Compliance Manager - Advice

What you'll do

Design and deliver a risk-based compliance monitoring and assurance programme across MBSCL's advice service, tracking findings and actions to closure, to give the Board independent assurance that MBSCL meets its regulatory obligations.

Provide practical, timely compliance advice and challenge on the end-to-end advice journey, including fact find, suitability (COBS 9A), disclosures, charging, restricted advice and vulnerable customers, to ensure advice is suitable and delivers good customer outcomes.

Provide compliance oversight and challenge of the advice service, including the Aurora advice engine and House Rules, and human advisers. This will include change governance, testing evidence and ongoing monitoring of advice outputs, to ensure automated advice remains suitable, explainable and within MBSCL's permissions.

Review, challenge and approve financial promotions and customer communications, and maintain the approvals record, to ensure they are clear, fair and not misleading.

Support the MLRO in running MBSCL's financial crime framework, including the business-wide risk assessment, policies, training, MI and suspicious activity escalation, to protect MBSCL and its customers from financial crime.

Oversee and test the customer due diligence, screening and monitoring that DML carries out on MBSCL's behalf under the group's reliance model, working with MBSCL's co-sourced second line financial crime partner, to ensure MBSCL retains and can evidence its own responsibility for financial crime outcomes.

Oversee DML's delivery of services to MBSCL under the inter-group agreement, monitoring service levels, issues and remediation and supporting outsourcing and third-party oversight, to evidence effective, continuing oversight of a group supplier.

Oversee complaints handling, root-cause analysis and outcomes MI (including where DML's customer support teams act on MBSCL's behalf), and support the evidencing of Consumer Duty outcomes, to ensure customers are treated fairly and lessons are learned.

Support the implementation and operation of SM&CR, including statements of responsibilities, certification, conduct rules and fit and proper checks, and oversee the Training & Competence scheme, to ensure the right people are competent and accountable.

Provide compliance input to new propositions and changes, including mortgage and protection referral journeys, product governance (PROD) and permissions boundary questions, to ensure MBSCL stays within its regulatory permissions.

Own horizon scanning, regulatory change and MBSCL's compliance policy framework (including conflicts of interest, gifts and hospitality, and whistleblowing), to keep MBSCL compliant and ahead of regulatory change.

Support regulatory reporting, notifications and FCA engagement, and prepare clear compliance MI for the Board, Advice Oversight Committee and executive, to give senior stakeholders decision-ready oversight.

Who you are

You're a builder: you enjoy creating frameworks and processes from scratch, and you're comfortable with ambiguity and change in a small, fast-moving team.

You're pragmatic and commercially aware, and know how to turn "no" into "yes, if" and find a compliant route to the right customer outcome.

You have the confidence to challenge colleagues, including at a group supplier, with evidence, and to hold the line when customer outcomes or regulatory obligations are at risk.

You're curious about technology and how AI can power a customer experience - including advice, and keen to learn how automated advice is designed, tested and monitored.

You're an excellent communicator who works well across a matrix, partnering closely with a small executive team and a wider group, and explaining complex regulation simply.

You want to grow with a scaling business and take on more responsibility as the team expands.

Experience & Skills

Substantial experience in a second line compliance role within a UK regulated retail advice, wealth, platform or fintech firm.

Strong working knowledge of the FCA Handbook as it applies to retail investment advice, including COBS (including COBS 9A suitability), Consumer Duty (PRIN 2A), PROD, SYSC, DISP, SM&CR and financial promotions.

Hands-on experience designing and delivering compliance monitoring and assurance (including advice file reviews and thematic reviews) and reporting findings to senior stakeholders and committees.

Working knowledge of financial crime requirements (MLR 2017, JMLSG guidance, sanctions), including customer due diligence and monitoring controls; experience of group-wide AML or reliance arrangements is a plus.

Experience overseeing outsourced or intra-group service arrangements, including service level monitoring (SYSC 8), is advantageous.

Experience of an FCA authorisation, a new regulated service launch or a similar build environment is highly desirable.

Familiarity with digital, platform or automated advice, and the compliance risks of model-driven or AI decisioning, is beneficial but not essential.

Knowledge of the products MBSCL advises on (ISAs, general investment accounts and pensions) and of mortgage and protection introducer arrangements is advantageous.

Clear, concise writing, with the ability to produce policies, MI and Board-ready papers.

A relevant qualification (for example, the Level 4 or Level 6 Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning, or an ICA Certificate or Diploma in Compliance) is desirable.

What's in it for you?

Opportunity to join a fast-growing, award-winning and super ambitious startup.

Work with a friendly team of highly motivated individuals.

Be in an environment where you are listened to and can actually have an impact.

Thriving collaborative and inclusive company culture.

Company pension scheme.

Company bonus scheme.

Hybrid working environment.

Home office furniture allowance.

Personal Annual Learning and Development budget.

Private Medical Insurance.

Health Cash Plan - cashback on everyday healthcare like dental and opticians.

Cycle to work scheme - spread the cost of a new bike and accessories.

CycleSaver - save on bike-share subscriptions and have a more sustainable commute.

Wellhub subscription to a variety of gyms and wellbeing apps.

Enhanced parental pay & leave.

25 days holiday + bank holidays with additional days added with length of service.