Chief Risk and Compliance Officer

About the role

The Chief Risk and Compliance Officer serves as the University’s leader for risk management and compliance, providing strategic direction and oversight for institution wide risk programs. Reporting to the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, the CRCO develops and maintains an integrated framework to identify, assess, and address risks across University operations.

Responsibilities

• Provides strategic leadership and comprehensive oversight of the University’s compliance program, ensuring adherence to federal, state, and local laws, as well as institutional policies.
• Develops and maintains institutional compliance frameworks, oversees compliance risk assessments and monitoring activities, and partners with stakeholders across campus to foster a culture of integrity, accountability, and ethical conduct.
• Prepares and delivers risk, ethics, and compliance dashboards; annual compliance plans; investigation and trend analyses; program maturity and effectiveness assessments; emerging regulatory updates; performance metrics; and written reports for the Audit and Risk Committee of the Board of Trustees and senior leadership.
• Collaborates with stakeholder offices including Title IX, Research Compliance, Human Resources, and others to promote transparency, accountability, and coordinated institutional responses.
• Facilitates operational compliance partnerships and provides leadership support for University committees related to compliance and enterprise risk management.
• Maintains regular engagement with the Vice President for Research on research related compliance matters and collaborates with Academic Affairs on the development, review, and alignment of academic and administrative policies.
• Provide strategic oversight of the University’s Office of Risk Management and Insurance, which manages property, liability, workers’ compensation coverage, and medical leaves.
• Set program direction, approve coverage strategies and ensure effective claims governance and loss prevention practices.
• Oversee the stewardship, and regulatory compliance of the University’s captive insurance entity, Orange Insurance Company, LLC, which provides liability coverage for the University and its subsidiaries.
• Provide strategic oversight and direction for the University’s ERM program to ensure a fit for purpose framework that is well communicated, consistently applied, and tracked to completion.
• Partner with and supervise the Director of Enterprise Risk Management, who leads operational execution, including risk analytics, dashboards, heat maps, emerging risk monitoring, and facilitation of risk owner action plans.
• Ensure that ERM reporting to senior leadership and the Board is clear, timely, and actionable, and that risk mitigation commitments are monitored through closure with documented controls, owners, and timelines.
• Collaborate with the Office of General Counsel to govern University policy through a standardized policy framework ensuring policies are current, compliant, accessible, and aligned with ERM priorities and facilitate stakeholder engagement to promote clarity, consistency, and reduced institutional risk.
• Maintains operational oversight of the ethics and compliance reporting hotline to ensure accessibility and confidentiality.
• Establishes and enforces protocols for timely triage, investigation, and resolution of cases.
• Makes sure compliance with university standards and regulatory requirements, and prepares analytics and dashboard reports for the Audit and Risk Committee of the Board of Trustees.
• Provides oversight of the Division I Athletics Compliance Office, ensuring adherence to NCAA rules, conference requirements, and federal and state laws.
• Monitors compliance with Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policies, eligibility standards, recruiting practices, and financial aid regulations; coordinates education and training for coaches, staff, and student-athletes; and implements systems to detect and prevent violations while maintaining institutional control and integrity.
• Administers and oversees annual Conflict of Interest (COI) and Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) disclosure processes.
• Ensures completion and review of COI surveys for university leadership, Board of Trustees, head coaches, and the highest-compensated individuals.
• Ensures compliance with federal regulations governing FCOI for sponsored research by collecting, reviewing, and monitoring disclosures.
• Oversees the COI/FCOI mitigation plans; and accurate records to support audit and reporting obligations.
• Ensures compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree is required. Master’s degree in a field directly related to compliance or institutional risk is preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in compliance and risk management within higher education, demonstrating a deep understanding of the regulatory and operational environment.
• Leadership experience directing enterprise wide risk management and compliance functions in a complex setting, including collaboration with academic, administrative, and operational units.
• Experience with risk mitigation, internal controls, and compliance program design, with the ability to apply best practices to strengthen institutional risk posture and accountability.