Company Ombuds

The Company Ombuds is BURN’s single, named point of intake and ownership for whistleblowing reports and grievances across all markets. The scope covers reports from employees, contractors, agents, suppliers, and customers. The role receives concerns, opens and manages each as a tracked case, coordinates the appropriate response, and drives every matter to a documented, fair resolution.

The Ombuds conducts investigations directly for cases within scope, or assigns them to the relevant internal function (People, Legal, Operations, Commercial, or Risk) or to a separate investigator – and manages the case through to closure.

The role also surfaces recurring themes and systemic risks to senior leadership and the Board, so that patterns – not just individual cases – inform improvements to policy, practice, and culture.

Key

Responsibilities

• Intake and case ownership
• Serve as the named, trusted point of contact to whom employees, contractors, agents, suppliers, and customers at all levels and in all markets can bring whistleblowing reports and grievances, in confidence.
• Receive, log, and formally open each matter as a case; assess urgency, risk, and the appropriate route; and acknowledge receipt to the person raising it.
• Own each case end-to-end – tracking status, timelines, and follow-through, until it reaches a documented resolution or is formally closed.
• Maintain a secure, confidential case management system and records, with strict access controls and clear data-handling standards.
• Investigating and coordinating resolution
• Determine, for each case, the appropriate handling route: informal resolution, referral to management, or investigation.
• Where investigation is required, conduct the fact-finding personally or assign it to the relevant internal function or a separate confidential investigator as appropriate, remaining the custodian of the case throughout.
• Work internally with managers and functions to agree and implement remedies, corrective actions, and outcomes, keeping the case moving to closure.
• Escalate directly to the CEO or Board where a matter implicates senior management, involves serious risk, or otherwise requires independence from the ordinary line.
• Keep the person who raised the concern appropriately informed of progress and outcome, within confidentiality and legal constraints.
• Systemic feedback and reporting
• Identify recurring themes, systemic issues, and emerging risks across markets, and provide anonymised, aggregated feedback to the SMT and Board.
• Publish periodic reports on case volumes, categories, resolution times, and organisational trends, protecting the confidentiality of individuals.
• Recommend improvements to policies, practices, and culture based on patterns observed, and track leadership follow-through.
• Governance and awareness
• Ensure the whistleblowing and grievance channels are fit for purpose, functioning as expected, well understood across the workforce, and that employees know how to raise a concern and what to expect.
• Maintain clear protocols and referral pathways while preserving the integrity and confidentiality of the case-management function.
• Adapt intake and communication to the cultural, linguistic, and legal contexts of BURN’s markets, so the channel is trusted and accessible to factory, field, and office-based staff alike.
• Investigations and risk management
• Personally conduct investigations into whistleblowing reports and grievances where appropriate, including gathering evidence and determining findings of fact.
• Assess the risk element of each case and work closely with the Risk department on matters with material risk exposure.
• Complete relevant investigative and risk-assessment training to maintain competence in case handling and fact-finding.
• What the Role Is Not
• The role does not adjudicate or impose disciplinary outcomes; formal decisions remain with the appropriate authority under BURN’s policies.
• The role does not replace statutory reporting obligations in any jurisdiction, nor the authority of Legal or Internal Audit within their mandates.
• Qualifications and

Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in law, human resources, organizational psychology, conflict resolution, or a related field preferred.
• 8+ years’
• in employee relations, grievance or case management, ethics and compliance, mediation, or a related field, with at least 3 years in a senior or standalone capacity.
• Demonstrated
• managing sensitive cases end-to-end, including whistleblowing and grievance matters, and coordinating investigations conducted by others.
• Strong command of confidentiality management, data protection, and secure record-keeping; ability to operate with independence from the structures under review.
• working across multiple countries and cultures; familiarity with African labour and workplace contexts strongly preferred.
• Fluency in English required; French and/or Swahili a significant advantage given BURN’s market footprint.
• Competencies
• Unimpeachable integrity, discretion, and personal credibility at all levels, from factory floor to Board.
• Exceptional listening and facilitation skills; calm and effective in emotionally charged situations.
• Strong organization and case-management discipline; reliable follow-through on timelines and commitments.
• Sound judgement on how a matter should be routed – informal resolution, management action, or investigation – and when to escalate.
• Analytical ability to detect patterns and translate individual concerns into systemic insight.
• Cultural intelligence and humility; able to build trust across diverse workforces and hierarchical settings.
• Qualifications
• BA/BSc/HND
• Required
• 8 years
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