Senior Compliance Manager

MERJE; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Annual bonus

Competitive salary

Job summary

MERJE is partnering with a UK-wide automotive retail group to recruit a Senior Compliance Manager into its Compliance, Risk & Governance function. The role reports to the Head of Compliance and serves as a key second to shape the function and manage significant projects.

You will balance advisory and monitoring duties, overseeing compliance across consumer credit, motor finance, insurance distribution and financial promotions, with line management responsibility for a Compliance team member.

Qualifications

• Experience within an FCA-regulated environment is essential.
• Broad compliance background across advisory and monitoring roles.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and reporting skills.

Responsibilities

• Support ongoing development and delivery of the Compliance Monitoring and Assurance Plan, including thematic reviews of regulated sales processes.
• Lead on Consumer Duty, including outcomes monitoring and board-facing reporting.
• Provide practical compliance advice across consumer credit, motor finance, insurance distribution and financial promotions.
• Develop and improve compliance policies, procedures and frameworks to remain proportionate and effective.
• Help implement a new Quality Assurance framework with a structured approach to assurance.
• Produce and present compliance and risk reports to Executive and Board-level stakeholders.
• Monitor regulatory developments and translate changes into actionable business steps.
• Support FCA engagement, regulatory reporting, complaints, breaches and incident management.
• Provide oversight across wider risk management and financial crime responsibilities.
• Assist with due diligence for acquisitions and governance around dealership closures.
• Act as deputy for the Head of Compliance when required.

Job description

Regular travel to dealerships across the UK, with occasional overnight stays. Dealership visits count towards the three-day weekly attendance requirement.

Salary: Competitive Salary + Car Allowance + Annual Bonus

We're working exclusively with a well-established, UK-wide automotive retail group to recruit a Senior Compliance Manager into its Compliance, Risk & Governance function. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Compliance Manager or established Senior Compliance Manager to take on a key leadership position within a large, multi-site business, working closely with the Head of Compliance and helping shape the future direction of the function.

The successful individual will act as a genuine number two to the Head of Compliance, taking ownership of significant projects and workstreams, providing senior-level guidance and helping ensure the business continues to meet its regulatory obligations in a practical and commercially focused way.

The Role

Reporting to the Head of Compliance, you will take a broad, hands-on approach to compliance, balancing advisory responsibilities with monitoring, assurance and wider governance activity.

• Supporting the ongoing development and delivery of the Compliance Monitoring and Assurance Plan, including thematic reviews of regulated sales processes.
• Leading on Consumer Duty, including outcomes monitoring, identifying areas for improvement and preparing reports for the Board.
• Providing practical compliance advice across consumer credit, motor finance, insurance distribution and financial promotions.
• Developing and improving compliance policies, procedures and frameworks, ensuring they remain proportionate and effective.
• Playing a key role in introducing a new Quality Assurance framework, moving towards a more structured and consistent approach to assurance.
• Producing and presenting compliance and risk reports to Executive and Board-level stakeholders, confidently communicating findings and recommendations.
• Monitoring regulatory developments and translating changes into practical actions for the wider business.
• Supporting FCA engagement, regulatory reporting, complaints, breaches and incident management.
• Providing oversight across wider risk management and financial crime responsibilities.
• Supporting compliance due diligence and integration activity relating to acquisitions, alongside governance around dealership closures.
• Deputising for the Head of Compliance when required, acting as a key point of contact for senior stakeholders across the business.

You will also have line management responsibility for a member of the Compliance team, supporting their development and helping maintain a collaborative, high-performing function.

About You

We're keen to speak with individuals who have a broad compliance background and are comfortable operating across both advisory and monitoring responsibilities.

• Experience working within an FCA-regulated environment, ideally across consumer credit, motor finance, automotive retail or insurance distribution.
• A good understanding of Consumer Duty, financial promotions and regulated sales processes.
• Exposure to both Compliance Advisory and Monitoring/Assurance, with the ability to identify risks and recommend practical solutions.
• Experience developing compliance policies, procedures and frameworks, with an interest in building or improving Quality Assurance processes.
• Confidence managing substantial projects and workstreams independently, without relying on significant levels of supervision.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to engage with, challenge and influence senior stakeholders.
• Experience preparing Board and Executive-level reporting and presenting findings and recommendations.
• A commercially minded and pragmatic approach, able to balance regulatory requirements with the needs of the business.
• Experience of financial crime oversight, risk management, FCA engagement, regulatory reporting and M&A activity would also be beneficial.

Importantly, this isn't about finding someone who has ticked every technical box. The business is looking for someone with the breadth, judgement and confidence to take ownership, make decisions and get things done.

The Opportunity

This is a particularly interesting time to join the business, with the opportunity to play a key role in shaping and developing a leaner Compliance function.

You'll work closely with an experienced Head of Compliance, have regular exposure to senior leadership and be given the autonomy to take ownership of important areas of the function.

The business has a genuinely collaborative culture, with an open-door approach and a strong emphasis on building relationships across the wider organisation.

For someone with longer-term ambitions to progress into a Head of Compliance position, this could be an excellent next step.