Head of Risk and Compliance - Legal Solutions

Davies; Bolton; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading legal solutions provider in Bolton is seeking a Head of Risk and Compliance. This role involves ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, managing a team, and leading risk management efforts. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in legal risk and compliance, strong communication skills, and advanced knowledge of relevant regulations. Benefits include private medical insurance and 25 days of holiday.

Benefits

Davies Incentive Plan

25 days holiday

Family Cover Private Medical Insurance

Death in Service

Pension Contribution

Qualifications

• Proven experience in legal services risk & compliance role.
• Experience with managing commercial insurances.
• Strong understanding of GDPR/Data Protection Act.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with all relevant regulatory/client requirements.
• Manage risk registers and report on risks.
• Provide leadership and management for the team.

Skills

Advanced knowledge of SRA Regulatory regime

Understanding of AML, Bribery & Corruption

Communication skills

Strong planning and organisation skills

Teamwork

Education

Relevant legal services experience

Tools

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Head of Risk and Compliance - Legal Solutions

Application Deadline: 11 November 2025

Department: Risk and Compliance

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Bolton

Description

The role sits within the UK&I risk and compliance team. This divisional team supports the UK&I division of Davies Group and forms part of the wider Group Governance, Risk & Compliance function.

The team’s focus is to enable robust risk management and regulatory compliance – providing expert advice, guidance and oversight to support the business to ensure all legislative, regulatory and risk management policy requirements are met. Specifically this role is the primary risk and regulatory lead for Keoghs LLP and Davies UK&I legal solutions business units, supporting the Keoghs LLP COLP.

The Head of Risk & Compliance will be responsible for providing effective risk and regulatory support to the Davies UK & Ireland business whilst ensuring the smooth and effective operation of the team along with identification and management of risks.

Reporting directly to the Chief Risk & Compliance Officer – Davies UK & Ireland, the Head of Risk & Compliance will ensure all legislative, regulatory and best practice requirements are met and ensure the Risk & Compliance Team work effectively to achieve the team objectives in support of the wider divisional and Group objectives.

The role will lead on SRA regulatory liaison, will partner with the business to ensure risk and regulatory requirements are understood and effectively mitigated.

The role will drive continuous improvement across the Davies UK&I risk and regulatory landscape, advising on opportunities for improvement and designing robust and proportionate controls.

The role will be a visible and approachable ‘critical friend’ to the Davies UK&I senior leadership team, challenging decisions and providing insight to ensure sustainable and positive business outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Regulatory Compliance and Engagement. Working with Davies UK & Ireland to ensure compliance with all relevant regulatory / client requirements placed upon the business. Including identification of regulatory developments and impact and engagement with regulators.
• Maintenance of Risk Registers, ensuring meetings with each Operational Lead take place on at least a quarterly basis. Escalation of all risks to the Chief Risk & Compliance Officer and COLP, including reporting to Divisional and Executive Boards.
• Reporting. Provide reporting on risks to the Chief Risk & Compliance Officer and COLP, including production of monthly Quality & Risk Committee pack, monthly COLP pack and Board packs. Attendance as and when required.
• Management of the practicing certificate regimes across Legal Solutions and onboarding new partners.
• Management of ISO9001 audit.
• Regulatory and Insurance liaison and supporting the Group Insurance Team in the placement and maintenance of relevant insurance policies, in particular Legal Solutions Professional
  Indemnity.
• Supporting the Chief Risk & Compliance Officer and COLP as required in relation to all strategic initiatives and projects.
• Team Management. Providing leadership and management for the team on a day-to- day basis. Ensuring effective workflow management and capacity planning, mentoring and guidance and managing and developing talent including performance
  reviews. Conducting regular review meetings with each direct report and reviewing against objectives in accordance with review cycles. Management of all HR related matters in relation to absence, sickness and wellbeing.
• Financial Crime: Provide advisory support around financial crime related queries and ensure oversight of daily sanctions alerts.
• Conflicts of Interests. Providing advisory support around evaluation of potential conflicts of interest. Ensure all conflicts of interest are managed and documented to Group and local standards.
• Policies. Ensuring compliance policies and procedures are up to date.
• Training. Development and deployment of Risk & Compliance technical content across Davies UK & Ireland.
• Supporting the employee onboarding self-declaration process and ensuring risk assessments are completed.
• Client Audits and Due Diligence. Ensure Risk & Compliance are represented during client audits including on-site attendance, the provision of relevant information, and ownership of any compliance related actions/remedial activity. Supporting the management of new and existing client due diligence requests.
• Client Contract Reviews. Review of new and existing client contracts to ensure Risk & Compliance aspects are captured.
• Breaches. Provide advice and support to the business around management of incidents or issues.
• Mergers & Acquisition. Supporting the Head of M&A Compliance & Group Governance with integration projects.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

The Head of Risk & Compliance will have a proven experience and track record of working in a legal services risk & compliance role, and shall have the following experience & competencies:

• Advanced knowledge and understanding of the SRA Regulatory regime together with associated regulatory / legislative requirements in relation to AML, Bribery & Corruption, Financial Crime, Modern Slavery, Tax Avoidance and other related legislation
• Advanced knowledge & understanding of Risk & Compliance policies & procedures
• Advanced knowledge & understanding of Lexcel & ISO 9001
• Advanced knowledge & understanding of the GDPR / Data Protection Act (2018) and ideally have undertaken an accredited GDPR Foundation and / or Practitioner course
• Advanced knowledge & understanding of Health & Safety laws, policies and procedures and ideally be qualified to perform H&S desk assessment (or shall otherwise receive training upon the same)
• Advanced knowledge & understanding of managing commercial insurances, engagement with insurance brokers and the administration of insurance claims
• Communication skills (verbal and written) with a proven ability to communicate in clear & concise terms
• Strong planning and organisation skills, with the ability to react business needs & risks, and to producing material in a timely manner
• Keyboard skills & use of appropriate IT packages–Word / Excel / PowerPoint
• Teamwork–the ability to engage with the Operational Leads and to work together effectively in order to produce the necessary technical outputs
• The ability to work in a secure, sensitive & confidential environment.

Benefits

• Davies Incentive Plan
• 25 days holiday per year which increases with level of service (opportunity to buy & sell 3 days)
• Family Cover Private Medical Insurance (Bupa) - will automatically be at single cover level but can opt into family option within first month of joining.
• Simply Health Care Cash Plan
• WeCare – 24/7 online GP, mental health support and virtual wellbeing covering a whole host of topics to do with health, mental health, wellbeing & healthy living and financial & legal wellbeing
• Death in Service
• Critical Illness Cover
• PHI/Income Protection (Private health insurance)
• Pension Contribution based 5% Employee / 3% Employer
• Employee Resource Groups
• Employee Volunteering Programme
• Cycle to Work Scheme*
• Tech Scheme*
• Season Ticket Loan*
• Gym Flex*
• Access to Online Discount Sites
• Discounted Gourmet Society Membership
• Discounted Tickets for Merlin Attractions nationwide
• Discounts at local retail outlets

* after successfully completing probation