Head of Compliance

About the role
Loan.co.uk is one of the UK's fastest-growing mortgage, secured loan, bridging and protection brokerages. We're FCA regulated, 170 people, remote-first, and scaling fast. This role owns compliance across all four product lines — secured loans (our largest and highest-risk area), mortgages, bridging, and protection — spanning 70 advisers group-wide, and is the accountable senior manager for compliance across the business. 

You'll report directly to the CEO and sit on the senior leadership team. This is a hands-on build-and-run role, not a policy-writing desk job: you'll set the framework, build the plan and ensure it's executed. The successful candidate will be an all-rounder who can operate at Senior Manager level but has an exceptional eye for detail when they need to get into the weeds to identify root causes and find solutions. 

Responsibilities 

• Hold SMF16 (after probation sign-off — Compliance Oversight) as the FCA-accountable senior manager for compliance across secured loans, mortgages, bridging and protection. 

• Own and evolve the compliance framework, policies and procedures across all four verticals, with particular weight on secured loans given its scale and risk profile. 

• Take a pragmatic, risk-based approach — know the difference between what's a genuine regulatory requirement and what's an internal process choice, and don't gold-plate the latter. 

• Investigate and resolve compliance issues and complaints efficiently and proportionately — finding and fixing root causes rather than reacting to the problems. 

• Hold the line between first-line ownership and second-line oversight: coach brokers, underwriters and product teams to own their own controls, rather than compliance doing it for them. 

• Own delivery of Consumer Duty across all four verticals — fair value, consumer understanding and good outcomes evidenced end-to-end, not just implied through TCF and disclosures. 

• Use AI to actively redesign and speed up compliance processes — not just to monitor them after the fact — working with Product and Technology so new systems are compliant by design. 

• Build a tech-enabled compliance function — automating monitoring, reporting and controls without diluting regulatory standards. 

• Track regulatory change across CONC, MCOB and insurance distribution rules, and translate it into practical, product-specific action. 

• Act as the in-house expert on monitoring, conduct risk, Consumer Duty, Treating Customers Fairly, SM&CR and FCA reporting. 

• Use data and MI to proactively identify root causes and trends — rather than reacting to problems after they surface. 

• Partner with the leaders of each vertical and their teams to provide guidance, training and day-to-day compliance support. 

• Review documentation, disclosures and marketing across all product lines for clarity and fair outcomes. 

• Be the main point of contact with the FCA along with the CEO, owning regulatory submissions and ongoing communication. 
  
  

What you'll need 

• 7+ years in a senior compliance role in financial services, ideally spanning more than one regulated lending product (secured/second-charge loans, first-charge mortgages, bridging) and/or protection or insurance distribution. 

• Currently SMF16-approved, or ready to be put forward for approval. 

• Strong working knowledge of the UK regulatory environment — FCA rules, CONC, MCOB, SM&CR. 

• A track record of scaling compliance capability without scaling headcount — using technology and better process to make a small team considerably more effective, in a fast-growing, multi-product regulated business. 

• A pragmatic, commercially-minded approach to compliance — you distinguish hard regulatory risk from internal process preference, and calibrate effort accordingly. 

• A clear grasp of the three lines of defence model, especially the boundary between first-line risk ownership (the business) and second-line oversight (compliance). 

• Experience leading or improving complaint oversight, root-cause analysis and fair customer outcomes. 

• Experience implementing tech-driven compliance controls, monitoring systems or automated reporting — with a genuine interest in using AI to optimise process, not just to police it. 

• Commercial awareness — you know how to hold the line on risk without becoming the reason things slow down. 

• Confident, plain-speaking communication — you can make complex regulation land with brokers and leadership alike. 

• Comfortable operating autonomously in a fast-paced, remote-first environment. 

• Professional compliance qualifications (e.g. CRCM or equivalent) desirable; CeMAP or similar a bonus, not essential. 
  

What success looks like in year one 

• A proportionate compliance plan in place across all four verticals. 

• Clear ownership of first-line controls handed back to the business. 

• Improved MI that flags risk before it becomes a problem. 

• A working, repeatable regulatory-change process. 

• A roadmap for AI-enabled controls, with governance and auditability built in. 

• Capability scaled through technology, not headcount — a lean team that punches well above its size. 
  

What we offer 

• Competitive salary, based on experience. 

• BUPA health cover, Perkbox rewards and discounts, company pension. 

• Fully remote position — work from anywhere in the UK. 

• An opportunity to help shape and innovate the compliance function in a next-generation brokerage that's actively investing in growth. 
  

Ready to apply? 

You don't need to tick every box — if you've got the experience, judgement and drive to own this, we want to hear from you. 

We're proud to be an equal opportunity employer. If you need adjustments at any stage, just let us know.