Live Compliance Officer Jobs

The Compliance Jobs We Fill

Every FCA-regulated firm needs someone who owns its compliance framework, advises the business and tells the board plainly when something is wrong. These are the compliance roles we recruit for most often.

Compliance Officer Jobs (SMF16)

At firms within the Senior Managers and Certification Regime, the person responsible for compliance oversight holds the SMF16 function. It is a Senior Manager role: you need FCA approval before you start, you carry a Statement of Responsibilities, and you are personally accountable for taking reasonable steps in your area. The function is rooted in the FCA’s SYSC 6.1 compliance rules. Our guide to SMF16 and SMF17 sets out what the role involves.

We recruit SMF16 holders for wealth managers, investment firms, insurers and brokers, consumer credit lenders, payments firms, banks and building societies. Many of these roles suit a first-time SMF16 stepping up from compliance manager or deputy head of compliance.

Head of Compliance and Chief Compliance Officer Jobs

In larger firms the head of compliance or chief compliance officer leads a team covering advisory, monitoring and regulatory change, and usually holds SMF16. These roles need strong people management and the confidence to report to the board and its risk or audit committee. We recruit heads of compliance at mid-size and larger firms, often confidentially.

Compliance Manager and Compliance Officer Jobs Below SMF Level

We also recruit compliance managers and compliance officers who support an SMF16 holder, especially where the role is a step towards one. Typical areas include compliance monitoring, financial promotions, Consumer Duty, complaints oversight, CASS and SMCR administration. Our guides to compliance monitoring and financial promotions cover two of the most common areas.

Combined Compliance Officer and MLRO Jobs (SMF16 and SMF17)

Smaller firms often combine compliance oversight and the MLRO role in one person. Joint SMF16/SMF17 roles are among the most common we see, especially at insurance brokers, advice firms, smaller investment firms and new firms seeking authorisation. You will need sound financial crime experience as well as compliance knowledge. These roles also appear on our MLRO and financial crime jobs page. Our articles on compliance officer and MLRO independence and when a combined role is split show how firms think about these jobs.

Compliance Jobs at Insurance Brokers

Insurance brokers and MGAs are a growing part of our work, including brokers leaving a network to become directly authorised. These firms need a compliance officer who understands general insurance, client money and the product governance rules. See our page on compliance officers for insurance brokers for what these roles involve.

Interim, Fractional and Part-Time Compliance Jobs

A large share of our compliance work is interim or fractional. Firms need experienced cover when a compliance officer leaves unexpectedly, during a remediation, through an authorisation application or while they run a permanent search. Smaller firms often need an SMF16 for one to four days a month rather than a full-time hire.

If you are an experienced, approved compliance officer, fractional work can mean holding SMF16 at more than one firm. Each firm will want to see that you have the time to do the role properly. Our guides to fractional or full-time compliance officers and what a fractional SMF agreement should cover are useful reading before you take one on. The 12-week rule explains how interim cover can start before approval.

Compliance Officer Salaries and Day Rates

Pay depends on the size of the firm, its sector and the location. The figures below come from our SMF and compliance salary guide and give a realistic starting point for the jobs on this page.

Role	Typical pay
Compliance officer (SMF16), smaller firm	£85,000–£140,000 base
Compliance officer (SMF16), mid-size firm	£130,000–£220,000 base
Compliance officer (SMF16), larger firm	£200,000–£350,000 base
Joint SMF16 and SMF17, smaller firm	£80,000–£130,000 base
Joint SMF16 and SMF17, very small firm outside London	£60,000–£90,000 base
Head of compliance, non-SMF (London)	£95,000–£150,000 base
Compliance officer, non-SMF (London)	£50,000–£85,000 base
Interim SMF16	£700–£1,100 a day
Interim compliance officer or manager	£400–£650 a day
Fractional SMF16/SMF17, one to four days a month	£650–£1,000 a day, often as a monthly retainer

Day rates are for engagements outside IR35. Inside IR35 the effective rate is typically 25–30% lower. Smaller firms are generally those with revenue or assets under management below around £50 million.

What Firms Look For in a Compliance Officer

When we put you forward for a compliance role, the firm will want to see:

• Sector knowledge. Compliance experience does not transfer evenly. A firm will value someone who already knows its permissions, products and customers.
• A monitoring programme you have run. A risk-based compliance monitoring plan, the findings it produced and how you followed them through.
• Board reporting. Clear, concise reports to the board or committees, and examples of escalating issues.
• Consumer Duty. Practical experience of outcomes testing, fair value assessments and the annual board report.
• Challenge. Times you pushed back on the business, and how you did it without losing the relationship.
• Qualifications. Not always required, but the ICA compliance diplomas or CISI qualifications help, especially at wealth and investment firms.
• A clean regulatory history. The FCA will assess you against its fit and proper standards, and your regulatory references will cover six years.

Stepping Up to Your First SMF16 Role

Many of the compliance officers we place are taking SMF16 for the first time. If you are a compliance manager, deputy head of compliance or senior compliance adviser, you may be ready for that step sooner than you think. Firms want to see that you have already owned the work, even if someone else held the function.

Before you apply, read up on the fit and proper test and the FCA approval interview. Once you have an offer, our guides to due diligence before accepting an SMF role and your first 90 days as a new compliance officer will help you start well.

Compliance Jobs by Sector

We recruit compliance officers across wealth managers, investment managers, insurers, MGAs and brokers, consumer credit firms, payments and fintech firms, crypto-asset firms and banks and building societies. Firms that are newly authorised or growing quickly are often the most rewarding places to work, because you build the framework rather than inherit it.

Compliance Jobs by Location

Most senior compliance jobs are in London, but we recruit across the UK and many roles are now hybrid. We regularly fill roles in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh. Fractional compliance roles are often largely remote, with time on site for board meetings and monitoring reviews.

Why Many Compliance Jobs Are Never Advertised

Firms often recruit a compliance officer quietly. The current holder may still be in post, the firm may be under supervisory attention, or it may be preparing an application for authorisation. In those cases the firm will not want an open advert. The way to hear about these roles is to be known to us before they come up, so if nothing on this page fits today, register with us.

How to Apply

Click through to any live role above, or email your CV to recruitment@smfcapital.co.uk with a short note covering:

• whether you hold or have held SMF16 or SMF17, and at which firms
• the sectors you know best
• whether you want permanent, interim or fractional work
• your location, notice period and expected salary or day rate.

Our team reviews every application. We never share your CV with a firm without your agreement first. You can also call us on 0203 745 0239.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to have held SMF16 before?

No. Many of our placements are first-time SMF16 appointments. Firms want to see that you have owned compliance work at a senior level, usually as a compliance manager or deputy head of compliance.

Do you only recruit SMF16 roles?

No. We also recruit heads of compliance, compliance managers and compliance officers below Senior Manager level, particularly where the role leads towards SMF16.

Can I hold a fractional compliance role alongside another job?

Often, yes. Many fractional compliance officers work for two or three firms. Each firm will need to be satisfied that you have enough time for the role.

Will my current employer find out I am looking?

No. We never send your details to a firm without your agreement first.

What does a closed role mean?

The firm is no longer taking applications for that role. We show recently closed roles so you can see the kind of work we do. Similar roles come up regularly, so it is still worth registering.