Group Head of Compliance

Remote | South Africa | UK Business Hours

Senior Leadership Opportunity | Insurance, Financial Services & Investment Group

Remote Choice is recruiting on behalf of its client, a UK-headquartered international investment group operating across the insurance, financial services and property sectors, for an experienced Group Head of Compliance.

This is a senior leadership opportunity for a commercially minded, technically strong and hands-on compliance professional to strengthen regulatory governance, manage compliance risk and support the continued growth of an international, AI-first business.

Purpose of the Role

The Group Head of Compliance will own the Group's compliance framework, ensuring businesses and supported licensed entities across the UK, Guernsey, the Cayman Islands and other jurisdictions meet their regulatory obligations.

The role will establish a centralised, technology-driven compliance system with live performance measures, providing the Board with clear and transparent oversight of regulatory risk.

The successful candidate will apply independent judgement and a practical, commercially aware approach to identifying compliant solutions that support business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Compliance Framework and Regulatory Governance

• Own the Group's compliance policies, risk assessments, monitoring plans and regulatory calendar across all jurisdictions.
  

• Maintain a comprehensive compliance register, with a named owner, measurable outcome, and due date for every item.
  

• Map regulatory obligations by entity and jurisdiction to ensure each business understands its specific requirements.
  

Financial Crime Prevention and Controls

• Oversee anti-money laundering (AML), counter-terrorist financing (CTF) and sanctions controls in collaboration with the Group Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO).
  

• Establish customer due diligence (CDD) and know-your-customer (KYC) standards for clients, brokers, capacity providers and introducers.
  

• Oversee screening, suspicious activity escalation and regulatory record-keeping.
  

Conduct, Customer Protection and Product Governance

• Oversee complaints handling and associated management reporting.
  

• Review financial promotions, marketing materials and websites before publication.
  

• Oversee product governance and fair value assessments for insurance and surety products.
  

Regulatory Engagement and Submissions

• Prepare and submit regulatory returns, notifications and change-in-control filings within required deadlines.
  

• Manage regulator correspondence, including responses to queries and application comments.
  

• Support licence applications for new entities and cells in collaboration with legal advisers.
  

Compliance Monitoring, Assurance and Reporting

• Maintain a red, amber and green (RAG) compliance scoreboard and deliver a structured compliance testing programme.
  

• Investigate and record breaches and incidents, ensuring remediation actions are completed.
  

• Deliver quarterly compliance reports to the Group Board and relevant supported entity boards.
  

Data Protection and Training

• Coordinate compliance with UK GDPR and South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), working with the data protection lead.
  

• Deliver compliance training and maintain completion records.
  

Systems and Automation

• Manage a centralised compliance platform that the team can operate without specialist support.
  

• Work with the Head of Agentic Operations to develop AI-enabled compliance monitoring and onboarding agents, ensuring human sign-off at every decision point.
  

Key Performance Measures

Performance will be assessed from the first quarter, with specific targets confirmed in writing during the first week.

Performance Area

Target

Compliance Register

Every item assigned an owner, measure, and due date within 30 days of joining.

Open Compliance Risks

Material open (red) items reduced to an agreed target by day 90 and cleared by month 6.

Regulatory Submissions

100% of regulatory returns and notifications filed on or before their deadlines.

Complaints Management

All complaints acknowledged and resolved within applicable time limits.

Compliance Training

100% of staff complete annual compliance and financial crime training.

Board Reporting

Quarterly compliance reports delivered on time to each relevant board.

Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• Compliance Experience: Minimum 8 years' experience in insurance, insurance intermediaries or financial services compliance.
  

• Leadership: At least 3 years leading a compliance function or team.
  

• UK Regulatory Knowledge: Working knowledge of the FCA Handbook and Money Laundering Regulations 2017, gained in the UK or a UK-facing role.
  

• Financial Crime: Hands-on experience in anti-money laundering, sanctions and customer due diligence.
  

• Regulatory Engagement: Experience drafting policies and managing regulator correspondence and submissions.
  

• Communication: Excellent written English, with the ability to produce clear, precise and concise documentation.
  

Desirable Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• Experience with the Guernsey Financial Services Commission (GFSC), Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) or another offshore insurance regulator.
  

• Knowledge of South African FAIS and FICA requirements, or FSCA compliance officer approval.
  

• A recognised compliance qualification, such as the ICA Diploma in Governance, Risk and Compliance.
  

• Experience in surety, construction insurance, Lloyd's or delegated authority arrangements.
  

• Experience implementing compliance management systems or automation.
  

Key Behaviours and Competencies

Competency

Expected Behaviour

Independent Judgement

Provides clear, objective advice and identifies compliant routes to achieve business objectives.

Practicality

Develops effective controls that can be implemented and maintained in day-to-day operations.

Precision

Produces accurate policies, regulatory submissions and correspondence first time.

Influence

Builds trust with senior colleagues and boards through expertise and sound judgement rather than relying on authority.

Organisation

Manages multiple regulatory deadlines across jurisdictions without missing critical requirements.