Job Posting: Department of the Interior

The Department of the Interior's Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution ("CADR") is hiring two Organizational Ombuds to be based in Arlington, Virginia, and Denver, Colorado. Travel of up to 25% will be required once the lockdown ends and the positions are eligible for telework.

Volvo Ethics Chief Endorses Ombuds as Safeguard for European Whistleblowers

The latest issue of Compliance Week includes an editorial by Cédric Dubar, the Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer for Volvo Corp: "Making the case for companies to create ‘Ombuds’ function to meet EU whistleblower rules." Dubar asserts that an Ombuds can help organizations comply with the European Union's Whistleblower Protection Directive enacted last fall. He specifically references the IOA standards:

Job Posting: WSIB Fair Practices Commission

The Fair Practices Commission of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board in Ontario, Canada is hiring a Deputy Commissioner. The position will manage the office that serves as the Organizational Ombudsman injured workers, employers and service providers with complaints the WSIB and report to the newly appointed WSIB Commissioner, Tom Barber. At least initially, the work will be performed remotely.

Vancouver, WA Public Schools Appoint First Ombuds

The public school district in southeast Washington has named Rachel Cason as its first Education Ombuds. She explained that she, "will provide confidential and unbiased guidance, resources, information and support when parents and students are navigating the discipline process and dealing with discipline matters within schools. The district enrolls over 23,000 students. Previously, Cason was the VPS Student Success Coordinator in the office of student welfare and attendance.

University of Mississippi Ombuds Seeks Injunction Against Internal Investigation

Last night, the Mississippi Free Press broke a story about a conflict that has been roiling the University of Mississippi for the past two years. The article's lede is: “Members of the University of Mississippi faculty fear the school’s effort to root out whistleblowers who exposed issues of racism in the administration could also expose private information about employees and graduate students who have confided concerns to the university ombudsman.” The Ombuds, Paul Caffera, has filed a lawsuit seeking court protection from his own university.

Ombuds at EDP Group Assists Staff with Ethical Issues

In January 2019, Manuela Silva was appointed the Ethics Ombudsperson for the Portuguese electric utilities company headquartered in Lisbon. The position was created in 2009 and serves as "an independent, impartial listener, who respects confidentiality and anonymity, and who is available to all ... to clarify situations of an eventually ethical nature, and that does so within the framework of the Company's ethical principles."

Internship: United Nations, New York

The Office of the UN Ombudsman and Mediation Services is accepting applications for an unpaid internship in its New York headquarters. The temporary position is full-time and will last at least two to six months. The intern will help UNOMS prepare for and conduct dialog sessions for a new task force established by the Secretary-General for Addressing Racism and Promoting Dignity for All. Due to the pandemic shut down, all work will be conducted remotely for the foreseeable future. 

Job Posting: Islamic Development Bank

The multilateral development bank based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is hiring its first Ombuds. The role of the new "Manager Ombudsman" is, "to inquire into, review and seek to resolve (through conciliation) mediation or any other appropriate means, any formal complaint (written or oral) by a staff member alleging mistreatment and/or non-observance of his/her terms and conditions of employment with IsDB." (Most of the Ombuds at international development banks and UN-affiliated organizations practice to IOA standards, so this job description may be revised in time.)

Job Posting: Department of the Interior

The Department of the Interior's Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution is hiring a Lead Conflict Management Specialist based in Arlington, Virginia. The position leads the leads the Department's conflict management and dispute resolution programs, which includes Ombuds services. Some travel is required (1-5 nights per month) and the position is also eligible for telework.

Job Posting (RFP): Society for Personality and Social Psychology

The largest organization of social psychologists and personality psychologists is seeking proposals for its annual convention, which will be held virtually February 9-13, 2021. The Ombuds will be expected to "address attendee concerns, such as issues concerning safety, actions from 'overly-friendliness' to harassment, micro-aggressions, free speech, integrity, privacy, conflicts of interest (including favoritism and nepotism), conference logistics (including accessibility), and conference cliques." 

Ombuds for Canada's Auditor General Publishes First Annual Report

In September 2019, Janet Campbell became the first Organizational Ombuds for the Office of the Auditor General of Canada and its 600 employees. This week, she reported on her first year activities. In addition to creating a program and working on outreach, Campbell said that she assisted employees and managers with 64 different situation. She also said that she has been working to expand the federal Ombuds community in Canada. 

The Global Fund Selects Next Ombuds

Sue Ackerly has been hired as the next Ombudsperson for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Ackerly will serve staff, consultants, and interns of the international non-profits following IOA standards. Ackerly is based in Melbourne, Australia and will provide her services remotely. 

Job Posting: Johns Hopkins University

The private research university in Baltimore, Maryland is hiring its first Ombudsperson for all PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. (Two years ago, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine created an Ombuds Program for its medical students with faculty volunteering for an Ombuds panel.) The new full-time position will practice to IOA standards and report to the Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education. 

Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics Names First Ombuds

Beate St. Pourcain has been appointed the first Ombudsperson for the research institute at Radboud University Nijmegen in Gelderland, the Netherlands. (The Institute is one of the just three located outside Germany of the 90 institites that comprise Max Planck Society and thus follows the Dutch Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and the German Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice.) St. Pourcain serves as a resource for all staff with conflicts involving scientific practice or work-related problems. 

Webinar: Adapting to Covid in the New Academic Year

The European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education will host an online roundtable on the continuing effects of COVID on universities and the work of Ombuds. The free webinar on December 10, 2020 is titled, "A new year, a new [ab]normal: Adapting to Covid in the new academic year, and to look at how our institutions are adapting to ‘the new [ab]normal’."