Lead Senior Legal Counsel SAP

ROLE DESCRIPTION:

SAP's Office of Ethics and Compliance (OEC) is seeking a Field Compliance Officer to support our operations in its MEA South and Southern Europe regions. This role is responsible for developing and operating SAP Compliance programs in these markets, including support for the SAP Code of Ethics and Business Conduct and related compliance practices and policies. The focus will be on applicable bribery and corruption laws, serious fraud, conflicts of interest, and ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements in the region.

EXPECTATIONS AND TASKS:

The successful candidate will be expected to take ownership in managing the dynamic compliance landscape in the region, with support and guidance from the EMEA and Global OEC Leadership.

Key responsibilities include:

• Provide expert advice on compliance matters relating to SAP's entities in the region, ensuring compliance principles are adhered to in management decision-making.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Leadership in in the region.
• Administer, prepare, run & follow up on local Compliance Committees in accordance with regional regulatory requirements.
• Support the drafting of policies and conduct training on compliance topics, including avoidance of bribery and corruption, handling confidentiality and conflicts of interest, doing business with government customers, fraud prevention, and other relevant areas.
• Provide compliance oversight on sales activities: work with business units to vet and validate sales, marketing, third-party transactions, and presales opportunities.
• Review and analyze Due Diligence for Partners and third parties.
• Review sponsorships, donations, and memberships.
• Support Compliance Investigations & manage Consequence Management.
• Maintain expert level knowledge of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
• Stay substantively up to date on relevant laws and regulations in the region, including those related to white-collar crime, criminal law, GDPR, data privacy, and sanctions.
• Follow up on risk mitigation processes.
• Track and report compliance issues and KPIs to OEC management on a periodic basis.
• Collaborate with other Field Compliance Officers supporting the UK, France, Benelux, Southern Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
• The position reports to the Regional Compliance Officer EMEA and will be based in SAP's offices in Dubai, Casablanca, Riyadh or Lisbon.
• Occasional travel may be required.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum 5-7 years of work experience in compliance, with a focus on the region.
• Corporate compliance department and/or law or audit firm experience highly desired.
• Advanced experience with the U.S. FCPA and regional business laws and regulations, particularly in areas related to compliance, white-collar crime, and criminal law.
• Experience in public sector and government compliance preferred.

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATION / SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES:

• Fluent business and legal English, Arabic, French and Portuguese (both verbal and written).
• Accredited lawyer or other experienced compliance professional (preferably with legal background).
• Certification as a Certified Compliance Professional by the SCCE or certification by the ACFE is highly beneficial.
• Hands-on with extreme attention to detail and written documentation.
• Strong grasp of codes of conduct, business ethics policies, and current compliance practices.
• Experience handling compliance investigations highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate complex issues and manage senior leadership in dynamic environments.
• Expertise in risk-based decision making.
• Experience in the areas of detection and prevention of fraud or corruption.
• Excellent understanding of the Italian government structure and public procurement processes.
• Strong knowledge of GDPR and data privacy regulations.
• Project Management experience is highly desirable.
• Very good communication and collaboration skills.
• Comfortable in MS office tools and IT business environment.
• Previous experience in the IT industry is preferable.