Birchlake Recruitment Engagement Hub

Chief Risk Officer

Buckinghamshire

Permanent

Full-time

Job ID:

34754

Published date:

2026-09-09

Summary

Birchlake Recruitment is delighted to be partnering with a leading UK financial services organisation in Buckinghamshire to appoint a Chief Risk Officer.

About the job

What you'll bring to the role:

In this role, you will lead and direct the Risk & Compliance function, providing independent second-line oversight of the firm's Non-Financial Risk, Regulatory Compliance and Financial Crime frameworks. You will ensure the business meets its regulatory, legal and ethical obligations, while supporting strategic objectives, operational resilience and good customer outcomes.

Main Accountabilities:

Leadership:

Lead and direct the Risk & Compliance function, overseeing risk, regulatory compliance and financial crime professionals.
Motivate and develop the team through clear objectives, performance management and succession planning.
Build a strong risk and compliance culture across the organisation, aligned to the firm's values and regulatory expectations.

Non-Financial Risk Framework, Governance & Culture:

Establish, implement and continuously enhance the firm's Non-Financial Risk Management Framework, ensuring risks are effectively identified, assessed, monitored, reported and managed in line with the firm's risk appetite.
Lead the development and embedding of risk governance, policies, risk methodologies, reporting and Risk & Control Self-Assessments (RCSAs), providing independent challenge and oversight of operational, conduct, regulatory, reputational, outsourcing and operational resilience risks.
Promote a strong risk culture across the organisation, ensuring risk ownership, accountability and informed decision-making are embedded within business activities and strategic initiatives.

Regulatory Compliance Framework:

Maintain and oversee an effective Compliance Framework that supports compliance with applicable regulatory and legal obligations, including FCA requirements, Consumer Duty, Consumer Credit legislation, Insurance Distribution requirements, SM&CR and other applicable regulatory standards.
Provide strategic advice and challenge to the Board, Executive Management and Senior Managers regarding regulatory obligations, conduct risk and compliance matters.
Ensure compliance risks associated with new products, business initiatives, customer journeys, outsourcing arrangements and strategic change programmes are appropriately identified, assessed and managed.
Maintain effective compliance policies, standards and governance arrangements.

Financial Crime Framework & MLRO Responsibilities:

Fulfil the role of Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) and maintain responsibility for the firm's Financial Crime Framework.
Oversee the management of Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Counter-Terrorist Financing (CTF), sanctions compliance, anti-bribery and corruption, fraud risk oversight and financial crime prevention arrangements.
Ensure financial crime risk assessments, controls, training, monitoring and reporting programmes remain effective and proportionate to the firm's risk profile.
Oversee suspicious activity reporting, financial crime investigations and regulatory notifications where required.

Monitoring, Assurance & Testing:

Develop and maintain integrated Risk and Compliance Monitoring Plans using a risk-based methodology.
Ensure sufficient monitoring, thematic reviews, assurance activity and testing is undertaken to assess the effectiveness of risk management, compliance and financial crime controls.
Report findings, control weaknesses, breaches, incidents, emerging risks and thematic trends to appropriate governance forums.
Ensure management actions are tracked through to satisfactory closure.

Corporate Compliance & Data Protection:

Maintain and oversee the Corporate Compliance and Data Protection Frameworks, ensuring compliance with applicable legal, regulatory and ethical requirements.
Lead oversight of Anti-Bribery & Corruption, Conflicts of Interest, Gifts & Hospitality, Whistleblowing, Competition Law, Policy Governance and Data Protection obligations, ensuring appropriate controls, governance, monitoring and reporting arrangements are maintained.
Promote a culture of integrity, ethical behaviour and accountability through effective training, awareness and employee engagement programmes.

Horizon Scanning, Governance, Reporting & Regulatory Engagement:

Maintain an effective horizon-scanning process to identify emerging regulatory, legislative, industry and risk developments and assess their potential impact on the business.
Develop and maintain robust risk and compliance management information, key risk indicators and governance arrangements to support effective oversight and decision-making.
Provide regular reporting to Executive Management, Risk Committees, Audit Committees and the Board, including annual Compliance, Risk and MLRO reports.
Act as the primary liaison with the FCA and other relevant regulatory bodies, managing regulatory interactions, submissions, supervisory engagement, investigations, information requests and regulatory inspections.

About you:

Vital:

Significant senior leadership experience within an FCA-regulated financial services organisation.
Proven experience leading Non-Financial Risk, Compliance and/or Financial Crime functions.
Experience operating under the Senior Managers & Certification Regime.
Strong working knowledge of:
Risk Management Frameworks and Governance
FCA Handbook
Consumer Duty
SM&CR
Fraud risk management
Operational Resilience requirements
Experience engaging directly with the FCA and other regulators.
Strong influencing, communication and stakeholder management capabilities.
Proven ability to provide independent challenge at Executive and Board level.

Desirable:

Motor Finance industry experience.
Professional qualifications such as ICA, ACAMS, FCII, ACII, IRM or equivalent.
Experience leading enterprise-wide risk and compliance transformation programmes.

What you'll get in return:

You'll recieve a competitive salary and highly competitive discretionary bonus structure. You'll also have access to their colleague car schemes as well as a generous pension scheme and flexible benefit pot that can be used to find the benefits that are right for you.

You'll also have access to colleague wellbeing resources, including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and the Inclusion Advocates as well as flexible opportunities to support work life balance.

f you're an experienced Risk & Compliance leader looking for an opportunity to make a genuine impact at a senior level, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today or contact Birchlake Recruitment for a confidential discussion about the role.

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Senior Compliance Manager

Berkshire

Permanent

Full-time

Job ID:

34853

Published date:

2026-08-11

Summary

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Family: Compliance

Job Title: Senior Compliance Manager

Entities: CA Auto bank S.pA subsidiaries in UK

Reports to: Head of Compliance, CA Auto Finance UK Ltd

Location: Slough, UK (Hybrid)

JOB OVERVIEW

The Compliance Manager supports the Head of Compliance & MLRO in the implementation and maintenance of the Company’s Compliance Framework across all UK entities.

The role provides day-to-day leadership of the Compliance function, acting as the primary operational lead for compliance oversight activities, intermediary oversight, compliance monitoring and regulatory implementation. The Compliance Manager will deputise for the Head of Compliance where appropriate and ensure the effective delivery of compliance activities across the business.

The role is hybrid, combining strategic oversight with operational leadership. Regular travel throughout the UK will be required to support Regional Compliance Managers, undertake compliance reviews, engage with business stakeholders and retailers, and represent the Compliance function where appropriate.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership:

Support the Head of Compliance & MLRO in maintaining an effective Compliance Framework across all UK entities.
Act as deputy to the Head of Compliance during periods of absence or as delegated.
Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching and development of the Regional Compliance Managers and wider Compliance team.
Allocate and oversee departmental workload, ensuring activities are completed to the required quality and within agreed timescales.
Drive consistency and quality across all compliance monitoring activities.
Provide visible leadership across the Compliance function, maintaining an appropriate balance between office-based management and field engagement

Compliance Monitoring & Oversight

Develop, maintain and execute the annual Compliance Monitoring Plan in conjunction with the Head of Compliance.
Oversee second-line compliance monitoring activities across all business areas, ensuring compliance with FCA rules, Consumer Duty and internal policies.
Perform thematic reviews and targeted compliance assessments where emerging regulatory risks are identified.
Ensure all monitoring activities are appropriately documented and retained within the Compliance repository.
Ensure both internal and regulatory product governance requirements are met when new products and activities are initiated by the business.
Monitor remediation activity arising from compliance reviews and report progress to senior management.
Maintain an effective presence across the business through regular engagement with operational teams, retailers, brokers and other stakeholders, balancing office-based leadership with field-based oversight activities

Intermediary Oversight

Manage and continuously enhance the Intermediary Oversight Framework using a risk-based approach.
Provide oversight, support and quality assurance to the Regional Compliance Managers, accompanying audits and retailer visits where appropriate
Oversee and review on-site compliance audits of retailers, brokers and appointed representatives.
Review audit reports, ensuring findings, recommendations and action plans are appropriate and consistently applied.
Monitor retailer risk assessments, dashboard reporting and ongoing remediation activities.
Ensure onboarding arrangements for retailers, brokers and appointed representatives meet regulatory and internal standards.
Manage oversight of third-party assurance activities including mystery shopping and industry audit programmes where applicable.

Regulatory Implementation & Engagement

Support the implementation of new regulatory requirements, regulatory change programmes and business projects.
Coordinate compliance workstreams relating to regulatory remediation programmes.
Support the Head of Compliance in delivering regulatory action plans arising from FCA reviews, internal audit findings or compliance monitoring.
Promote continuous improvement of compliance policies, procedures and monitoring methodologies
Support the preparation for FCA visits, thematic reviews and information requests.
Coordinate responses to regulatory requests, ensuring information provided is accurate, complete and delivered within agreed timescales.
Assist in preparing reporting for Compliance Committees, Executive Committees and Boards.

Governance & Stakeholder Management

Develop strong working relationships with Sales, Operations, Risk, Legal, Internal Audit and other business functions.
Provide practical compliance advice to business stakeholders on regulatory matters.
Represent the Compliance function at internal governance forums and external industry meetings where required.
Promote a positive compliance culture across the organisation.
Support the delivery of regulatory training to staff
Undertake any other duties reasonably required by management.

KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE, QUALIFICATIONS

Educated to a degree level - Bachelor's degree in finance, risk management, business administration, or a related field.
Significant experience within a Compliance, Risk or Internal Audit function within Financial Services.
Strong working knowledge of FCA regulation, Consumer Duty and the UK regulatory framework.
Experience of intermediary oversight and second-line compliance monitoring.
Experience of leading compliance reviews and regulatory remediation activities.
Experience of managing and developing teams.
Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence at all levels.
Strong written communication skills with experience preparing reports for senior management and governance committees.
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
Willingness to travel extensively throughout the UK.
Full UK Driving Licence is essential.
The ability to drive teamwork and develop team members.

COMPETENCIES

Strong leadership and people management capability.
Excellent judgement and decision-making skills.
Commercially aware with a pragmatic approach to regulatory compliance.
Ability to influence and challenge constructively.
High level of integrity and professionalism.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Comfortable operating in a fast-paced regulatory environment.
Able to manage competing priorities and deliver under pressure.
Collaborative and approachable leadership style.
Passion for developing people and improving organisational capability.

This job description describes the principal purpose and main elements of the job. It is a guide to the nature and main duties of the job as they exist currently, but it is not intended as a wholly comprehensive or permanent schedule and is not part of the contract of employment.

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Compliance Associate

Berkshire

Permanent

Full-time

Job ID:

34886

Published date:

2026-08-11

Summary

Job Title:		Compliance Associate (Employment contract with CA Auto Finance UK Ltd.)
Legal Entity:		Ferrari Financial Services GmbH	Department:		Compliance & Risk Management
Location:		Slough, UK	Travel Required:		0-5%
Business Division Manager		Dr. Aleksander Szymanski (Chief Financial Officer)	Functional / Hierarchical Manager		Mr Marius Schiwietz Can (Legal & Compliance Manager / Compliance Officer / Data Protection Officer)
Level/Salary Range:		35.000 £ - 40.000 £	Position Type:		Associate
HR Contact:		Michaela Reisinger Ann-Kathrin Winkler	Starting date:		asap 2026

Job Description
We are a dynamic company providing financial services in the luxury motor finance sector for Ferrari clients in Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Following the growth of our business, we are looking for a Compliance Associate to support the principle of the Compliance function across a broad range of operational regulatory, complaints, and compliance matters. The role is primarily execution-focused and will involve preparing materials, supporting complaint / claim handling processes, coordinating with internal stakeholders and external advisors, and contributing to the ongoing development of internal legal & compliance structures. The role operates under the supervision of the Legal & Compliance lead and does not involve independent decision-making on complex legal or regulatory matters. The role offers development opportunities towards taking on increased responsibility over time. Role and Responsibilities: You will be supporting the team with various compliance related tasks especially in the following areas: I. Contract Support Support the drafting, review and amendment of standard contracts and documents Assist in preparing summaries, internal guidance and documentation Support communication with external law firms (e.g. document preparation, coordination, follow-ups) Provide day-to-day support to internal stakeholders under supervision II. Complaints & Claims Support Support the handling of customer complaints, particularly in the UK (DISP framework) Prepare draft responses to customers and regulators (FOS etc.) Assist in gathering and structuring case information (facts, chronology, documents) Support escalation of complex cases to Legal Management III. Regulatory & Compliance Support Support the preparation of regulatory submissions and reports (e.g. FCA) Support data protection activities (UK GDPR, internal processes) Monitor legal & regulatory developments and prepare internal summaries Assist in maintaining compliance documentation and policies Support audits, internal reviews and risk assessments IV. General / Operational Tasks Prepare presentations, summaries and internal reports Support cross-functional projects (Sales, Risk, Complaints) Maintain internal records and documentation Handle multiple workstreams in a structured and organised manner This list is not exhaustive and you will be expected to carry out any request deemed reasonable by the management. Qualifications, Languages and Education Requirements (UK) law degree or comparable qualification (bar admission is an advantage, but not required) 1–3 years of experience in a legal, regulatory, or compliance role, ideally within financial services or a consumer-facing industry Prior exposure to motor finance or automotive sector is beneficial, but not essential Fluent English (written and spoken) is essential; German is an advantage Proficiency in MS Office and general document management tools Basic understanding or initial exposure to: complaints and claims handling processes FCA Handbook (in particular DISP) UK consumer protection framework data protection (UK GDPR / Data Protection Act 2018) Preferred Skills Experience in drafting and reviewing documents or supporting contract processes Experience in coordinating with internal stakeholders and, where applicable, external legal advisers Strong attention to detail and a structured, organised working approach Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities in a fast-paced environment Analytical mindset with an affinity for financial and commercially relevant topics Proactive and reliable team player with a willingness to learn and develop Strong communication skills, with the ability to clearly summarise and present information to non-legal stakeholders Ability to work under pressure and meet regulatory and operational deadlines Full right to work in UK essential.
Last Updated By:	Marius Schiwietz Can / Michaela Reisinger		Date/Time:	24 July 2026 / 5 August 2026

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QA Analyst

Buckinghamshire

Contract

Full-time

Job ID:

34721

Published date:

2026-07-14

Summary

QA Analyst

Commissions Project

We are looking for a candidate with experience in automotive finance and QA to support with 3 separate commissions project topics.

Accountabilities of the role will include:

Ability to learn and understand new processes and systems promptly
Create QA framework including scope and purpose, elements under review, pass and fail criteria and reporting structure that all align with existing QA approach
Perform daily check the checker reviews across 3 separate commission related projects
Provide clear and constructive feedback upon completion of each review
Provide stakeholder feedback and recommendations as applicable
Monitor output for emerging risks or trends
Recommend any process improvements to the framework as reviews are ongoing for a better customer experience

Key skills/knowledge/experience:

Good understanding of Consumer Duty, Vulnerable Customers, and FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) principles
Good understanding of good Customer Outcomes and how this is applied to the framework
QA experience, preferably within the automotive finance sector
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to make complex information clear and easy to understand
A proactive, positive, and determined mindset, with a willingness to overcome challenges
Ability to work independently and as part of a team, adapt to change quickly, learn effectively, and consult confidently with colleagues when needed
Ability to mark reviews fairly, consistently, objectively and compliantly within set guidelines and frameworks
Strong organisational & time management skills to ensure adherence to timeframes

Excellent analytical skills and attention to detail
Effective communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to work to tight project deadlines and alongside a programme team

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Quality Assurance Outcome Testing Specialist

Buckinghamshire

Permanent

Full-time

Job ID:

34688

Published date:

2026-07-09

Summary

Job Description

Job Description

JOB DETAILS
Company: Mercedes-Benz Financial Services
Job Title: Customer Operations –Quality Assurance Outcome Testing Specialist
Department: Customer Operations/Quality & Operational Excellence		Current Grade: L6
Reports to: Quality Assurance Manager
Date: June 2026
KEY PURPOSE OF THE JOB
This role focuses on quality assurance and compliance within Customer Services, Resolutions, and regulatory programs. It involves independent testing and reviews, maintaining segregation of duties, call listening, administrative tasks, and working with third-party suppliers to ensure high standards are met and correct customer outcomes are provided. You'll also contribute to process improvement and stay up to date on changing regulatory requirements.
ACCOUNTABILITIES (6-10 single sentence statements)
	PERCENTAGES
You are required to maintain ethical standards in accordance with Daimler AG Policies and the Company's Compliance Guidelines and Policies including Anti-Bribery and all relevant competition law. You are also required to act with integrity, with due care and skill in our customers’ best interests and to abide by any other individual conduct rule required by the Financial Conduct Authority.	-
· Reporting into the Quality Assurance Manager, you will conduct daily and timely reviews across all contact channels (phone, email, post, webforms, MMF & live chat) to ensure compliance and adherence to company policies, processes, business rules and regulations. · As part of the Quality Assurance team, you will conduct reviews for teams within the scope of Customer Operations and provide support for cross-company and regulatory projects, requiring flexibility between topics. Competency assessments must be passed and levels maintained to ensure that the correct accreditation is in place for the reviews that must be performed. · You will assess interactions across a defined scope of processes and time frames to ensure that the service delivered meets the requirements and expectations of both the customer and the business. This includes considering the adequacy of the outcomes reached and recommending any remediation required when poor outcomes are identified. · Your responsibilities include taking ownership of your recommendations, actively monitoring their progress, ensuring all related actions are completed within the agreed timeframe, and escalating issues when necessary. You will be responsible for driving the success of any actions that you have identified to ensure that these are completed either within the team or the wider business. · You will use the findings from your reviews to suggest the best approach for future reviews, influencing the team's overall testing strategy. · Reviews must be completed in line with defined targets for volume and precision, providing clear, accurate, and constructive feedback on areas that would benefit from improvement. · Working closely with the Quality Assurance Manager and stakeholders where required, you will support the creation and maintenance of a high-performing workforce by reporting and feeding back all quality outcomes while remaining fully compliant with FCA regulations.	50
To remain up to date on all regulatory change and to support with continuous improvement. · Maintaining knowledge across all in-scope processes following any process or system updates and ensuring adherence at all times to any changes that are introduced, is a key responsibility. · As an Outcome Testing Specialist, you will be responsible for identifying necessary changes and advocating for continuous improvement to support better customer outcomes and service, based on root cause analysis. You will contribute to the cycle of change managed through process development and recommend areas where additional training may be required. · You will complete proactive and meaningful trend analysis to identify any emerging compliance risks, training gaps, or process shortfalls, and provide feedback and recommendations to address them. This includes considering the adequacy of controls at all stages of a process to mitigate potential harm to customers and highlighting change candidates for review and improvement. · Proactively collaborate with colleagues from the wider business to identify potential friction points in the customer journey and suggest solutions to improve or remove them. · Actively participate in the implementation of any changes identified through 2LOD and/or audit reviews to improve the delivery and output of the team.	20
Support the Quality Assurance Manager with additional topics that will ensure that we keep our stakeholders informed and that allow us to promote and develop the team. These will include but are not limited to the following: · Attending meetings on behalf of the team, across varying management levels, to present and share our findings and results and to highlight actions we are taking to improve these. · Support with check the checker and competency reviews, if required, to ensure that all members of the team are performing to the optimum level. · Regular framework reviews with recommendations for any aspects that need to be updated or new additions that need to be considered as our approach and processes evolve. · Engage in stakeholder interactions to highlight any immediate areas of concern requiring attention or remediation and provide results and outcomes of trend analysis in a format tailored to the stakeholder.	15
Providing feedback: · The ability to effectively communicate the outcome of any review and the tasks performed by the team, either in writing or verbally, with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels is essential. · Providing feedback to colleagues to support improvement in calibration sessions, both internally within the team and across the wider business with stakeholders, is a key responsibility.	15
TOTAL	100%
KEY SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE

· Good understanding of Consumer Duty, Vulnerable Customers, and FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) principles · QA and/or Outcome Testing experience, preferably within the automotive finance sector · Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to make complex information clear and easy to understand · Effective listening, coaching, persuasion, reasoning and influencing skills · A proactive, positive, and determined mindset, with a willingness to overcome challenges · Ability to work independently and as part of a team, adapt to change quickly, learn effectively, and consult confidently with colleagues when needed · Ability to mark reviews fairly, consistently, objectively and compliantly within set guidelines and frameworks · Strong organisational & time management skills to ensure adherence to timeframes · Clear understanding of what influences high performance · Proactive analytic skills with evidence of critical thinking and logical reasoning, including identifying root causes · Coaching and feedback experience · Ability to understand and interpret data to provide insight for others · Understanding of Resolutions & Customer Services (desirable)
ORGANISATION CHART/DEPARTMENTAL STRUCTURE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Identify any other necessary information to fully understand the dynamics of the role, key challenges, additional complexities which are not listed above.

DIMENSIONS (Use only those applicable)
Direct Budget is defined as being responsible for setting and managing a departmental budget; Indirect Budget includes, for example, supporting a department’s budget/having discretion over trading allowances/helping to achieve Warranty Budget.
Number of Direct Reports: 0
Indirect Staff Reports: 0

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