Head of Public Markets Compliance

Who we are looking for:

The Head of Public Markets Compliance is a highly strategic and experienced senior leadership role reporting to the Chief Compliance Officer. The role has a global remit across all Schroders jurisdictions and is responsible for providing enterprise-wide Compliance leadership, oversight and challenge for Schroders’ Public Markets business, including investment, trading, portfolio management, research, product, fund governance, distribution and related operational processes. The role holder will set the global Compliance strategy for Public Markets, ensure consistent standards across Schroders’ regulated entities and fund structures, and provide trusted, risk-based advice to senior management while maintaining effective independent challenge.

• Lead the global Public Markets Compliance agenda across all Schroders jurisdictions, providing strategic direction, senior oversight and effective challenge across public markets businesses and regulated entities.

• Act as the senior Compliance partner to public markets leadership, supporting investment, trading, portfolio management, research, product, distribution and operating model initiatives with clear, practical and risk-based advice.

• Set consistent global standards for public markets compliance, while ensuring appropriate adaptation for local legal, regulatory and supervisory requirements.

• Provide oversight of key public markets compliance risks, including market abuse, conflicts of interest, best execution, trade surveillance, investment restrictions, product governance, disclosure, cross-border activity and conduct risk.

• Oversee the effectiveness of compliance frameworks, policies, controls, surveillance, monitoring and assurance activity relating to public markets globally.

• Lead and coordinate regional and local Public Markets Compliance teams, ensuring strong connectivity, consistent prioritisation, effective escalation and high-quality delivery across jurisdictions.

• Support the CCO in senior regulatory engagement, committee reporting, board reporting and governance of material public markets compliance matters.

• Represent Compliance in senior public markets governance forums and contribute to Schroders’ broader Compliance strategy, risk management framework and conduct culture.

About Us

Schroders is a global investment manager which provides active asset management, wealth management and investment solutions. We aim to provide excellent investment performance to clients through active management. We serve a diverse client base that includes pension schemes, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, high net worth individuals, family offices, as well as end clients through partnerships with distributors, financial advisers, and online platforms.

Established in 1804, we have around 5,500 people across 36 global locations. Schroders' success can be attributed to its diversified business model, spanning different asset classes, client types and geographies.

The base

We moved into our new HQ in the City of London in 2018. We’re close to our clients, in the heart of the UK’s financial centre and we have everything we need to work flexibly.

What you’ll do:

• Highly experienced senior Compliance leader with deep Public Markets expertise and a proven track record operating across a complex global asset management business such as Schroders.

• Strong technical knowledge of Public Markets regulation, including investment management, trading, market conduct, market abuse, conflicts, best execution, product governance, disclosure, client outcomes, cross-border activity and senior management accountability.

• Strong understanding of fund structures and related regulatory requirements across Schroders’ Public Markets platform, including UCITS, AIFs, ETFs, segregated mandates, pooled vehicles, feeder structures, sub-advised arrangements and cross-border distribution models.

• AIFMD proficiency, including practical understanding of AIFM responsibilities, delegation and oversight, depositary interaction, valuation, liquidity management, leverage, disclosure, reporting, marketing and jurisdictional implementation considerations.

• Strong working knowledge of investment and operational processes across the asset management lifecycle, including mandate onboarding, portfolio construction, order management, trade execution, allocation, settlement, investment restriction monitoring, breach management, valuation, corporate actions, outsourcing and third-party oversight.

• Knowledge of regulatory expectations across multiple Schroders jurisdictions, including the ability to understand differences between UK, EU, US, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and other local regulatory regimes and translate them into practical global standards.

• Strategic thinker able to anticipate regulatory and business developments, shape the global Compliance agenda and translate complex regulatory expectations into practical, risk-based operating standards.

• Proven ability to influence executive stakeholders, challenge senior business leadership constructively and operate effectively across global, regional and local Compliance structures.

• Strong judgement, commercial awareness, regulatory credibility and the ability to produce concise, executive-ready reporting and recommendations for the CCO, senior committees and regulated entity boards.

Discharge of responsibilities

The role holder shall ensure that all their responsibilities are performed to the highest levels of integrity, quality and transparency and in a manner most likely to promote the success of the Schroders Group, taking into account the interests of key stakeholders including clients, employees, regulators, suppliers and society as a whole.

In discharging their principal responsibilities, the Head of Public Markets Compliance shall establish appropriate governance structures for all areas under their control and will hold the following responsibilities:

1. Global Public Markets Compliance strategy: Define and lead the global Compliance strategy for Schroders’ Public Markets business, ensuring the function provides proactive, risk-based and commercially aware oversight, advice and challenge across all Schroders jurisdictions, regulated entities and Public Markets activities.
2. Senior business advisory and challenge: Act as the senior Compliance adviser to Public Markets ExCo, providing strategic input and independent challenge on investment, trading, portfolio management, research, product, fund governance, distribution, technology, outsourcing and operating model developments.
3. Fund structures and product governance: Provide senior Compliance oversight of regulatory requirements applicable to Schroders’ Public Markets fund structures, including UCITS, AIFs, ETFs, pooled funds, segregated mandates, feeder structures, sub-advised mandates and cross-border distribution models, ensuring product governance, disclosure, client outcome and distribution requirements are appropriately embedded.
4. AIFMD and fund management oversight: Provide strategic oversight of AIFMD-related obligations relevant to Public Markets, including AIFM governance, delegation and oversight, depositary arrangements, valuation, liquidity management, leverage, risk management interfaces, reporting, investor disclosure, marketing and cross-border implementation considerations.
5. Global standards and local implementation: Establish clear global standards for Public Markets Compliance, ensuring regional and local Compliance teams adapt and implement those standards in a way that reflects jurisdictional requirements, regulatory expectations, fund domicile considerations and entity-level accountability.
6. Public markets risk oversight: Provide senior oversight of Public Markets Compliance risks, including market abuse, insider information, conflicts of interest, personal dealing interfaces, inducements, best execution, trade allocation, order handling, investment restrictions, mandate compliance, valuation-related conduct risks, cross trades, product governance, disclosure and fair client outcomes.
7. Operational process oversight: Understand and provide Compliance oversight of key investment and operational processes across the Public Markets lifecycle, including mandate onboarding, portfolio construction, pre- and post-trade controls, order management, execution, allocation, settlement, investment restriction monitoring, breach management, valuation, corporate actions, outsourcing, vendor dependency and third-party oversight.
8. Market conduct and surveillance: Oversee the effectiveness of market conduct frameworks, restricted lists, watch lists, trade and communications surveillance, escalation processes, investigation standards and governance of potentially suspicious activity or material conduct issues.
9. Regulatory change and horizon scanning: Provide strategic oversight of regulatory change impacting Public Markets globally, including changes affecting fund structures, market structure, trading, distribution, disclosures, sustainability, product governance, operational resilience and cross-border business, ensuring developments are assessed, prioritised, implemented and reported through appropriate governance.
10. Compliance assurance, monitoring and testing: Shape and oversee Public Markets-related assurance, monitoring and testing activity globally, ensuring plans are risk-based, cover material investment, trading, fund governance and operational processes, and that findings are escalated with remediation tracked to completion.
11. Governance, reporting and escalation: Provide clear and insightful reporting to the CCO, senior management, governance committees and regulated entity boards on Public Markets Compliance risks, jurisdictional developments, fund governance matters, incidents, assurance outcomes, control weaknesses and remediation progress.
12. Leadership and global coordination: Lead, coordinate and develop Public Markets Compliance capability across global, regional and local teams, ensuring effective prioritisation, consistent standards, strong connectivity and clear accountability across Schroders jurisdictions.
13. Regulatory engagement: Support the CCO and local senior managers in engagement with regulators on Public Markets matters, including supervisory reviews, information requests, thematic work, regulatory inspections, cross-border queries and material issue management.

Reporting Obligations

In discharging their responsibilities, the role holder shall:

• Ensure the CCO is made aware of material public markets compliance risks, regulatory developments, control weaknesses, conduct issues, assurance findings and matters requiring senior management, committee, board or regulatory attention.

• Provide clear escalation, recommendations and action tracking for public markets matters requiring remediation, governance approval, regulatory engagement or cross-jurisdictional coordination.

• Provide to the CCO an annual assessment of the global Public Markets Compliance framework, including progress against strategic priorities, assurance outcomes, regulatory change delivery, emerging risks and capability development across jurisdictions.

Committee Memberships

Where applicable, the role holder must fulfil his/her responsibilities for their Committee Memberships

• Public Markets ExCo

• Significant Risk Events Committee

• Sustainability Change ExCo

• Cross Functional Emerging Risk call

• Relevant regulated entity boards, risk committees or management committees, as required

• Any other committees as delegated by the CCO

The knowledge, experience and qualifications you need

• Extensive senior Compliance experience within a global asset manager, with deep technical expertise in Public Markets, including equities, fixed income, multi-asset, quantitative, systematic or other liquid investment strategies relevant to Schroders’ investment platform.

• Proven experience operating across multiple Schroders jurisdictions or comparable international regulatory environments, with strong knowledge of UK, EU, US, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and other local regulatory expectations relevant to investment management, fund governance and distribution.

• Strong knowledge of fund structures and related regulatory rules applicable to Schroders’ Public Markets platform, including UCITS, AIFs, ETFs, pooled vehicles, segregated mandates, feeder funds, sub-advised mandates, delegated portfolio management arrangements and cross-border distribution structures.

• Demonstrable AIFMD proficiency, including AIFM governance, delegation and oversight, depositary relationships, valuation, liquidity management, leverage, risk management interfaces, Annex IV or equivalent reporting, investor disclosure, marketing and local implementation across relevant jurisdictions.

• Strong understanding of asset management operational processes, including mandate onboarding, guideline coding, pre- and post-trade controls, order management, execution, allocation, settlement, cash and collateral processes, investment restriction monitoring, breach management, valuation, corporate actions, outsourcing, vendor dependency and operational resilience.

• Strong knowledge of Public Markets regulatory expectations, including market abuse, insider information, conflicts of interest, personal account dealing interfaces, inducements, best execution, trade allocation, order handling, investment restrictions, mandate compliance, product governance, disclosure, client outcomes and cross-border activity.

• Demonstrable experience advising senior investment, trading, distribution, product, operations, technology and executive stakeholders on complex regulatory, conduct and governance matters, including strategic business initiatives and operating model change.

• Experience overseeing market conduct, trade surveillance, communications surveillance, restricted lists, watch lists, investigation processes, escalation frameworks and governance of material conduct issues.

• Strong track record leading regional, local or global Compliance teams in a matrixed organisation, with the ability to build capability, align priorities, drive accountability and influence without relying solely on direct reporting lines.

• Experience providing oversight of regulatory change, assurance, monitoring and testing activity relevant to investment management, Public Markets, fund governance and operational processes, including thematic reviews, remediation tracking and senior governance reporting.

• Credibility with regulators, senior management and regulated entity boards, with the confidence and judgement to escalate material issues, challenge constructively and recommend proportionate, sustainable solutions.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce concise, strategic and executive-ready papers, board materials, regulatory updates and governance reporting.

• Relevant professional qualification preferred, such as legal, compliance, risk, governance, accountancy, investment management or financial services qualifications; equivalent senior leadership experience in Compliance within asset management will also be considered.

Reporting Obligations

In discharging their responsibilities, the role holder shall:

• Ensure the CCO is made aware of material public markets compliance risks, regulatory developments, control weaknesses, conduct issues, assurance findings and matters requiring senior management, committee, board or regulatory attention.

• Provide clear escalation, recommendations and action tracking for public markets matters requiring remediation, governance approval, regulatory engagement or cross-jurisdictional coordination.

• Provide to the CCO an annual assessment of the global Public Markets Compliance framework, including progress against strategic priorities, assurance outcomes, regulatory change delivery, emerging risks and capability development across jurisdictions.

Committee Memberships

Where applicable, the role holder must fulfil his/her responsibilities for their Committee Memberships

• Public Markets ExCo

• Significant Risk Events Committee

• Sustainability Change ExCo

• Cross Functional Emerging Risk call

• Relevant regulated entity boards, risk committees or management committees, as required

• Any other committees as delegated by the CCO

We Recognise Potential, Whoever You Are

Our purpose is to deliver excellent investment performance to clients through active management. We believe diverse perspectives and an inclusive culture help us make better decisions and achieve better outcomes for our clients. That's why inclusion is a strategic priority for us, and we are an equal opportunities employer. You are welcome here, regardless of your age, disability, gender identity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, or any other protected characteristic.

We will consider flexible working arrangements for all roles and provide reasonable accommodations to support applicants and employees, including those with neurodiversity, disability, or physical and mental health needs. For more information, please visit our FAQs.

Advertised Salary: Competitive Salary