Program Manager - Ethics Hotline & Investigations

Program Manager – Ethics Hotline & Investigations

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minnesota, is a global branded food company with approximately $12 billion in annual revenue. Its brands include PLANTERS®, SKIPPY®, SPAM®, HORMEL® NATURAL CHOICE®, APPLEGATE®, WHOLLY®, HORMEL® BLACK LABEL®, COLUMBUS®, JENNIE-O® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of the best companies to work for by U.S. News & World Report, one of America's most responsible companies by Newsweek, recognized by TIME magazine as one of the World's Best Companies and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts.

The Program Manager, Ethics Hotline and Investigations is responsible for managing the organization's ethics reporting program, including hotline operations, case intake, triage, investigative processes, reporting, and continuous program improvement. This role supports a culture of integrity by ensuring concerns are reported, assessed, investigated, and resolved in a timely, objective, and confidential manner.

The Program Manager partners closely with Ethics & Compliance, Human Resources, Legal, Internal Audit, production facilities, and business leaders to oversee case management processes, manage complex investigations, identify emerging risks and trends, and ensure adherence to company policies, legal and regulatory requirements. This position also serves as a key advisor on ethics reporting, investigation standards, and trending insights.

Ethics Hotline Program Management

• Manage day-to-day operations of the Ethics & Compliance Hotline and reporting channels.
• Ensure concerns are received, documented, triaged, assigned, and tracked in accordance with established procedures and service-level expectations.
• Monitor hotline vendor performance and manage vendor relationships.
• Develop and maintain policies, procedures, and governance standards related to ethics reporting and case management.
• Promote awareness and accessibility of reporting channels across the organization.
• Ensure confidentiality, data privacy, and non-retaliation principles are consistently applied.

Case Management and Reporting

• Oversee case lifecycle management from intake through closure.
• Monitor case quality, aging, workload distribution, and investigative outcomes.
• Prepare metrics, dashboards, and reports for Ethics & Compliance leadership, senior management, and governance committees.
• Identify trends, root causes, and emerging risks across investigations and hotline reports.
• Analyze and assess case resolutions across all cases to ensure consistency in organizational justice across the enterprise.
• Recommend corrective actions and process improvements based on findings.

Ethics and Compliance Program Support

• Collaborate with the Ethics & Compliance Manager to identify opportunities to enhance Speak-Up Culture and training initiatives.
• Assist with policy development and periodic program assessments.
• Support regulatory examinations, audits, and compliance reviews as required.
• Use case data to identify opportunities for culture enhancements.
• Partner with training and communications teams to reinforce ethical culture and reporting awareness.

Continuous Improvement

• Evaluate and improve investigation processes, intake protocols, and case management systems.
• Implement best practices for investigations, reporting, documentation, and analytics.
• Leverage data to improve program effectiveness and inform leadership decision-making.
• Support technology enhancements and system optimization for hotline and case management platforms.

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Human Resources, Criminal Justice, Compliance, Legal Studies, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in ethics and compliance, employee relations, investigations, auditing, legal, human resources, or related functions.
• Experience managing ethics hotlines, case management systems, or investigation programs.
• Strong project management, metrics creation and analytical skills.
• Demonstrated experience conducting workplace,…