Our client is a well-established institutional participant within the digital assets sector, serving a sophisticated global client base that includes financial institutions, investment firms, corporates and regulated virtual asset businesses. Operating across multiple international jurisdictions, the firm combines institutional governance standards with innovative market infrastructure and is recognised as a significant player in the continued development of digital asset markets.
As the UK regulatory landscape for cryptoassets evolves, the organisation is entering a strategically important phase of growth and regulatory transition. As a result, an opportunity has arisen for an experienced compliance leader to assume responsibility for the UK compliance framework and play a key role in the firm's future regulatory strategy. This is initially a contract role with the potential to become permanent.
This position represents a senior leadership appointment with responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the UK compliance function. The successful candidate will provide independent oversight across regulatory compliance, financial crime risk management, conduct, market surveillance and governance activities while acting as a trusted adviser to senior management and the Board.
The role also carries responsibility for the firm's anti-financial crime programme through the MLRO function and will be instrumental in preparing the business for the UK's forthcoming cryptoasset authorisation regime. Following implementation of the new framework, the position is expected to become the designated SMF16 Compliance Oversight function.
Key Areas of Responsibility
- Direct the UK compliance function and oversee the delivery of its strategic objectives.
- Provide practical and commercially informed regulatory guidance to stakeholders across the business.
- Maintain an effective compliance assurance framework, ensuring risks are identified, assessed and appropriately monitored.
- Oversee the development and maintenance of policies, procedures and governance arrangements.
- Ensure regulatory obligations, notifications and reporting requirements are fulfilled in a timely and effective manner.
- Serve as the firm's Money Laundering Reporting Officer and maintain oversight of all anti-financial crime activities.
- Manage the firm's approach to anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, sanctions compliance and broader financial crime risk.
- Ensure risk assessments remain current and reflect changes in business activity, products, customers and regulatory expectations.
- Provide oversight of transaction monitoring, blockchain analytics, sanctions screening and related control frameworks.
- Assess the effectiveness of financial crime controls and drive continuous improvement where enhancements are required.
- Lead compliance preparation for the UK's future cryptoasset regulatory framework.
- Partner with key stakeholders to ensure the business is positioned to meet forthcoming regulatory expectations and authorisation requirements.
- Support the implementation of governance and accountability frameworks associated with the Senior Managers and Certification Regime.
- Maintain oversight of conduct risk and market integrity arrangements across the UK business.
- Ensure surveillance and monitoring frameworks remain proportionate to the firm's activities and regulatory obligations.
- Provide guidance on evolving regulatory expectations relating to trading activity, communications monitoring and market conduct.
- Promote a strong culture of compliance, accountability and ethical decision-making.
- Build strong relationships across business, operational, technology and legal teams to embed compliance into day-to-day decision making.
Candidate Profile
- Significant experience in a senior compliance, regulatory or financial crime leadership position within an FCA-regulated firm.
- The candidate should be immediately available or available at short notice
- Previous experience acting as MLRO or Deputy MLRO, including exposure to suspicious activity reporting obligations.
- A detailed understanding of UK financial crime regulations, regulatory expectations and governance requirements.
- Knowledge of the regulatory environment applicable to digital assets and crypto-related businesses.
- Experience overseeing compliance frameworks, monitoring programmes, policy governance and regulatory engagement.
- Strong understanding of sanctions compliance, customer due diligence and financial crime risk management.
- The ability to engage confidently with regulators, Boards and executive leadership teams.
- Excellent communication, stakeholder management and leadership skills.
- Familiarity with blockchain analytics, transaction monitoring or market surveillance technologies.
- Experience within high-growth, innovative or technology-enabled financial services organisations.
This is a unique opportunity to join a leading institutional digital assets business at a pivotal stage of its growth and regulatory journey. The role offers significant leadership responsibility, direct engagement with senior stakeholders and regulators, and the chance to play a key role in shaping the firm's compliance framework as the UK cryptoasset regime evolves. You will gain exposure to one of the fastest-growing areas of financial services and have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the future direction of the business.
If this opportunity sounds of potential interest, please send your CV to apetrou@kgglobal.co.uk