Head of Compliance

Head Of Compliance

Reporting to:
Chief People Officer

Location:

Boston, MA (Hybrid - 3 days per week in office)

Position Summary

Grand Circle Corporation is the leader in international travel, adventure and discovery for Americans aged 50+. Headquartered in Boston MA, and with more than 35 offices globally, more than two million Americans have traveled with our award-winning travel brands:
Grand Circle Cruise Line, Overseas Adventure Travel and Grand Circle Travel.

Grand Circle Corporation is seeking its first Head of Compliance to establish and lead a comprehensive compliance program across the organization. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, this leader will partner closely with Information Security, Finance, People & Culture, Worldwide Operations, Contracting, Legal, and other business leaders to design and implement a global enterprise compliance framework that ensures adherence to internal standards, contractual obligations, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices.

This is a highly collaborative leadership role that succeeds through influence rather than direct authority. The Head of Compliance will create the governance structures, audit methodology, training programs, compliance metrics, and reporting processes necessary to build a culture of accountability and continuous improvement across multiple business functions. The ideal candidate has successfully built or significantly transformed a compliance program in a complex organization, driven adoption across diverse business units, and developed audit and monitoring processes spanning multiple functional areas.

Enterprise Compliance Strategy

• Develop and maintain the company's global enterprise compliance strategy and roadmap.
• Create a scalable compliance framework that defines roles, responsibilities, controls, reporting requirements, and governance processes.
• Identify emerging compliance risks and partner with leadership to develop mitigation plans.
• Advise executive leadership on compliance trends, obligations, and program effectiveness.

Compliance Governance

• Establish a company-wide compliance operating model.
• Create and facilitate compliance governance forums and reporting mechanisms.
• Develop policies, standards, and controls in partnership with subject matter experts.
• Maintain enterprise compliance documentation and oversight processes.

Audit & Monitoring

• Design and implement a risk-based audit and monitoring program.
• Establish audit schedules, assessment methodologies, and corrective action tracking.
• Partner with functional leaders to conduct compliance reviews and remediation activities.
• Report audit findings, trends, and risk indicators to executive leadership.

Cross-Functional Partnership

Serve as the compliance leader and strategic partner across multiple domains, including:

• Information Security, Data Privacy, and Cybersecurity Compliance
• Financial Controls and Regulatory Compliance
• Payment and Transaction Compliance
• Employment Law and Workplace Compliance
• Traveler Health and Safety Standards
• Quality Assurance and Internal Operational Standards
• Vendor Management and Contract Compliance
• Corporate Ethics and Business Conduct

Training & Capability Building

• Train business stakeholders to execute compliance responsibilities effectively.
• Together with business stakeholders, promote a culture of accountability, transparency, and ethical conduct.
• Ensure compliance responsibilities are embedded within business processes, leadership expectations and stakeholder Key Result Areas.

Metrics & Reporting

• Establish compliance KPIs and control effectiveness measures.
• Develop enterprise compliance dashboards.
• Track trends, findings, remediation progress, and risk indicators.
• Present regular compliance updates to senior leadership.

Qualifications

Required

• 12+ years of progressive compliance, risk, audit, governance, legal, regulatory, or related experience.
• Experience building or significantly enhancing a compliance program from the ground up.
• Demonstrated success driving enterprise-wide adoption through influence rather than direct authority.
• Experience creating audit methodologies and compliance monitoring programs.
• Ability to partner effectively…