Senior Compliance Monitoring Officer

Purpose of the role

AJ Bell is a regulated firm and must comply with FCA requirements to “monitor and… assess the adequacy and effectiveness of the measures and procedures” established under SYSC 6.1.2R, as set out in SYSC 6.1.3R.

The Senior Compliance Monitoring Officer (SCMO) supports the HoCM in providing effective compliance oversight through the development, execution, and refinement of a risk‑based Compliance Monitoring Plan (CMP). This includes identifying and recommending monitoring activities based on internal and external risk factors.

The primary purpose of the SCMO is to ensure AJ Bell complies with all relevant FCA rules, guidance, and principles by conducting monitoring activity. This includes deep‑dive reviews, agile reviews, and routine monitoring to ensure the delivery and ongoing assessment of good consumer outcomes.

The role also supports the wider Risk & Compliance function through the maintenance of key regulatory records (e.g., breaches register, gifts and hospitality register, Market Abuse documentation) and by contributing to internal and external regulatory reporting, and management information.

What does the job involve?

The key responsibilities of the role are as follows:

• Conduct in‑depth monitoring reviews in line with the CMP, applying rigour, accuracy, and effective challenge.
• Produce clear, well‑structured reports of findings using the compliance reporting template.
• Support the Head of Compliance Monitoring with the maintenance and delivery of the Compliance Monitoring Plan whilst contributing significantly with the criteria used to form the plan.
• Represent the compliance function in delivering feedback on monitoring reviews, unaided, and support the other Compliance Monitoring Officers with their delivery.
• Ensure any agreed action from reviews is effectively closed with use of the Action tracker.
• Evaluate if good consumer outcomes are delivered constantly and consistently across the business.
• Providing ad hoc compliance regulatory guidance and support to relevant business areas.
• Maintain essential records and documents, as required by the FCA rules.
• Ensure that all relevant management information is provided in a timely manner and to compile and provide comment for any relevant governance committee.
• Undertake additional Compliance activities as required, including rule analysis, ad‑hoc reporting, and supporting training design and delivery.
• Coach and support team members to develop capability, performance, and engagement.
• Undertake other compliance activities, such as rule analysis, production of ad hoc reports, assisting with design and delivery of training as required from time to time, under the direction of the Risk & Compliance Management team.
• To coach other team members to develop and improve service and performance as well as input towards the implementation of the engagement strategy.

Competence, knowledge, and skills

• Proven experience operating in an FCA‑regulated environment, ideally within a business model comparable to AJ Bell’s — such as investment platforms, managed investment solutions, or retail dealing services.
• Demonstrable experience in compliance, internal audit, or regulatory oversight within an FCA‑regulated environment, including monitoring and testing activities.
• Working knowledge or strong awareness of: The UK regulatory regime, with an understanding of the wider EU regulatory landscape. Relevant sections of the FCA Handbook, including COBS, SYSC, Financial Crime, CASS, and MAR. Expectation to develop as a subject matter expertise in at least one Handbook area.
• In depth understanding of monitoring and testing methodologies.
• Frameworks supporting the delivery and assessment of good customer/consumer outcomes.
• The legislative framework for financial crime, including JMLSG AML guidance and the FCA’s financial crime requirements.
• Data Protection legislation (e.g., UK GDPR, DPA 2018).
• Experience of compliance monitoring or the provision of regulatory advice across platform dealing, investment operations, and trade execution activities (e.g., Best Execution, Transaction Reporting, Market Abuse) is desirable.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to present monitoring findings clearly, concisely, and appropriately for different audiences.
• Ability to build rapport through effective, credible communication.
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills, enabling constructive challenge across the business.
• High attention to detail, ensuring accuracy and rigour in monitoring work.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret regulatory changes and assess their business impact across processes, procedures, and customer literature.
• Competence in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Word and Excel.
• Familiarity with internal databases and back‑office systems such as Figaro or Composer (advantageous).
• Effective planning, organisation, and time‑management skills, including:
• Structured planning of routine and ad‑hoc work.
• Ability to prioritise effectively in a fast‑paced environment.
• Accurate recording, documentation, and maintenance of a robust audit trail.
• Commercial awareness, recognising how Compliance Monitoring impacts the broader business and operational environment.
• Ability to motivate, coach, and engage others to support continuous improvement within the team.

About us:

AJ Bell is one of the fastest-growing investment platform businesses in the UK offering an award-winning range of solutions that caters for everyone, from professional financial advisers to DIY investors with little to no experience. We have over 644,000 customers using our award-winning platform propositions to manage assets totalling more than £103.3 billion. Our customers trust us with their investments, and by continuously striving to make investing easier, we aim to help even more people take control of their financial futures.

Having listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange in December 2018, AJ Bell is now a FTSE 250 company.

Headquartered in Manchester with offices in central London and Bristol, we now have over 1,500 employees and have been named one of the UK's 'Best 100 Companies to Work For’ for six consecutive years and in 2024 and 2025 named a Great Place to Work®.

At AJ Bell you can expect a friendly working environment with a strong sense of teamwork, we have a great sense of pride in what we do, and this is reflected in our guiding principles.

What we offer:

• Competitive starting salary
• Generous holiday allowance of 26 days, increasing up to 31 days with length of service
• Holiday buy and sell scheme
• A choice of pension schemes with matched contributions up to 7%
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• Annual free share awards scheme
• Buy As You Earn (BAYE) Scheme
• Health Cash Plan – provided by SimplyHealth
• Discounted private healthcare scheme and dental plan
• Free gym membership
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Bike loan scheme
• Sick pay+ pledge
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave
• Loans for travel season tickets
• Death in service scheme
• Paid time off for volunteer work
• Charitable giving opportunities through salary sacrifice
• Calendar of social events, including monthly payday drinks, annual Christmas party, summer party and much more
• Personal development programmes built around you and your career goals, including access to personal skills workshops
• Ongoing technical training
• Professional qualification support
• Talent development programmes
• Peer recognition scheme, with rewards including restaurant and shopping vouchers or time off
• Monthly leadership breakfasts and lunches
• Casual dress code
• Access to a range of benefits from our sponsorship deals

Hybrid working:

At AJ Bell, our people are the heart of our culture. We believe in building strong connections by working together. That's why we offer a hybrid working model, where you’ll spend a minimum of 50% of your working time per month in the office. For new team members, an initial period will be full-time in the office to help you immerse yourself in our business and build valuable relationships with your colleagues.

AJ Bell is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and all employees are empowered to bring their whole self to work.

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, religion, physical and mental disability, marital status and any other characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010. All decisions to hire are based on qualifications, merit and business need.

If you like the sound of the above, or just want to know more about the company and the role, we'd love to speak to you.