Business Management - Assistant Vice President

Here at SMBC Group, we want to help you find the next step in your career so read on to discover if this opportunity is the one for you. We like to recognise potential in our people, so we welcome your application even when your experience doesn’t perfectly align with the job description. Whilst we’ll always strive to be better, we’re proud of our inclusive culture, and encourage our applicants and colleagues to be their authentic, unique selves.

Who we are

United by a sense of purpose towards our customers – to be a trusted partner for the long-term – and our universal banking platform in EMEA, SMBC Group has an international growth agenda and award-winning products, meaning we provide exciting opportunities to work on a diverse range of projects and initiatives. We deliver a full suite of corporate finance products and solutions to our customers as well as investment banking and advisory services, and a range of innovative solutions in global capital markets. Read on to find out how you could enhance your skills and gain valuable experience, by joining us to support our clients transition to a sustainable future.

Role Summary

We are seeking a Business Management (Assistant Vice President) professional to support the effective management, governance, and strategic development of the EMEA Compliance function by providing business management, workforce planning, reporting, and governance oversight across the region. The individual will act as a central coordination point between EMEA Compliance, Head Office, and key support functions, ensuring the timely delivery of management information, regulatory and governance reporting, and strategic initiatives.

The position plays a key role in managing departmental budgets, workforce planning activities, and the annual capacity and capability assessment process, enabling senior management to make informed resourcing and operational decisions. The role also supports the development and maintenance of governance frameworks and reporting processes that ensure compliance with Group standards and regional regulatory requirements.

In addition, the individual will provide secretarial and coordination support for management forums, monitor departmental commitments and strategic initiatives, oversee the management reporting production, and contribute to business transformation and process improvement projects. Success in the role requires strong analytical, communication, stakeholder management, and project coordination skills, together with a high level of attention to detail and the ability to operate effectively within a complex international banking and compliance environment.

Business Area

• SMBC – as a regulated financial institution - has an obligation to establish and maintain policies, procedures, systems and controls to mitigate and effectively manage compliance and financial crime risk. The bank has operations across the EMEA region and is required to consider extraterritorial laws and accordingly must maintain a coordinated and aligned approach to managing risk.
• Under the supervision of the Regional Chief Compliance Officers, CPD performs the Compliance Oversight function and Money Laundering Reporting function. The Compliance Department also liaises with compliance teams throughout the SMBC Group to ensure that the bank is compliant with global regulatory requirements.
• The activity of the compliance in the Bank is always changing, and its coverage is always changing and expanding to support the Bank’s activity as a second line of defence.
• The compliance department has continued to grow that requires a dedicated staff to support and plan the efficient activity of the department.
• The Business Management team has the responsibility to deliver and implement a series of initiatives which span across business as usual and change activities covering the EMEA CPD Department that support the day-to-day functioning of the broader CPD department. These include managing costs and headcount, business continuity, the tracking and delivery of internal and external findings, and a variety of reporting obligations both within and outside the region.

Position Description

Key Accountabilities

• Manage the EMEA CPD departmental budget and workforce resources, including forecasting, monitoring, and supporting requests for additional resourcing.
• Coordinate and support the annual EMEA CPD capacity and capability assessment process, including analysis, reporting, and workforce planning activities.
• Support the development, implementation, and ongoing maintenance of EMEA-wide frameworks and procedures governing compliance-related approval, consultation, and reporting requirements for Group companies.
• Act as the key point of contact for Head Office reporting and EMEA reporting exercises, consolidating inputs from multiple stakeholders and ensuring consistency, accuracy, and adherence to Group and regional standards.
• Provide secretarial and coordination support for meetings and forums led by the Business Management team, including meeting coordination, agenda preparation, minute-taking, and action tracking.
• Monitor and track departmental governance actions, audit findings, regulatory commitments, and strategic initiatives, escalating issues and delays where appropriate.
• Maintain departmental SLAs and oversee the production of KPIs, management information, and reporting packs for senior management and governance forums.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders across EMEA Compliance, Head Office, and relevant support functions to facilitate effective communication and delivery of key initiatives.
• Demonstrate high standards of professional conduct, ethics, and corporate governance, ensuring compliance with all applicable legal, regulatory, and internal policy requirements.
• Support and, where appropriate, lead strategic projects, business transformation initiatives, process improvement activities, and other ad hoc change programmes impacting CPD and the wider EMEA Compliance function.

Knowledge, Skills, & Experience

• Good verbal and written communication skills (essential);
• Ability to work independently with a team spirit and proactive mind-set (essential);
• Attention to Details (essential)
• Articulate and able to apply new skills effectively (essential);
• Able to multi-task and prioritise multiple projects (essential);
• Good command of the Excel including Power Quary, Word, PowerPoint, Power BI and other Microsoft Office products (essential);
• Experience in business analysis and report preparation (essential)
• Good interpersonal and decision-making skills(essential)
• Experience within a Compliance function in an international banking environment (essential);
• Experience in process change and project management (preferred); and
• Good understanding of the applicable laws and regulation to banking and securities industry in UK as well as EMEA (preferred)

What we offer

For all the expertise and experience you bring to help us make a difference, it’s only sustainable if we support you to build your career and be your best self so we offer competitive company benefits, centred around promoting positive well-bring and work-life balance. We also believe in fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment, where all team members perspectives and contributions are valued. Initiatives in place which promote a diverse and inclusive culture and healthy work life balance include hybrid working, Sport & Social Clubs and Diversity and Inclusion networks.

As an employee of SMBC you have access to a host of both useful and exciting benefit offerings. See below some of the benefits on offer to you:

• Hybrid and flexible working
• Competitive paid leave days
• Benefits to support your physical wellbeing, including private medical insurance and life and invalidity insurance
• Various policies to support your mental wellbeing, including a robust behavioural health network with counselling and coaching services

So, if you like a challenge and want to continuously grow and develop in a role where you will be supported along the way by a dynamic and diverse team, apply today!!

We recognise our role as a bank to support social change and welcome all applications, including those from groups often under-represented in financial services. We value the uniqueness of professional and personal, backgrounds and perspectives as they play a vital role in continuing the sustainable growth of our organisation. We’ll ensure reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process are offered due to a disability or long-term condition whenever requested.

We are committed to transparent and equitable pay practices. Compensation is determined using objective criteria, including skills, experience, and role responsibilities, and applied consistently throughout our recruitment processes. We do not request candidates' pay history and are committed to preventing unjustified pay disparities.