business activities of the BG and Unilever more broadly, and addresses local legal and regulatory implications.
• Manage and develop a team of BI experts.
• Lead Business Integrity Committees; share trends, better practices, and lessons learned; and provide advice to leaders.
• Be an active contributor and leader for the continuous enhancement of the Business Integrity programme.
• Represent Unilever and Business Integrity externally in key forums and organisations.

Ethics & Compliance responsibilities

• Be a leader in the promotion of speak-up across the organisation and help employees raise concerns appropriately.
• Execute global plan, including mandatory and strategic non-mandatory training.
• Work with stakeholders to assure third party compliance program, e.g., due diligence, red flag mitigation, is implemented efficiently and effectively.
• Lead, participate or collaborate where required in the different risk assessments and audits.
• Lead investigations as required from time to time in collaboration with the Head of Investigations and other members of the team, although it is not the primary responsibility of the role.
• Provide advice and oversight to assigned investigators to matters concerning Foods or Asian countries e.g., BI, HR, Finance, Operations to assure quality of process and outputs.
• Escalate matters as appropriate, provide recommendations on sanctions and mitigation actions; assure accountability, consistency, and timely execution of corrective actions.

Key Skills / Experiences / Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree is required. Postgraduate qualification in a relevant field (law, business, compliance, etc) is preferred.
• Overall 15+ years of experience is preferred, with minimum 10 years of experience in relevant areas.
• Knowledge and experience in business integrity risk areas, e.g., US FCPA, UKBA, and major bribery laws and regulations.
• Demonstrated experience in a similar role in multinational corporation(s).
• Proven experience in conducting investigations in various areas like fraud, bribery, conflicts of interest, embezzlement, theft, etc.
• Experience in effective management and monitoring of 3rd party compliance risks.
• Strong reputation for integrity.
• Focus on internal customers’ needs, ability to provide practical recommendations and solutions.
• Solid influencing and interpersonal skills in a matrix organization.
• Good problem-solving skills, resilience, and logical thinking, ability to evaluate and simplify complex issues.
• Ability to exercise good and independent judgment.
• Managerial courage – ability to raise potentially sensitive and tense issues when needed to all levels of managers.
• Awareness of the current broader ethical agenda including sustainability, social responsibility, etc.
• Fluent in English. Proficiency in another major Asian language is desired. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, ability to communicate to all levels in the company.

At HUL, we believe that every individual irrespective of their race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, nationality, caste, disability or marital status can bring their purpose to life. So apply to us, to unleash your curiosity, challenge ideas and disrupt processes; use your energy to make the world a better place. As you work to make a real impact on the business and the world, we’ll work to help you become a better you!