The VP, Legal Investigations is a member of the Investigations Center of Excellence (COE) focused on conducting internal investigations within the Synchrony business related to potential policy violations of Our Code, including compliance, regulatory, integrity, labor & employment (“L&E”), and information security-related violations. The role manages cases ranging in levels of complexity, urgency and sensitivity, including matters that are conducted under the direction of counsel. Candidates should possess technical expertise in conducting investigations and reporting out investigative findings, ideally including experience in a financial services company, law firm or other corporate setting. Candidates also must have very strong writing, oral communication and time management skills, and demonstrate critical thinking, objectivity and empathy needed to manage a large caseload and appropriately investigate and close cases.
This position is remote, where you can work from home, but we may require you to occasionally commute to one of our hubs for in person engagement activities such as team meetings, training and culture events. We’re proud to offer you flexibility, so remote candidates will be considered who live near any of Synchrony hubs including: Alpharetta, GA, Bentonville, AR, Chicago, IL, Costa Mesa, CA, Draper, UT, Stamford, CT, Altamonte Springs, FL, Canton, OH, West Chester, OH, Charlotte, NC, Dayton, OH, Kansas City, KS, Rapid City, SD or Phoenix, AZ. To ensure the safety of our colleagues and communities, we require employees who come together in-person to be fully vaccinated.
This position also may require occasional domestic and international travel, on short notice, to conduct investigations. If working remotely, the position also requires regular and reliable, high speed internet and telephone connectivity, and a private work location where confidentiality can be maintained and you are free from interruptions.
This position is in the Legal function and reports to Synchrony’s Investigations Counsel.
Essential Responsibilities:
Work with Investigations, Litigation and L&E counsel, internal auditors, Compliance & Ombuds Leaders, Human Resources, Information Security, and Physical Security and other personnel to assess, manage and resolve a large caseload of matters to be investigated.
Plan and conduct internal investigations, including interviewing individuals, and collecting and reviewing documents, electronic data and other evidence.
Prepare formal, written investigative reports, detailing the information obtained and results of the investigation.
Assess risk, determine disclosure strategy, and make recommendations to management and counsel within the context of an investigation.
Provide briefings on investigative matters, including to concern raisers, subjects and management, as well as members of the Synchrony Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and other senior executives that comprise Synchrony’s Ombuds Subcommittee
Identify significant issues and control weaknesses in the course of investigations, and make recommendations to management to minimize risk of exposure and loss, reputational and/or legal issues.
Formulate and recommend action responses based on results of investigations.
Perform other duties and/or special projects as assigned, including training, and policy and procedure management duties.
Be available to work outside of traditional/regular business hours to accommodate investigatory interviews, emergency matters, meetings, etc. with participants in other time zones.
Qualifications/Requirements:
Bachelor's degree with minimum 2 years of investigative experience and/or and direct experience in supervising investigations; or in lieu of a degree, 5+ years of investigative experience and/or direct experience in supervising investigations.
5+ years of experience working in a financial services, law firm or another private corporate setting; or a minimum 2+ years of experience working in a financial services, law firm or private corporation along with 3+ years of government or military experience.
Desired Characteristics:
Outstanding written communication skills; writing coherent, grammatically correct, well organized and accurate investigative reports is of paramount importance for this role
Strong verbal communications skills; effectively interviewing and communicating with participants in investigations, and discussing strategies and providing oral updates to management and other stakeholders is also of paramount importance for the role.
Ability to work independently, meet deadlines, and manage a heavy caseload and multiple priorities.
Ability to quickly identify and prioritize issues and devise solutions.
Ability to work under the direction of counsel and effectively partner with other management stakeholders.
Ability to demonstrate objectivity and empathy in handling sensitive issues, and develop trust and rapport with investigation participants.
Strong analysis skills and judgment, and the ability to synthesize and summarize large amounts of data and other information.
Experience handling personal and business proprietary information confidentiality and with discretion.
Ability to work efficiently in a remote/work from home setting, including leveraging virtual communication, file sharing and meeting technologies.
Experience working with computer forensic experts and leveraging data forensics techniques and strategies in investigations
Human resources experience and familiarity with labor and employment and/or privacy laws
Litigation, prosecutorial or law enforcement experience
Experience with credit card or other financial services regulations and operational processes including relating to customer service and collections functions.
Eligibility Requirements:
You must be 18 years or older
You must have a high school diploma or equivalent
You must be willing to take a drug test, submit to a background investigation and submit fingerprints as part of the onboarding process
You must be able to satisfy the requirements of Section 19 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act.
New hires (Level 4-7) must have 9 months of continuous service with the company before they are eligible to post on other roles. Once this new hire time in position requirement is met, the associate will have a minimum 6 months’ time in position before they can post for future non-exempt roles. Employees, level 8 or greater, must have at least 24 months’ time in position before they can post. All internal employees must consistently meet performance expectations and have approval from your manager to post (or the approval of your manager and HR if you don’t meet the time in position or performance expectations).
Legal authorization to work in the U.S. is required. We will not sponsor individuals for employment visas, now or in the future, for this job opening.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.
Reasonable Accommodation Notice:
Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment.
If you need special accommodations, please call our Career Support Line so that we can discuss your specific situation. We can be reached at 1-866-301-5627. Representatives are available from 8am – 5pm Monday to Friday, Central Standard Time.
The salary range for this position is 85,000.00 - 170,000.00 USD Annual
Salaries are adjusted according to market in CA and Metro NY and some positions are bonus eligible.
