McKinsey & Co. is beefing up its ethics department after a series of high-profile controversies, including helping Purdue Pharma LP “turbocharge” opioid sales, Bloomberg News reported. The management consulting giant is hiring for a newly created position with its global “ethics allegations management team.” The “specialist” will be responsible for “intake and triage of matters” that could present a risk to the firm. McKinsey is also looking to replace its ethics director, a position that helps “ensure we uphold a distinctive culture of integrity and ethical behavior across our firm,” according to the job description, with a salary that ranges from US$235,000 to $314,000. “We are continually improving these processes and capabilities, which includes these ethics roles,” said Neil Grace, a McKinsey spokesperson. The company has more than more than quintupled internal risk, legal, ethics and compliance staff over the last eight years, he said. A lack of oversight at McKinsey has previously resulted in some well-publicized unsavory entanglements. The consulting firm has paid out $641 million to resolve ongoing lawsuits over its opioid work. Its South African branch has been ensnared in a corruption scandal and the company received sharp criticism for moving too slowly to cut ties with Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
