Head of Risk & Compliance, UKIME

Department: Office of the General Counsel
Duration: Permanent
Location: London (or potential for other UK base)
Reports to: General Counsel
Type of Role: Hybrid
Reference no: 6043

The Department 

The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) manages complex legal and risk issues for the Firm, our Board, executive management, our lawyers, and staff. We focus on all elements of professional practice risk, including claims, complaints, core regulatory compliance, enterprise risk management, legal advisory, and governance.
The team is spread across our region, including London, Glasgow, Milton Keynes, and Dubai, with the team working in a hybrid model, and is made up of qualified lawyers and other qualified specialists. This enables us to provide a unique perspective on and fashion innovative solutions for the risk issues that arise across the Firm.

The Role

We have an exciting, high-profile vacancy in our legal department. We are looking for a Head of Risk and Compliance for UKIME.
You will play a vital role in working closely with the UKIME business to provide commercial and pragmatic advice and address legal issues on a day-to-day and strategic basis to support the achievement of the firm's goals.
Head of Risk and Compliance UKIME will be directly responsible to the UKIME General Counsel (GC) for:

• independently and in conjunction with the Deputy General Counsels, managing claims, day-to-day compliance issues, and sensitive investigations;
• leading the enterprise risk management process across the region with the GC, including developing and implementing risk control systems, and designing and rolling out a risk and compliance culture program in the UKIME region;
• understanding, evaluating, and driving compliance, risk, and operational culture improvements across the region, including regular travel between offices; 
• working with the GC to prepare management and board compliance and risk reports quarterly;
• leading, coordinating, and overseeing practice audits; and 
• Review of complex AML and conflict matters and processes in conjunction with the Global Head of AML and Global Co-Heads of Conflicts.

The responsibilities of the role:

• Be part of and work within the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) team for UKIME.
• Work collaboratively with other business support services within the firm, including AML, Conflicts, HR, finance, marketing, and business acceptance teams.
• Offer counsel on a variety of legal issues including assisting with responding to day-to-day queries received in the OGC inbox.
• Designing, implementing, maintaining, and monitoring effective compliance programs for the UKIME region.
• Working with the Business Acceptance team (AML and Conflicts) to lead improvements and changes to improve commercial and regulatory protection for the firm in response to risks across all parts of the UKME Region.
• Responding to regulatory audits and assisting the GC with regulatory and internal investigations arising across the region.
• Promoting a positive compliance and risk culture across all offices in the region. 
• Assessing, designing, and implementing appropriate governance structures across the region.
• Identifying regulatory risks to the business, reporting those to the GC, and formulating an effective response to those risks, including operating the firm’s risk register and department risk log.
• Monitoring the regulatory environment and planning and implementing responses to change when needed (both in terms of internal compliance precedent updates and firm-wide policy revisions).
• Designing, implementing, and managing projects directly or through the officers and analysts of the Global Risk Department together with the GC.  
• Developing and setting an annual compliance and risk strategy for the firm together with the GC and Deputy GCs. 
• Providing regulatory compliance advice to the business including advice on sanctions, ABC, SRA, DPA, and FSMA advice, and designing, implementing, and managing related compliance programs.
• Represent the firm before and build and maintain close working relationships with its regulators and within the legal risk profession.
• Assist the COLP and COFA with regulatory compliance, such as reports, updates guidance, and horizon regulatory scanning.
• Manage various projects and deadlines.
• Research unique legal issues impacting the organization by identifying applicable statutes, judicial decisions, and codes.
• Develop practical solutions to complex legal questions to ensure that Dentons' business and brands are protected and to facilitate the achievement of the firm’s goals.

Type of Role

Hybrid – Your place of work will be one of our offices, however there is no minimum (or maximum) number of days you must work from this office. We give you the freedom to decide with your team how efficiently and effectively you can deliver the best service to our clients, work with your colleagues, and progress your own personal development whilst recognizing the need to adjust plans where circumstances require. We encourage you to discuss this with our recruitment team and your interviewers to see how the team you are interviewing with are working to make sure this fits with your needs. You will be given an allowance to create a workspace in your own home, as well the kit to utilise the desks at any of our offices.

Required experience, skills, and attributes

• C.10 years experience working in risk and compliance preferably within a law firm environment.
• The candidate should have considerable experience in all aspects of this role with strong interpersonal skills and must display strong academics.  The candidate must be able to be a key influencer and understand how to implement change and drive risk cultures in an in-house legal role. 
• A can-do attitude and someone who has a passion for providing innovative and effective solutions to problems.
• Proactive self-starter who can work and make decisions independently whilst being a team player.
• Confident in handling a broad range of legal matters where both legal expertise and commercial pragmatism will be invaluable.
• Enthusiastic, can do lawyer with a passion for their work and willing to go the extra mile.
• Strong expertise in general commercial contractual work.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to deliver quality, commercial solutions under pressure.
• Ability to balance multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Ability to build relationships and influence across all levels within the business.
• Committed to personal development.
• Aptitude for cross-functional working.
• Have an eye for detail.

Firm Profile

Across over 80 countries, Dentons helps you grow, protect, operate, and finance your organization by providing uniquely global and deeply local legal solutions. Polycentric, purpose-driven and committed to inclusion, diversity, equity, and sustainability, we focus on what matters most to you. www.dentons.com

Diversity & Inclusion

Essential to our success as a global law firm is our ability to attract and retain the best talent from a diverse range of backgrounds. We want a work environment where everyone can reach their potential and we have an inclusive culture which respects individual differences.

We undertake and support a number of internal and external initiatives aimed at increasing diversity within the profession and we encourage all our partners and staff to get involved. We welcome you to learn more about diversity and inclusion at Dentons. Inclusion and Diversity

Equal Opportunities

Dentons is committed to providing equal opportunities for all. We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities and support those in the workplace who have a disability. During the application process, any applicant has the opportunity to tell us about any adjustments they may require during the application process. Any disability disclosure will be dealt with confidentially and sensitively and if you want to speak directly to a member of our team, please email recruitment.matters@dentons.com.

NO AGENCIES PLEASE

If you are interested in applying for this position, we welcome direct applications via our careers page, but if you have any questions beforehand please email recruitment.matters@dentons.com – Enquiries only please, applications will not be accepted via email.

Please note that we will not accept unsolicited CVs sent to the business, nor will we accept any associated terms of business.