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The opportunity
An opportunity has arisen in our central Risk & Compliance team for a Head of Regulatory Compliance, COLP to join our London office, reporting to the Firm’s General Counsel. This person will work closely with the other senior members of the Risk and Compliance team, the General Counsel and local Risk Management partners in ensuring that the Firm is compliant with its regulatory obligations in all jurisdictions in which the Firm operates.
The team
The Risk and Compliance team at Bird & Bird is committed to providing a consistently high level of service for the firm and its partners and staff in relation to all risk and compliance issues. Under the leadership of the General Counsel, it is aligned with and supports the firm's strategy in relation to building a One Firm culture.
The function comprises a central team in London, which includes the Business Acceptance team which is responsible for client and matter inception, together with a team of 10 lawyers and various administrative support. The central function is augmented by small teams in Hong Kong and Germany and has assistance from dedicated Risk Partners in each office.
What you'll do
The Head of Regulatory Compliance, COLP will work closely with the other senior members of the Risk and Compliance team, the General Counsel and local Risk Management partners in ensuring that the Firm is compliant with its regulatory obligations in all jurisdictions in which the Firm operates.
- Acting as COLP to ensure that systems and controls are in place to enable the firm, its partners and staff to comply with the terms of its authorization by the SRA, the SRA Standards and Regulations and any other relevant legislation, regulations and rules that apply to the Firm, its partners and staff
- Working with other senior members of the Risk and Compliance team and other business services teams as appropriate to ensure there is a robust approach to monitoring regulatory compliance and for the internal reporting and recording of compliance failures;
- Responsible for reviewing regulatory compliance failures, initiating any necessary remedial actions and reporting these as required by regulation and/or engagement terms;
- Ensuring appropriate policies and processes are in place in all areas of regulatory compliance management;
- Keeping abreast of any regulatory or other compliance changes that may affect the Firm and, as necessary devising and implementing new regulatory compliance and risk management policies and processes;
- Ensuring partners and staff are trained in relation to relevant compliance obligations and the Firm’s compliance and risk management policies and arrangements and their duty to internally report compliance issues;
- Developing and maintaining good relations with the SRA Regulatory Management team and the Firm’s other regulators as appropriate;
- Providing guidance to the Partner HR team in relation to regulatory related queries and PC/Recognised Body renewal;
- Assisting with internal risk assessments and regulatory audits;
- Dealing with escalations from the Business Acceptance team in relation to complex technical conflict questions or lateral hire questions;
- Effective supervision and management of the regulatory compliance team.
Additional responsibilities include:
- Assisting with the development of a wider strategy for the management of risk within he firm in line with the Firm's risk appetite;
- In conjunction with the other senior members of the Risk and Compliance team and the General Counsel responsibility for the implementation of risk and compliance related policies and initiatives throughout the Firm as well as supporting continuous improvement of risk awareness culture within the partnership;
- Influencing and leading change to a more global approach to risk management and compliance to include greater engagement with and occasional visits to international offices;
- Developing a strong service culture within the regulatory compliance team of working to the same standards as we apply to our client work, in terms of quality of guidance, sound commercial judgement, speed of response and end user experience.
- Monitoring emerging risk issues and reporting to and advising management on such matters;
- Briefing the Risk Committee on the management of risk within the Firm and horizon scanning;
- Participating as appropriate in the Information Security Group and liaising with the IT Director and Information Security Manager in relation to the management of the firm's cyber risks;
- Networking, keeping up to date with regulatory and market developments, and best practice and raising the Firm’s profile;
- Supporting the General Counsel in the International Risk Group and other relevant initiatives.
About you
You will have:
- An analytical mind
- Significant experience in all aspects of regulatory compliance
- Demonstrable leadership and management skills
- Excellent judgement
- Decisiveness
- Self-confidence
- Ability to take responsibility
- Excellent communication skills
- Pragmatic approach
- Well-honed diplomatic skills
- Sensitivity to cultural milieu, partner autonomy and preservation of the firm's reputation and client base
- Persuasive team player and quickly credible
- Ability to learn new areas of expertise and methods of working
- Good negotiating skills
- Interest in people
The main responsibilities of this role are outlined above; however, this description is not exhaustive, and the job holder may be required to undertake additional duties from time to time to ensure the smooth running of the department. The role may require some working outside our normal working hours of 9:30am- 5:30pm.
