Legal, Compliance & Financial Crime Recruitment

Legal, Compliance & Financial Crime Recruitment: Connecting Top Talent in the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, and the US

Broadgate supports organisations where legal, compliance, and financial crime capability is central to regulatory confidence, business protection, and long-term performance.

Embedded in key regulated markets across the UK, Ireland, DACH, and the US, our consultants understand the hiring pressure created by regulatory change, financial crime exposure, sanctions complexity, and increasing personal accountability.

Whether you’re building a compliance function, appointing an MLRO, strengthening financial crime controls, or exploring your next move, Broadgate provides specialist guidance across the full Legal, Compliance and Financial Crime lifecycle.

Looking for top talent? Talk us through your hiring plans, and we'll connect you with the specialist who can support you:

Speak to a Consultant

Hoping to move into a rewarding new career in Legal, Compliance, and Financial Crime? Check out our latest opportunities:

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Why Choose Broadgate for Legal, Compliance and Financial Crime Recruitment?

A Specialist Partner for Business Protection

Legal, Compliance, and Financial Crime sit at the centre of Business Protection, the functions that protect organisations against regulatory, financial, legal, and reputational risk.

Broadgate supports hires where governance standards, regulatory accountability, and board confidence matter.

We deliver permanent, interim, contract, embedded, and executive search mandates, with a focus on specialist, senior, and regulator-exposed appointments.

Regulator-Ready Hiring for High-Accountability Roles

Hiring into Legal, Compliance and Financial Crime functions requires more than technical capability.

The right candidates need judgement, credibility, and the ability to operate under scrutiny.

We support organisations hiring for:

MLRO and Deputy MLRO appointments
Head of Compliance and SMF16 roles
Financial Crime leadership
Sanctions, AML, KYC, and transaction monitoring
Regulatory legal and compliance advisory
Compliance monitoring, assurance, and testing
General Counsel and senior in-house legal roles

Our approach is built for roles where hiring decisions can affect regulatory approval, enforcement exposure, and business continuity.

Market Intelligence Across Regulated Sectors

Legal, Compliance and Financial Crime hiring changes quickly in response to regulation, enforcement activity, market entry, and remediation.

Broadgate works with firms navigating:

FCA, PRA, SMCR, DORA, MiCA, and cross-border regulatory requirements
Financial crime remediation and control enhancement
First-time compliance and MLRO appointments
Second line and third line function builds
Multi-jurisdiction legal and compliance hiring
Fintech, banking, asset management, insurance, and payments growth

This gives us a clear view of candidate availability, compensation trends, and hiring expectations across regulated markets.

Salary Guides

Explore Broadgate's latest salary benchmarks, compensation insights and hiring trends across Legal, Risk, Compliance and Financial Crime.

Compliance Salary Guide: UK

Compliance Salary Guide: Ireland

Access to Off-Market and Diverse Talent

The strongest Legal, Compliance and Financial Crime professionals are often not active in the market.

Broadgate engages talent through long-term relationships, specialist networks, and community-led sourcing. This supports access to off-market candidates and more representative shortlists across governance and control functions.

For clients, this means stronger candidate quality, better retention potential, and reduced hiring risk.

A Long-Term Partner for Legal, Compliance and Financial Crime Hiring

Legal, Compliance and Financial Crime hiring is often linked to regulation, transformation, remediation, and leadership change.

We support this through flexible delivery models:

Executive search for General Counsel, MLRO, Head of Compliance, and Financial Crime leadership
Retained search for specialist senior appointments
Interim and contract hiring for urgent regulatory needs
Embedded solutions for function buildouts
Advisory support for role design, benchmarking, and assessment

This gives organisations continuity across hiring cycles, rather than one-off recruitment support.

We don't do transactional hiring. Start a meaningful partnership with a talent consultant you can trust:

Speak to Our Consultants

MEET THE TEAM

Meet Ben

Ben Adams

Co-Founder and Managing Director

Meet Matt

Matt Carter

Associate Director: Risk, Compliance, Financial Crime

Meet Connor

Connor Nurse

Head of US

Meet Declan

Declan Stark

Principal Consultant - Risk

LATEST JOBS

Remote work, England

Senior Compliance Manager

Permanent£80000 - £100000 per annum

Senior Compliance Manager (SMF Designate)UK Remote/ London HybridA high-impact Compliance leadership opportunity within a fast-growing, technology-led financial services business operating across insurance and fintech. Reporting to the Chief Risk Officer, you will lead the UK Compliance function, act as the firm's primary FCA contact, and be put forward for approval under the Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SMCR). This role offers broad exposure across regulatory compliance, financial crime, governance, consumer duty, and risk management, with significant influence on business growth, product development, and regulatory strategy. Key ResponsibilitiesLead the UK Compliance function and assume SMF responsibilities following FCA approval.Act as the primary liaison with the FCA, managing regulatory engagement, submissions, and notifications.Maintain and enhance Compliance and Financial Crime frameworks, ensuring they remain effective and scalable.Oversee compliance monitoring, risk assessments, controls testing, incident management, and regulatory reporting.Lead Consumer Duty and AML/CTF programmes, including governance, monitoring, and reporting obligations.Support new product launches, partnerships, and market expansion initiatives from a regulatory perspective.Provide reporting and insight to senior leadership and the Board on compliance, conduct risk, financial crime, and regulatory developments.Requirements8+ years' experience in Compliance, Financial Crime, Risk, or Legal roles within insurance, insurtech, fintech, banking, payments, or other regulated financial services environments.Experience operating at, or ready to step into, an FCA-approved Senior Manager Function role.Strong knowledge of FCA regulations, Consumer Duty, SMCR, AML/CTF requirements, and wider UK regulatory frameworks.Proven ability to build pragmatic compliance frameworks within high-growth or technology-led businesses.Strong stakeholder management skills with experience engaging regulators, senior leadership, and Boards.This is an excellent opportunity to take ownership of a critical function within an innovative, scaling organisation and play a key role in shaping its regulatory and compliance strategy.

Georgia Mason

Posted about 1 hour ago

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Norfolk, East Anglia, England

Senior Compliance Oversight Manager

Permanent£0 - £65000 per annum

Senior Compliance Manager As the Senior Compliance Manager, you will be responsible to ensure regulatory requirements are met, deliver good customer outcomes, and maintain robust governance frameworks in accordance with Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) expectations, including Consumer Duty. Some Key ResponsibilitiesProvide ongoing oversight and constructive challenge to ensure regulatory standards are maintainedBuild strong, credible relationships with senior management, advisers, and operational teamsProvide proactive, forward-looking compliance support to identify emerging risks and support early interventionProvide guidance on complex regulatory matters relating to mortgage and protection adviceIdentify, assess, and manage regulatory and conduct risks within the businessOversee monitoring activity, including file reviews, call assessments, thematic reviews, and audit outputsProvide clear, risk-based reporting to senior stakeholders, committees, and the Board where requiredExperienceStrong knowledge of UK financial servicesStrong knowledge of FCA regulation including MCOB, ICOBS and Consumer DutyDeep understanding of mortgage and protection advice processesStrong communication and stakeholder management skills.Experience in managing people effectivelyCeMAP Qualified

Matt Carter

Posted about 1 hour ago

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City Of Bristol, Bristol, South West, England

Compliance Manager

Permanent£70000 - £75000 per annum

Compliance Manager Overview To ensure compliant delivery of service excellence and operational effectiveness, ensuring that internal policies and procedures are up to date and adhere to FCA and other regulatory requirements. Monitoring and reporting on corporate standards with regard to compliance with all regulatory requirements.Key Responsibilities:Responsible for the creation, evolution, and implementation of an appropriate monitoring regime across all group entities to ensure compliance standards are maintained and timely remedial actions are taken where necessary.Responsible for the timely and accurate submission of regulatory information and notifications to the FCA, and the completion of relevant group-level regulatory returns.Ensure financial promotions across the group meet regulatory and internal business standards prior to approval, maintaining consistency in interpretation and application.Identify all areas across the group where compliance oversight is required to ensure regulatory requirements and industry best practices are metStay informed of changes in the regulatory landscape and assess potential impacts on the group's operations, working proactively with senior colleagues to develop plans that ensure continued compliance.Ensure all change initiatives are managed within the appropriate risk management framework (including financial and operational risk) and follow the group's authorisation structure for any process amendments.Experience & Qualifications:CII level 4 Diploma in Financial Services and/or relevant compliance qualificationsWorking knowledge of FCA Principles and RulesPrevious experience in a similar role within the Wealth Management and Financial Planning industry

Matt Carter

Posted 1 day ago

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City Of Bristol, Bristol, South West, England

Compliance Manager

Permanent£70000 - £75000 per annum

Matt Carter

Posted 1 day ago

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London, Greater London, South East, England

Head of Compliance

PermanentCompetitive

Head of Risk & Compliance — Founding Leadership Role | AI-Native Fintech | UK EMI Launch Join one of the UK's most ambitious fintech builds: an AI-native business neobank for SMEs. This company combines agentic AI, persistent memory and human oversight with a fully regulated banking core — redefining what a regulated financial institution can look like. This is a rare founding opportunity to build the entire risk and compliance function from zero, not inherit one, while leading the business through FCA EMI authorisation. Why this role:Own the FCA EMI application end-to-end — strategy, evidence pack, regulator engagement, approval.Design the risk, compliance, financial crime and safeguarding framework from scratch.Sit at the heart of the executive team, embedding compliance into a genuinely novel AI-native operating model — architecture, not afterthought.Build and lead the function as the company scales post-authorisation.Partner directly with founders and engineering on AI governance and human-in-the-loop controls — cutting-edge territory for a compliance leader.What you'll need:Direct experience successfully obtaining FCA EMI authorisation at least once — essential.Senior risk, compliance or financial crime leadership experience within an EMI, payment institution, fintech or regulated financial services.Strong command of AML, sanctions, KYC/KYB, safeguarding, operational resilience and Board reporting.A builder's mindset — comfortable without a mature process library around you.Credibility with the FCA and confidence to challenge founders and partners constructively.📩 Get in touch to find out more — happy to share full details confidentially.

Annabel Lovell

Posted 2 days ago

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Leeds, West Yorkshire, Yorkshire, England

Head of Compliance Monitoring

Permanent£100000 per annum

Head of Compliance Monitoring A key hire to help design and implement a robust Compliance Monitoring Framework. This role is pivotal to ensure our client adheres to regulatory obligations, internal policies, strengthening financial crime controls. Some Key ResponsibilitiesDesign and implement a comprehensive compliance monitoring frameworkLeading thematic reviews across the businessDeveloping and maintaining an annual risk-based compliance monitoring plan.Reviewing controls and coaching the business on improving compliance monitoring.Regulatory horizon scanning for upcoming regulatory changes and leading with the support of the wider risk and compliance team on regulatory change initiatives. ExperienceStrong knowledge of UK financial services, preferably from a Wealth & Investment Management background.Proven experience in compliance monitoring within financial services or a regulated environment.Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.Experience in leading teams and managing people effectivelyExperience in designing compliance frameworks from scratch.

Matt Carter

Posted 2 days ago

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Bath Avon, South West, England

Compliance Assurance Manager

Permanent£80000 per annum

Compliance Assurance Manager The Opportunity to join a growing and well-established regulated organisation is seeking an experienced Compliance Assurance Manager. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced compliance professional to play a key role in strengthening governance, risk management and regulatory oversight within a dynamic and evolving business. Some Key ResponsibilitiesLead the delivery of the Compliance Assurance programme across the business.Develop and maintain a comprehensive compliance and assurance framework.Conduct thematic and risk-based compliance reviews.Provide independent challenge to business areas and senior stakeholders.Monitor the implementation of remediation actions and assess their effectiveness.Review and challenge risk assessments, controls and governance arrangements.Support ongoing monitoring of regulatory compliance and emerging risks.Provide guidance on regulatory requirements and best practice.Support internal and external assurance activities where required.Manage and develop members of the compliance team.Promote a positive compliance and risk culture throughout the organisation.Deliver compliance training and awareness initiatives.Contribute to regulatory change projects and business improvement initiatives.ExperienceSignificant experience within a Compliance, Risk or Internal Audit function in a regulated environment.Experience operating within a Second Line of Defence model.Previous people management experience.Strong understanding of governance, risk management and internal controls.Sound knowledge of UK financial services regulation and regulatory expectations.Experience engaging with senior stakeholders and providing constructive challenge.Excellent communication and relationship-building abilities.Relevant professional qualifications or equivalent industry experience.A proactive approach with the ability to prioritise competing demands in a fast-paced environment.

Matt Carter

Posted 2 days ago

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Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh, Scotland

Administrative Operations Senior Manager (6-month FTC)

Contract£40000 - £50000 per annum

Operations & Administration Manager | Edinburgh | Hybrid | 6-Month FTC An exciting opportunity has arisen within a leading international professional services firm for an experienced Operations & Administration Manager to join on a 6-month fixed-term contract. This is a key leadership role within a fast-paced environment, ideal for someone who enjoys leading people and improving operational performance across teams. About the role You will be responsible for leading multiple administrative and operational support teams, ensuring they are well-managed and delivering a consistent, high-quality service across the business. Key responsibilities include:Leading multiple administrative and operational support teamsManaging, supporting, and developing Team Leads and senior administratorsDriving day-to-day service delivery and operational performanceImproving processes, workflows, and ways of working across teamsSupporting workforce and resource planningPartnering with senior stakeholders across the businessEnsuring quality, governance, and performance standards are consistently metSupporting recruitment activity and contributing to succession planningBuilding capability and strengthening team performance across the functionWhat we’re looking for We are looking for someone with experience in operations or senior administration within a professional services or similar environment.Strong people management experience, ideally managing Team Leads or senior administratorsExperience improving processes and operational efficiencyConfident working with senior stakeholders in a professional environmentStrong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple prioritiesA practical, solutions-focused approach to problem solvingExperience working in a fast-paced, service-driven environmentAbility to take ownership and drive improvements independentlyEligibilityPlease note: this role is open only to candidates who hold the right to work in the UK (UK citizens or equivalent work-authorised status)What’s on offerOpportunity to lead and develop operational support teamsHigh visibility role working with senior stakeholdersChance to make a real impact on service delivery and efficiency6-month fixed-term contract within a leading professional services firmIf you are an experienced operational leader who enjoys developing people and improving how teams work, we would be keen to hear from you.

Amanda Dolan

Posted 2 days ago

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