Associate Director - EEO Investigations

About the Department                                                                                                                                        

The Legal department is comprised of our Legal and Patents functions. We depend on our legal team to help drive growth and maintain the highest level of standards and practices across all of our legal efforts. It’s a tall order, which is why we only hire those who thrive on protecting the interests of our patients, employees and business, all while creating and implementing efficient and innovative solutions. As part of the team, you’ll work with employees across the organization to oversee legal matters and provide guidance on strategies that drive business and policy priorities and shape the reputation of Novo Nordisk Inc. (NNI). At Novo Nordisk, your skills, dedication and ambition will help us change lives for the better. In exchange, we’ll offer you an opportunity to work with extraordinary talent and benefit from a range of possibilities for professional and personal development. Are you ready to realize your potential?

 

This position is based out of our Novo Nordisk office in Princeton, NJ and follows all Novo Nordisk guidance for remote/in office dedicated time.  EST time-zone hours.

 

The Position

Leads and manages the Equal Employment Opportunity Investigations Center of Excellence with responsibility for evaluating and assessing employee adherence to Novo Nordisk's EEO and Anti-Harassment and Anti-Retaliation policies and collaborating with key stakeholders including Compliance Investigations and Employee Relations to ensure employee adherence to guidelines, business rules and other laws and regulations applicable to the EEO space in a global pharmaceutical organization.

 

This role serves as a strategic leader in the Legal Department, helping to ensure that the Company identifies and takes steps to eradicate inappropriate behavior in the workplace, including from a proactive data analytics perspective and in alignment with the Company's strategic priorities.

 

Relationships

Reports to the Deputy General Counsel – Head of Employment Law for North America Operations. Manages a team of two or more direct reports. May serve as a member of human resources committees, projects and forums.  Internal stakeholders include Employment Attorneys, Compliance Investigators, Employee Relations, DEI&B, the Line of Business, and other groups within the People & Organization (HR) function.  External stakeholders include government agencies, outside counsel, and consultants.

 

Essential Functions

• Directly supports the Deputy General Counsel (GC) – Head of Employment Law with the strategic management and oversight of the EEO Investigations COE function
• Champions a proactive approach to EEO investigations that is focused on partnership, prevention and risk management - Directly supports the Deputy GC in the coordination, implementation and strategic oversight of the Investigations Center of Excellence focused on EEO investigations
• Independently directs, manages and conducts internal investigations of alleged violations of policy and ensures that allegations are promptly, thoroughly and objectively assessed in accordance with company expectations for managing investigations
• Responsible for ensuring that the Deputy GC and senior leadership, as relevant, are aware of significant cases under investigation in a timely manner
• Responsible for the development, implementation and continuous enhancement of efficient, consistent and fair investigation processes and documentation practices, e.g., triage, preparation of investigation reports and summaries and reporting of trends and insights
• As needed, partners with in-house and external counsel to conduct legally privileged investigations
• Responsible for ensuring appropriate comparator cases are identified for closed cases, and conducts or coordinates root cause analysis and preventative measures as relevant
• Collaborate with colleagues across the Legal and P&O Departments to share investigations trends, insights and lessons learned to support risk management efforts, including targeted training opportunities
• Maintains understanding of laws and regulations, enforcement actions and evolving practices relevant to pharmaceutical industry and proposes updates to the COE model and policies, as appropriate
• Participates in industry associations and events as appropriate to raise the profile of the EEO Investigations function and the company
• Develops analytical reports identifying trends and potential systemic issues for redress
• Conducts joint investigations, as needed, with Employee Relations and Compliance Investigations
• Thought leadership on HR laws & policy:
  • Articulate implications of HR pol