Compliance Officer Roles and Responsibilities in Fiji

A compliance officer plays a vital role in ensuring that an organization adheres to regulatory requirements, internal policies, and procedures. In Fiji, this role is particularly important for mitigating risks and maintaining the reputation of the organization.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

As per the job description, the key duties and responsibilities of a compliance officer include:

• Assisting the Head of Risk and Compliance in developing and implementing an effective risk-based compliance review plan
• Creating sound internal controls and monitoring adherence to them
• Reviewing and updating company policies and procedures
• Proactively identifying weaknesses in business processes

Additional Responsibilities

The compliance officer is also responsible for:

• Evaluating business activities to assess compliance risks
• Setting plans to manage crisis or compliance violations
• Carrying out project site inspections with engineers
• Assisting in reviewing and updating project risk registers at delivery stage
• Following up on audit issues
• Preparing papers for presentation in Audit, Finance, and Risk Sub-Committee meetings

Education and Training

The officer is required to:

• Educate and train employees on compliance management processes and statutory regulations
• Address employee concerns or questions on compliance
• Maintain a single ‘Audit Issues Register’ for all actions required as a result of weaknesses identified in internal/external audit reports

Ensuring Compliance

The compliance officer must ensure that:

• All actions of the organization and its contractors are within the law and comply with the authority’s operations manual and policies
• Reviews are conducted accordingly against the requirements of the organization’s standard operating processes (SOP)
• All actions are within the powers delegated by the authority and comply with the adopted risk management framework

Personal Performance Evaluation

The personal performance of the compliance officer will be evaluated annually against their specific accountabilities and common accountabilities, which include:

• Ensuring value for money
• Protecting intellectual property rights
• Maintaining good public relations

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for this role, an individual must have:

• An appropriate tertiary qualification in business administration, accounting, finance, or law (or similar)
• Membership with a recognized professional body
• Over three years’ experience in a similar role
• Personal qualities such as reliability, honesty, integrity, and trust