Executive Director - Accounting & Regulatory Policy

96 Morgan Stanley UK Ltd; Glasgow; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Morgan Stanley seeks an Executive Director to lead the Accounting & Regulatory Policy team in Glasgow. You will steer policy outcomes across regions and entities, providing strategic accounting and regulatory guidance with enterprise-wide impact.

The role offers global horizon scanning and significant interaction with senior leadership. You will interpret IFRS and US GAAP, balance regulatory expectations with risk appetite, and oversee governance to ensure robust policy in Basel-based and

Qualifications

• Experience advising on accounting and regulatory policy with enterprise-wide impact.
• Ability to interpret IFRS and US GAAP in complex contexts.
• Strong judgement in ambiguous, high-stakes situations balancing technical and commercial risk.
• Proven leadership of senior teams and ability to influence at MD/ED level.

Responsibilities

• Act as a senior leader within Policy, accountable for driving policy outcomes across regions and entities.
• Provide strategic, forward-looking accounting and regulatory advice to senior management.
• Apply enterprise risk lens to policy interpretation and governance.
• Provide authoritative leadership on IFRS and US GAAP with complex, judgement-heavy issues.
• Own and oversee global GAAP horizon scanning and translate developments into actions.

Skills

IFRS knowledge

US GAAP knowledge

Regulatory policy advisory

Executive stakeholder engagement

Policy interpretation

Education

Chartered Accountant (CA) or equivalent

ACCA

CPA

Job description

Executive Director - Accounting & Regulatory Policy JR034072 Glasgow

This is an Executive Director level position within our Accounting & Regulatory Policy Job Family which is responsible for the firms Accounting Policies under USGAAP and IFRS and Basel Based Regulatory Capital and Liquidity policy. Accounting & Regulatory Policy ('Policy') is a global function within Finance which supports Morgan Stanley in achieving its business goals by providing independent, enterprise level advisory and oversight in relation to Accounting Policy and Prudential/Regulatory Policy for a broad range of internal and external stakeholders. As a result of this focus, Policy plays a critical role in safeguarding the Firm's financial integrity, regulatory standing and risk profile, and in supporting strategic decision making across the Firm. Policy is a key contributor to client advisory, major Firm initiatives and regulatory change programs, helping to shape and influence the Firm's long term strategy. Following a continued expansion in scope, complexity, and senior stakeholder engagement, an Executive Director opportunity has arisen within the Glasgow Accounting & Regulatory Policy team, which operates as a global centre of excellence and senior advisory hub for the Firm. The role has global remit and accountability, with responsibility across Accounting and Regulatory Policy, including IFRS, US GAAP and Basel based frameworks. The role provides enterprise wide influence, advising leadership on matters with material financial, regulatory, and reputational impact.

What will you be doing?

• Act as a senior leader within Policy, accountable for driving consistent, well governed policy outcomes across regions and legal entities.
• Provide strategic, forward looking advice to senior management on accounting and regulatory developments that may impact the Firm's financial position, capital, disclosures or strategy.
• Apply an enterprise risk lens to policy interpretation, ensuring alignment between accounting outcomes, regulatory expectations and the Firm's risk appetite and governance framework.
• Provide authoritative leadership on IFRS and US GAAP interpretation, with particular focus on complex, judgement heavy areas and issues with Firm wide impact.
• Own and oversee the Firm's global GAAP horizon scanning agenda, translating emerging standard setter developments into clear assessments of risk, impact, and recommended actions.
• Act as final escalation point within Glasgow Policy for complex accounting matters, including significant transactions, structural changes, and disclosure judgements with material financial or reputational consequences.
• Provide senior policy leadership on prudential regulation, including Basel III, CRR/CRD, PRA rules, and related supervisory guidance, ensuring robust, defensible interpretations are applied consistently across the Firm.
• Advise on regulatory policy implications of strategic initiatives, balance sheet changes and evolving business models, focusing on capital, leverage, liquidity and regulatory disclosure impacts.
• Support the Firm's response to regulatory change by shaping policy positions, governance frameworks, and implementation approaches for high impact regulatory initiatives.
• Represent Policy in major Firm programs, steering committees and governance forums, influencing outcomes where policy judgement is central to success.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and thought partner to senior stakeholders across Finance, Risk, Legal, Treasury, and the Businesses, exercising independent challenge where appropriate.
• Ensure complex issues are appropriately escalated, documented, and resolved in line with Firm governance expectations.
• Provide visible, senior leadership within the Glasgow team, setting expectations aligned to Executive Director standards of judgement, ownership, and accountability.
• Manage and develop senior team members, with accountability for performance management, talent development, and succession planning.
• Drive sustainable capability building across Policy, ensuring the team is positioned to meet future accounting and regulatory challenges.

What we're looking for

• Qualified accountant (CA, CPA, ACCA or equivalent).
• Deep technical expertise in IFRS and/or US GAAP, combined with strong understanding of prudential regulatory frameworks and supervisory expectations.
• Proven experience providing senior level accounting and/or regulatory policy advice on issues with enterprise wide financial, regulatory, or reputational impact.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgement in complex, ambiguous situations, balancing technical rigor with commercial and risk considerations.
• Strong influencing and communication skills, with the credibility to engage and challenge at Executive Director and Managing Director level.

Skills that will help you in the role

• Strategic mindset, with the ability to connect technical policy detail to Firm level outcomes.
• Strong appreciation of enterprise risk, governance and regulatory expectations.
• Experience contributing to or leading large scale accounting or regulatory change programs.
• Collaborative leadership style, combined with the confidence to challenge constructively and drive decisions.

What you can expect from Morgan Stanley:

At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients – helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that’s differentiated – and we’ve done that for 90 years. Our values - putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back - aren’t just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what's best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you’ll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. There’s also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work. To learn more about our offices across the globe, please copy and paste https://www.morganstanley.com/about-us/global-offices into your browser.

Certified Persons Regulatory Requirements:

If this role is deemed a Certified role and may require the role holder to hold mandatory regulatory qualifications or the minimum qualifications to meet internal company benchmarks.

Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a workforce that is diverse in experience and background. Our recruiting efforts reflect our strong commitment to a culture of inclusion, where individuals are hired, developed, and advanced based on their skills and talents. Our workforce reflects a broad cross-section of the global communities in which we operate, bringing a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives, and experiences. For more information, please visit: https://www.morganstanley.com/people-opportunities/eeo. At Morgan Stanley, we advise, originate, trade, manage and distribute capital for people, governments and institutions, always with a standard of excellence and guided by our core values. Morgan Stanley is dedicated to providing first-class service to our clients, in a way that reflects our commitment to creating a more sustainable future and fostering stronger communities around the world. In each line of business, we strive to demonstrate our belief in the power of transformative thinking, innovative strategies and leading-edge solutions—and in the ability of capital to work for the benefit of all society.