Head of Risk & Compliance (SMF16/SMF17)

If you thrive in early-stage environments, combining commercial leadership with calm, practical risk and compliance judgement, this role will suit you. RiskTAE is partnering with a fast-moving, FCA regulated long-term savings and retirement business to appoint a commercially minded Head of Risk & Compliance. This is a hybrid role, with an expectation of around 2 days per week in the London office. This is a senior role, close to the ExCo and board stakeholders. You will be crucial in proactively shaping how the business scales safely, rather than reviewing decisions after the fact. This is front-office facing risk and compliance. You’ll be alongside product and operations early, helping teams move quickly while keeping decisions defensible, regulator-ready, and aligned to good customer outcomes. Done well, risk and compliance becomes a competitive tool: sharper choices, cleaner launches, fewer surprises, and more confidence from investors and stakeholders. This role will hold SMF16 (Compliance Oversight) and SMF17 (MLRO), subject to FCA approval. They need someone forward-looking. Someone who can scan what’s coming, translate it into priorities that teams can actually execute, and build a scalable operating model that supports growth without turning the place into treacle. As this role and department matures, it is expected to fully develop into the Chief Risk Officer (CRO) position. Why this role is different Pace is high, resources are finite, and judgement matters more than the size of the teamYou are joining to build and shape the function, not inherit a mature second lineYou’ll spend more time in conversations and decisions than in policy rewritesYou’ll make calls with imperfect information, document trade-offs clearly, and keep controls proportionateYou’ll be a key voice in regulatory readiness and engagement, keeping the story and evidence straight What you will own Compliance and product governance are the centre of gravity, supported by a simple risk operating model and clear accountability. You will own: the risk and compliance agenda across the customer lifecycle, including conduct, product governance and customer outcomesfinancial promotions governance, customer communications, disclosures and evidence of good outcomessenior management accountability under SMCR, including compliance oversight and financial crime leadershipa fit-for-purpose risk and control approach, including risk appetite, MI/KRIs, monitoring and a simple assurance rhythmsenior stakeholder cadence, decision-grade reporting, and effective escalation when trade-offs are realoversight of key third parties and outsourced arrangements where customer outcomes and regulatory obligations sitbuilding and scaling the function over time, including operating model design and selective hiring Where you’ll spend your time You’ll be leaned on heavily in areas like: product changes, new propositions, pricing, features, disclosures and customer journeysdistribution, partnerships, financial promotions and customer communicationsmonitoring design that finds issues early without drowning teamsincidents, breaches and root-cause fixes that stickhorizon scanning, translating regulatory change into clear decisions and prioritiescoaching teams to involve risk and compliance early because it helps them move What good looks like in the first 6 months You’ll know you’re winning if: product and ops involve you early because you unblock decisions safelygovernance becomes clearer and faster, not heaviermonitoring is targeted, useful, and acted onthe business can evidence good outcomes with less friction and fewer late surprisesregulatory readiness improves because the story, controls and decision trail make sense What RiskTAE is looking for We’re looking for a commercially minded risk and compliance leader who can operate at pace and keep things simple. You will likely be a fit if you have: senior risk and or compliance leadership experience in an FCA regulated environmentstrong product, conduct and customer outcomes instincts, ideally in a growing or changing businessmeaningful exposure to long‑term savings, investments or retirement propositions, or clear evidence you can close gaps fastconfidence owning financial crime oversight and wider regulatory obligations under SMCRevidence you can build monitoring and assurance that scalesa practical, commercial approach. You simplify controls while improving outcomes and evidence You do not need perfect enterprise risk framework pedigree. You do need to be confident creating a basic, clean risk and control structure that gives senior stakeholders confidence. Process initial and discreet conversation with RiskTAEinterview with the COOpractical scenario assessment with a senior panelfinal interview with the CEO Apply If you recognise yourself in the brief, we’d welcome a conversation. Apply via LinkedIn, or message RiskTAE directly for a confidential discussion. #J-18808-Ljbffr