Director, Forensic Investigations

The Global Ethics and Compliance Management (GECM) team is responsible for developing, implementing, promulgating, and administering the standards pursuant to which The Walt Disney Company and its affiliated entities (Company) do business; developing and implementing anti-corruption and trade compliance policies and procedures; and training Company personnel regarding the Company’s Standards of Business Conduct, anti-corruption laws, and trade compliance.  The GECM team also is responsible for leading and/or supervising certain internal investigations at the Company.  Additionally, GECM and the Company’s Controllership and Treasury departments are responsible for managing the Company’s anti-money laundering (AML) policies and procedures.

Based in Burbank, CA, which is the nucleus of GECM’s North America team, the Director will report to the Assistant General Counsel (AGC) and work as a sought-after expert leading GECM’s Forensic Investigations team (FI) and providing input and recommendations on the Company’s AML policies and procedures.

Specifically, the Director will lead the FI team and support GECM’s complex internal investigations by providing forensic accounting and related expertise.  In this role, the Director will frequently liaise with the Burbank-based AGC and team, which includes GECM’s lawyers and paralegal, as well as the shared Programs and Operations team that manages GECM’s various compliance platforms.  The Director also will interact with other Corporate stakeholders, the majority of whom are based in Burbank, such as the Company’s e-Discovery, Enterprise Technology, Information Management, Litigation, Employee Relations, Global Security, and Employment Legal teams.

When relevant matters are handled by external counsel, the Director will act as a point of contact and leverage FI’s forensic accounting professionals to provide support for the external counsel teams.  The Director also will provide GECM with input on the Company’s AML policies and procedures and liaise with the Company’s Treasury and Controllership departments to ensure that the AML policies and procedures are being implemented effectively.

This role will suit a dynamic candidate capable of lending their expertise on very complex, high profile, and sensitive legal matters. 

Areas of Responsibility:

• Lead FI and provide guidance to the forensic accountants and other professionals supporting GECM’s attorneys and/or external counsel in complex internal investigations.
• Supervise FI’s accounting, financial, and other business records analyses.
• Oversee FI’s preparation of forensic accounting reports.
• Distill critical facts and information into useful deliverables for attorneys and external counsel.
• Exercise excellence in judgment and strategic thinking when presenting information to attorneys and external counsel.
• Help shape strategic decisions related to the design and implementation of GECM’s investigations practices and procedures.
• Liaise with other relevant stakeholders, such as the Company’s e-Discovery, Enterprise Technology, Information Management, and Litigation teams, to ensure that FI has timely and robust access to information to conduct their forensic analyses in support of GECM and external counsel during internal investigations.
• Leverage the Company’s technology tools to improve FI’s efficiency and effectiveness.
• Leverage the Company’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tools, such as SAP, to optimize FI’s ability to access relevant enterprise data.
• Act as a thought leader in forensic accounting, including possessing a robust understanding of state-of-the-art processes for leveraging technology in the area of forensic investigations.
• In conjunction with the Company’s Controllership and Treasury departments, assist with the day-to-day management of the Company’s AML policies and procedures.
• Provide input and recommendations to GECM regarding improvements or revisions to the Company’s AML policies and procedures.
• Undertake special projects and other ethics and compliance-related tasks as required.

Experience and Qualifications Required:

Basic Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in overseeing forensic investigations with a focus on fraud, corruption, or other financial and regulatory misconduct matters.
• Expert level experience in managing teams handling complex forensic internal investigations.
• Expert level of knowledge on state-of-the-art processes to leverage technology in forensic investigations.
• Expert level of knowledge in best practices relating to AML processes and procedures.
• Expert level of knowledge of the Company’s compliance practices.
• Expert level of knowledge of the Company’s various businesses.
• Expert level of knowledge of the Company’s ERP capabilities relating to access and categorization of data.
• Expert level of knowledge of commonly used e-discovery platforms such as Recommind, Relativity, Cellebrite, and others.
• Ability to work independently on complex and/or high-risk matters.
• Demonstrated “EQ” skills to build bridges, forge alliances, and encourage people to want to work with you to foster cross-departmental collaboration.
• Must be team-oriented and able to multi-task, prioritize and manage multiple projects.
• Ability to perform duties with a high-level of professionalism and courtesy.
• Ability to engage effectively with people from different linguistic, cultural, and professional backgrounds.
• Ability to communicate complex and sensitive subjects in an accessible way.
• Ability to identify relevant information and exercise independent and excellent judgment in distilling and presenting information to attorneys and business clients.
• Expert in working with third party vendor platforms, such as Kroll, OneTrust, and Dow Jones.
• Excellence in quickly developing operational expertise regarding various compliance tools and systems used at the Company and adaptability when those tools and systems change.
• Expert in managing large document collections, including familiarity with proper forms of forensic collection, the types of information typically collected, maintenance of chain of custody, preservation of data, and production of identifiable materials for attorney use.
• Demonstrated expert ability to maintain utmost confidentiality when dealing with privileged, high profile, and highly sensitive information.
• Excellent organizational skills and extreme attention to detail.
• A highly professional demeanor, positive outlook, and a can-do attitude.

Required Qualifications

• Professional fluency in English
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or equivalent
• Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS)
• Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP)
• Secondary degree in specialized accounting, forensics, or law
• Professional fluency in a second language
• Experience working in the forensic investigations team of an international accounting firm or international law firm
• Experience working in or with law enforcement entities
• Experience working with attorneys on complex internal investigations.
• Experience liaising with external counsel on forensic investigations

Required Education

• Equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university, or a combination of equivalent skills, experience, or education.

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