Head of Compliance

At Rathbones, we help people invest their money well, so they can live well. That means more than financial returns – it’s about helping people feel confident in their decisions and supported in their future. We don’t just manage money, we guide people through life’s big moments, helping them stay on track and focus on what matters most.

We’re proud to be one of the UK’s leading wealth managers, with over £109bn* in assets under management and 20+ offices across the UK and Channel Islands. We’re a FTSE 250 company with national reach and a local feel – and we’re growing.
*As of June 2025

Role Title: Head of Compliance

Division: Vision

Location: Falmouth

Contract: Permanent 

Working pattern: Hybrid

About the Role

Manage all aspects of regulatory Compliance for Vision

Senior Manager Function 16 (SMF16) – Compliance Oversight, with primary responsibility for ensuring the firm’s ongoing compliance with all applicable FCA rules and regulations.

What you’ll be responsible for

Advise the Executive Committee in a timely manner of:

• FCA related and other regulatory issues.
• Any relevant impact from changes to the FCA rules.
• Ensure that Vision can respond in a timely basis to requests for information from the FCA.

• Maintain an open, transparent, and cooperative relationship with the FCA in accordance with Principle 11, ensuring timely disclosure of all matters the FCA would reasonably expect to be notified of. Make all appropriate notifications and relevant Notifiable Events to the FCA and any other information relating to Vision of which the FCA would reasonably expect notification.
• Monitor and ensure Vision’s ongoing compliance with FCA threshold conditions (COND), taking proactive steps to address any actual or potential breaches. All routine and ad hoc reporting to the FCA i.e., RMAR and other Reports via the RegData system.
• Although not CASS authorised check the Vision’s compliance with the Client Assets Sourcebook (CASS). Maintain oversight of the effectiveness of the firm’s systems and controls which are designed to achieve compliance with the requirements of CASS, report to the firm’s Exec in respect of that oversight.
• Take all reasonable steps to understand, implement, and embed the requirements of the FCA Consumer Duty, ensuring all staff act to deliver good outcomes for retail clients within areas of responsibility. For the avoidance of doubt, these steps include:
  • Supporting the Board in achieving its strategic objective and purpose in relation to the requirements of the duty.
  • Support the Board to review and approve an assessment which confirms compliance on an annual basis.
  • Maintain an effective Risk and Compliance Framework that defines, measures, and monitors the outcomes for clients.
  • Support data requirements, particularly in client outcomes, client journeys and customer scenarios.
  • Actively manage Consumer Duty risks and monitored against key risk indicators; and
  • Maintain policies, procedures and operation risk processes that comply with the Duty.
  • Ensure Vision all times complies with the requirements of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, and the FCA Principles, Code of Practice for approved persons and rules.
• Promote a culture of compliance and good conduct.

Approved Persons:

• Oversight to ensure that all new Vision Approved persons receive FCA approval before commencing duties.
• Oversight to ensure Vision notify FCA of any Approved persons performing a new controlled function, ceasing to perform a controlled function or any notifiable changes to both AR Firm and personal details.
• Oversight to ensure that the fitness and propriety of all Approved Persons and AR Firm are reviewed on an annual basis.

Compliance Monitoring:

• Ensure that Vision has adopted a risk-based approach to compliance monitoring both in 1st and 2nd lines of defence as appropriate.
• Ensure that Vision keeps appropriate and relevant management information to allow oversight, and that any problems / adverse trends or risks identified are passed on to other senior managers in a timely manner.

Systems and Controls:

• Regularly review and assess the effectiveness of any delegated SMF activities, ensuring they are performed to the required standard and in line with Vision’s regulatory obligations. Conduct or maintain oversight of Risk based monitoring and reviews of Vision systems and controls.
• Monitor the output from any 1LOD or 2LOD client file reviews to ensure regulatory requirements are being met and root causes are assessed, and systems and controls updated.

Complaints:

Oversee the handling of all complaints in accordance with FCA DISP rules, ensuring fair, prompt, and effective resolution, and timely reporting to the FCA where required.

• Ensuring that complaints notifications or reporting to FCA is submitted accurately and on a timely basis. 

PII:

• Ensure adequate and appropriate PII cover is in place and renewed annually to regulatory requirements..
• Handle any claims and liaise with PII providers and their representatives to manage such claims.

Recruitment:

• Ensure that Vision’s recruitment policies meet the regulatory requirements and are adhered to.

Training and Competence:

• Ensure all relevant individuals are subject to on-going supervision and assessment.
• Oversea the management and effectiveness of the T&C Scheme including competency assessments.

Financial Crime:

Work closely with the Vision and Group AML and IT teams to identify, assess, and mitigate financial crime risks, ensuring systems and controls are robust and effective. Appointed Representatives:

Monitor and oversee Vision’s appointed representatives, ensuring full compliance with all regulatory requirements under the Appointed Representatives (AR) regime. SMCR Responsibilities

• Maintain and regularly update the Statement of Responsibilities (SoR) for the SMF16 role.
• Ensure annual fit and proper assessments are conducted for all Senior Managers and Certified Persons, with appropriate records maintain

Our offer to you

We want everyone at Rathbones to fulfil their potential, in an environment where you are proud to work and feel like you belong.

We offer a comprehensive remuneration package, which we review regularly, and benefits include:

• A company pension - 9% non-contributory or 10% if you contribute 5%
• Private medical insurance – Individual on joining, family after 1 year’s service
• Life assurance  - 8 x salary
• Income protection – 75 % salary
• Company share scheme
• Discretionary bonus
• Flexible holidays – purchase up to 5 additional days
• Green Car Scheme
• Family friendly policies – enhanced family leave for parents & carers
• Study support – study days and funding for courses and qualifications
• Season travel ticket loans
• Volunteering days
• Gym discounts
• Other voluntary benefits you can choose to suit you 

Our employees can choose to take part in various social groups and communities to support their wellbeing, growth, development and sense of community. These include:

• Sports & Social Committees, such as cricket, football, netball, running, yoga, quiz nights, charity bake sales and much more.
• Inclusion Networks that help us drive change within the organisation such as Gender Balance, Multicultural, Abilities Count, Pride, Social Mobility, Generations, Take a moment to pause (Menopause) and Armed Forces. 
• The NextGen IM Network, which brings together a community of trainees from across the UK, who are all at the early stages of their careers and offers development opportunities, exposure across the business as well as peer support and connection.

Life at Rathbones

We aim to become an employer of choice for the wealth management sector, to achieve this we are working hard to build a diverse, equal, and inclusive workplace that motivates, develops and embraces the strengths of all our colleagues. Being part of Rathbones means you will join a team of passionate professionals in a successful culture that cares for its people. At Rathbones, we provide meaningful work, opportunities, and a voice to all.

We are committed to building a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences and abilities and encourage applications from all backgrounds. We welcome individuals who share our values.

We’re a Level 1 Disability Confident employer under the UK Government scheme. This means we’ve signed up to a set of commitments around how we recruit, retain and develop people with disabilities. Find out more about the Government Scheme online.

If you feel there are any reasonable adjustments that would make the process easier for you and help you to perform at your best whether that is due to disability, neurodiversity or other protected characteristic, just let us know by emailing us at recruit@rathbones.com

Mission

We believe in playing the long game. That means building consistent results, earning trust and doing the right thing — for our clients, our colleagues and the communities we’re part of.

Our values shape how we work:
- We aim high
- We get it done
- We show we care
- We do the right thing

These aren’t just words on a wall. They guide how we treat each other, how we make decisions and how we build relationships that last.

We will close this advert once we have received enough applications for the next stage. Please submit your application as soon as possible to ensure you don’t miss out.