Senior Director, Ethics & Compliance Operations

JLL; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 133,000 - 178,000; Full time

Job summary

JLL in London/Chicago invites a senior leader to head the Ethics & Compliance Centre of Excellence, turning strategy into disciplined execution and driving transformation, automation and AI initiatives across the CoE.

Reporting to the Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer, you will build governance, manage budgets and resourcing, and partner with Legal Operations, Strategy and JBS Leadership to advance an enterprise-wide ethics program.

Qualifications

• Leadership in Legal Operations, Compliance Operations, or similar in regulated environments.
• Proven strength in strategy development, transformation and change management.
• Experience managing senior stakeholders and presenting to governance committees.
• Familiarity with AFC/compliance domains (AML, sanctions, ABAC) is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational excellence across the E&C CoE and drive automation and AI initiatives.
• Set strategic agenda with the CECO and run the operating rhythm including governance forums and budgeting.
• Ensure on-time, on-budget delivery and accountable reporting to governance forums.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures for the E&C team.
• Partner with Legal Operations, Strategy, and JBS Leadership on shared infrastructure initiatives.

Skills

Operations management

Governance

Executive presence

Stakeholder management

AI fluency

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Reports to: Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer (CECO) | Location: London / Chicago — global remit

We’re JLL— a leading professional services and investment management firm specializing in real estate. We shape the future of real estate for a better world by using the most advanced technology to create rewarding opportunities, amazing spaces and sustainable real estate solutions for our clients, our people, and our communities. As a Fortune 200 company, we help real estate owners, occupiers and investors achieve their business ambitions. We have operations in over 80 countries and a global workforce of over 115,000 individuals. We believe a diverse and inclusive culture is one where everyone succeeds. That’s why we’re committed to creating an environment where we all feel welcomed, valued, and empowered to achieve our full potential.

What This Job Involves

This is a new senior leadership role, responsible for driving operational excellence and strategic transformation across JLL's global Ethics & Compliance Centre of Excellence. Reporting to the CECO and part of the E&C senior leadership team, this role turns E&C strategy into disciplined execution, to build a high-performing function and drive transformation, automation and AI initiatives across the CoE.

The role brings strong operations management and governance capability, with a focus on defined actions and accountability for delivery; directly impacting team culture and capability-building across the function.

Key Responsibilities

Support a High-Performing E&C CoE

• Work closely with the CECO and their senior leadership team to set and drive E&C's strategic agenda.
• Build and run the operating rhythm for the E&C CoE: governance forums, strategic planning, reporting, budget tracking, and resourcing.
• Design and lead initiatives to accelerate organisational maturity and operational discipline.
• Drive strategic transformation and critical projects — defining and supporting compliance operationalisation, automation and AI utilisation.
• Work in close partnership with Legal Operations & Strategy, E&C Product Owner and JBS Leadership on shared infrastructure initiatives and to prioritise E&C's AI use-case roadmap, ensuring initiatives are coordinated across regional and pillar teams, and reporting outcomes/ROI to the CECO and governance forums.

Governance, Accountability & Delivery

• Chair E&C planning and delivery forums — ensuring strategic actions and deliverables are assigned, monitored and delivered.
• Hold peers and line reports accountable for on-time, on-budget delivery.
• Own E&C's operational MI — budget vs. actuals, programme status, KPI/outcome tracking — and prepare/quality-control materials for CECO reporting into the CLO, LEC and ARC.
• Drive remediation strategies and compliance projects, ensuring appropriate resourcing and successful delivery.
• Support the development and maintenance of the E&C team's written standard operating procedures.

Team & Culture Building

• Lead a small team of E&C team members focused on programmatic and operational support across the CoE, setting priorities and reviewing delivery against commitments.
• Build team capability to support a growing technology and AI agenda across E&C.

Skills & Capabilities

• Curious, innovative and self-motivated, with a commitment to excellence.
• Strong operations management and governance capability.
• Exec presence and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to drive outcomes and hold individuals accountable to timelines.
• Enabling — collaborates to find workable and pragmatic solutions.
• AI/technology fluency, including AI use-case identification, prioritisation and delivery (not a technical build role, but credible with Technology and vendors).
• Ability to priorities what matters, simplify complexity and drive consistency.

Experience & Education

• Legal Operations, Compliance Operations, or similar operational leadership within a regulated or professional services environment.
• Proven strength in strategy development, transformation and change management.
• Experience managing senior stakeholders and presenting to senior management/governance committees.
• Familiarity with compliance/AFC domains (AML, sanctions, ABAC) is a plus but essential — this is an operations/transformation role and not a regulatory subject-matter role.
• Bachelor's degree / equivalent.