Chief Compliance Officer

Our client, a dynamic and innovative financial brokerage and FinTech group that is approaching a milestone anniversary. The rapidly growing Group currently consists of ~60 staff across three separately regulated brokerage firms. The Group is a leader in the buy-side brokerage industry (focused only on institutional clients, not retail), with many of the leading hedge funds, banks, pension funds and asset managers in the UK and North American among its client base. We are expanding to the EU zone, following Brexit, with a brokerage firm in Denmark to be registered imminently. In terms of asset classes, they are currently focused on exchange traded and OTC interest rate and equity derivatives. What differentiates the company is its proprietary derived data and analytical technology: they offer highly technical and tailored analytical services to clients both as part of our brokerage offering and as a SaaS product that clients license directly. The Group currently has offices in New York, London and Tallinn, with additional offices to be opened in Copenhagen and Florida in 2023.

Position Summary
They are looking for a Chief Compliance Officer to be based in London and responsible for both the UK and EU brokerage entities. The ideal candidate is either already a CCO or is directly reporting to the CCO of a sell-side brokerage firm. This candidate will be stepping into the CCO role within 6-12 months of joining (after an initial handover/acclimatisation period). The candidate will have at least 6-10 years of relevant compliance experience (related to interest rate and equity exchange/OTC derivative products for institutional clients), with expertise in both FCA and MiFID regulation and a working knowledge of different exchange rules. A working knowledge of US regulatory rules (SEC/CFTC) is not required but is desirable. The role is a newly created position that will work together with the CCO of the US entity (who is currently the CCO of all entities) as part of the Group Compliance Team (consisting of the Head of HR, the Head of Client Management & MLRO, the Head of Legal & CISO and the Operation team). This is a highly visible role to report directly to the Management Committee of the Group. The individual must have gravitas and be comfortable presenting to and interacting directly with the relevant entity Board and Audit & Risk Committee, and with regulators (FCA, NFA and Danish FSA). The Group strives for highly automated compliance and related back-office services and so the role will be expected to work closely with (and, from a compliance perspective, lead) the Compliance Operations Team to continue to develop and improve that automation. Travel will be expected and encouraged to Copenhagen and to Tallinn multiple times a year (both beautiful places to visit).
What you'll do

• Overall responsibility for day-to-day aspects of the compliance activities
• Preparing the agenda for and running the weekly compliance meetings with the Groups' Compliance Team
• Regular catch-up meetings with Compliance Operations Team in Estonia (at least twice a week)
• Weekly catch-up meetings with the Heads of Execution
• Monthly catch-up meetings with the Independent Chairman of the Audit & Risk Committee
• Regulatory advice on relevant FCA, Danish FSA/MiFID and NFA rules (NFA not required immediately but will need to learn these as the UK entity is also a NFA member)
• Oversight for all risk-based compliance monitoring - responsibility for best execution, trade errors, market abuse and electronic communications monitoring for the whole firm (most monitoring is automated and performed by the Compliance Operations Team in Estonia - e.g. using Bloomberg Vault for all communications monitoring, transaction reporting and market abuse monitoring are also automated)
• Maintaining and improving the Compliance Monitoring Program as necessary
• Maintenance of all compliance registers
• Coordinating and supporting the New Business Initiative process (new products and business lines)
• Compliance advisory to Senior Management and Trading, providing advice for trading activity, including trade reporting procedures and regulatory trading requirements
• Dealing and managing with FCA registrations and deregistration processes and SMCR
• Delivering compliance training to employees (including ad-hoc regulatory requirements to trading and Senior Management)
• Drafting internal policies and procedures (including ultimate ownership of the Group Compliance Manual), and subsequently monitoring the compliance
• Compiling compliance related reports for the Board (supported by the Compliance Operations Team in Estonia)
• Investment Research / Marketing Material monitoring
• Keeping up to date on regulatory changes and the impact on the Company's business
• Liaising with external compliance consultants, which are on retainer for ad hoc regulatory advice and perform annual independent AML audits and risk assessments

Who you are / What you bring

• Minimum of 6+ years' relevant compliance experience (current position either a CCO or direct report to CCO)
• Highly personable and eloquent
• Committed, flexible, discreet, with a positive attitude, willing to go the extra mile
• Experience in communicating with Senior Management/Board/Regulators
• Strong commercial awareness
• Strong interest rate and equity derivatives product knowledge
• Working knowledge of FCA COBS, MAR, SYSC and APER Rules
• Working knowledge of the revised Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II), 4MLD and SMRC

• Good communicator and team player
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to take on responsibility and act with autonomy
• Comfortable working within a fast-paced environment
• Willingness to work towards further industry qualifications should it be deemed necessary
Benefits

• The Group is big enough to be an agent of disruption in the industry but small enough that everyone working here matters
• Inherently diverse culture with 16 different nationalities
• Competitive salary, medical insurance, pension plan
• Flexible working arrangement with Monday and Friday as optional work from home days
• Great coffee, healthy snacks and drinks all day long