Compliance Officer

The role holder will act as the appointed Compliance Officer (CO) for licensed client entities serviced by the Client Compliance team. This position ensures that client entities meet all regulatory obligations under the GFSC framework, including financial crime requirements and compliance with applicable laws, rules, and codes of practice. The individual will provide assurance to Boards of client entities, oversee compliance monitoring, and act as the primary point of contact for regulatory and law enforcement matters relating to these prescribed roles.

What you’ll be doing

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the appointed Compliance Officer for licensed client entities under GFSC laws and applicable sector-specific rules, including the Regulation of Fiduciaries, Administration Businesses and Company Directors, etc. (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2000 (as amended) and/or the Protection of Investors (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2020 (as amended).
• Design, implement, and maintain the compliance monitoring programme for each client entity, ensuring monitoring activities are conducted on schedule and in accordance with GFSC expectations, and that findings are reported to the relevant Board.
• Provide proportional, accurate, and timely compliance advice and guidance to the business, management, and Boards of client entities on regulatory obligations.
• Compile and present Management Information on compliance matters, including key risk indicators and regulatory developments, to Boards of client entities and for internal group reporting purposes.
• Draft, maintain, and periodically review compliance policies and procedures for client entities, ensuring these remain current and aligned with GFSC requirements and applicable Codes of Practice.
• Prepare and submit an Annual Compliance Report to the Board of each client entity, providing a comprehensive assessment of the entity’s compliance position, key risks identified during the year, and recommended remedial actions, in accordance with GFSC requirements.
• Act as the primary point of contact with the GFSC on all compliance matters relating to client entities, including responding to supervisory enquiries and managing any regulatory visits or reviews.
• Ensure timely notification to the GFSC of material compliance failures, regulatory breaches, or other matters required to be reported under applicable licence conditions, Codes of Practice, or regulatory guidance.
• Maintain oversight of Business Risk Assessments (BRAs) for client entities, ensuring these are reviewed and updated in line with GFSC regulatory expectations and reflect the current risk profile of each entity.
• Oversee sanctions compliance obligations for client entities, including screening controls and the maintenance of procedures to identify and manage exposure to persons or entities subject to sanctions regimes applicable in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, including under the Sanctions (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2018 (as amended).
• Maintain oversight of staff fitness and propriety assessments and associated record-keeping, ensuring that persons holding prescribed roles within client entities remain fit and proper on an ongoing basis in accordance with GFSC requirements.
• Act independently in the discharge of compliance obligations, with direct access to the Board or senior management of client entities where necessary, ensuring the Compliance Officer function is free from conflicts of interest that could impair its effectiveness.
• Support the operation of effective whistleblowing arrangements within client entities, ensuring staff are aware of their rights and obligations and that concerns raised are handled appropriately and documented.
• Attend relevant internal committee meetings and promote a positive compliance culture at all levels throughout the business.
• Ensure knowledge of compliance obligations is kept up to date with developments in legislation, GFSC guidance, and industry practice.

The ideal background for this role:

Qualifications & Experience

• Relevant compliance qualification recognised by the GFSC; examples include ICA Certificate/Diploma in Compliance, CISI compliance qualifications, or equivalent. Candidates should be able to demonstrate compliance-specific continuing professional development (CPD) in line with GFSC fitness and propriety expectations
• 5 years’ relevant finance industry experience
• 5 years’ experience within the compliance environment

Knowledge

• A detailed knowledge and understanding of the Guernsey finance industry and GFSC regulatory requirements in which we operate
• Comprehensive knowledge of Guernsey AML/CFT/CPF legislation and the GFSC Handbook for Financial Services Businesses on Countering Financial Crime and Terrorist Financing (AML/CFT/CPF Handbook)
• Knowledge of Guernsey sanctions legislation, including the Sanctions (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2018 (as amended) and related sanctions orders, and the application of sanctions screening obligations to client entities
• Understanding of the GFSC fitness and propriety requirements for prescribed role holders under Guernsey financial services legislation, including the Fiduciaries Law 2000 and/or the POI Law 2020
• Familiarity with the GFSC Codes of Practice applicable to fiduciaries and/or investment businesses, and the obligations imposed on Compliance Officers and Money Laundering Reporting Officers (MLROs) thereunder
• Previous experience of acting as a CO in Guernsey
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines under pressure
• Previous experience of communicating with regulators

Skills & Abilities

• Persuading and influencing
• Leadership skills
• Strong communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Ability to train and educate all levels of staff
• Building and creating a sense of team spirit and loyalty
• Ability to develop policy, procedures and processes

Role Location/Hybrid Schedule

This role is based in our Guernsey office. Although the nature of most of the roles within Gen II cannot be classed as totally flexible, there is scope in some cases for a form of Agile Working. The different ways in which Agile Working can be undertaken is dependent on the demands and needs of the business, the office space available and the individual’s preferences and circumstances.

Legal statements

This role is a prescribed role under Guernsey financial services legislation, including the Regulation of Fiduciaries, Administration Businesses and Company Directors, etc. (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2000 (as amended) and/or the Protection of Investors (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2020 (as amended), as applicable to the licensed entities serviced. As Compliance Officer, you will be required to be a fit and proper person as assessed by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission (GFSC) and will be expected to maintain that status on an ongoing basis. You will be subject to the GFSC’s fitness and propriety requirements, including requirements as to competence, financial soundness, and integrity. The GFSC may take regulatory action, including the imposition of licence conditions, suspension or revocation of approval, where the holder of this prescribed role is found to have failed to meet applicable regulatory obligations. You will be required to adhere to the requirements of the Handbook for Financial Services Businesses on Countering Financial Crime and Terrorist Financing (the AML/CFT/CPF Handbook) issued by the GFSC, together with all applicable Codes of Practice, rules, and guidance issued by the GFSC from time to time.