Register as a Senior Manager Candidate
Most Senior Manager appointments are never advertised. Firms hiring a compliance officer, MLRO, chief risk officer, CFO or chair usually want a discreet search, and they want to see people who can be approved, not just people who are available. Registering with SMF Capital puts you in front of those searches. It takes a few minutes, it’s confidential, and every candidate who registers is reviewed personally by our founder, Adrian Lawrence FCA.
Who Should Register
We recruit for Senior Manager Functions and the senior roles around them at FCA and PRA-regulated firms. You should register if you are:
- An approved Senior Manager holding, or who has held, a function such as SMF1 Chief Executive, SMF3 Executive Director, SMF16 Compliance Oversight, SMF17 MLRO, SMF4 Chief Risk or SMF24 Chief Operations.
- A board member or non-executive who chairs, or could chair, a board or committee under SMF9 to SMF14.
- A deputy or head of function ready for a first Senior Manager role, such as a deputy MLRO, head of compliance monitoring, financial controller or head of risk.
- An interim or fractional professional who works for regulated firms on a part-time or project basis, particularly as a compliance officer or MLRO.
- A senior financial crime or risk specialist looking for a leadership role in payments, e-money, crypto-assets, wealth management, consumer credit, insurance or banking.
Not sure which function your experience fits? Our complete guide to SMF designations explains every function and the firms each one applies to.
Register Your Details
Complete the form below and attach your CV. If you prefer, email your CV to recruitment@smfcapital.co.uk or call 0203 137 2496.
Your details are held in confidence and used only to match you with suitable roles. We never send your CV to a firm without your agreement.
What to Include When You Register
The more we know at the start, the faster we can put you forward for the right roles. A strong registration includes:
- An up-to-date CV, with the firms you’ve worked for, your roles and dates
- Any Senior Manager Functions you hold or have held, and the firms they were held at
- Functions you have deputised for, formally or informally
- The sectors you know best, such as payments, crypto, wealth, consumer credit, insurance or banking
- Whether you want permanent, interim or fractional work, or are open to all three
- Your location, how far you will travel and whether you need hybrid or remote working
- Your notice period and, for interim or fractional work, your availability and day rate
- Anything that might come up in a regulatory reference or background check, so we can discuss it with you in confidence
That last point matters more than candidates expect. The regulator assesses every Senior Manager against the fit and proper test, and an issue that surfaces late can derail an application months after an offer. Raised early, most matters can be explained and managed. Our guide to regulatory references explains what previous employers must disclose.
What Happens After You Register
- We review your profile. Adrian Lawrence FCA reviews every registration personally. We aim to respond within two working days.
- A confidential conversation. If your experience fits the roles we recruit for, we’ll arrange a call to understand your background, what you want next and your approvability for different functions.
- Matching to searches. We’ll contact you when a role fits. Many of our searches are confidential, so we’ll describe the firm and role before naming the client.
- Your agreement first. We only introduce you to a firm once you’ve agreed to that specific role.
- Support through approval. If you’re offered a Senior Manager role, we help with the Form A, your Statement of Responsibilities and preparing for any regulatory interview.
If we don’t have a suitable role straight away, we keep your details on file and get in touch when one comes up. You can ask us to update or remove your details at any time.
Why Register With a Specialist SMF Recruiter
| Generalist recruiter | SMF Capital | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Job titles and keywords | Senior Manager Functions and the accountability each one carries |
| Assessment | Skills and salary | Skills, sector experience and approvability for the specific function |
| Confidentiality | Varies | Standard on every search; no CV sent without your agreement |
| Approval support | Rarely | Form A, Statement of Responsibilities and interview preparation |
| Who you deal with | A consultant | A Chartered Accountant who has worked at board level |
The Roles We Recruit For
We recruit permanent, interim and fractional Senior Managers across every main function, including compliance officers (SMF16), MLROs (SMF17), chief risk officers (SMF4), CFOs (SMF2), executive directors (SMF3), chief executives (SMF1), chief operating officers (SMF24), heads of internal audit (SMF5), senior business heads (SMF18), heads of UK branches (SMF19) and chairs and committee chairs. We also recruit the senior financial crime leaders who support the MLRO.
Current openings are listed on our jobs page, but most of our searches are filled from candidates we already know, which is why registering matters.
Interim and Fractional Candidates
Demand for interim and fractional Senior Managers has grown quickly, especially compliance officers and MLROs at smaller firms, payments businesses and crypto firms. Firms increasingly look for approved professionals who can work one to three days a week, or step in at short notice when a Senior Manager leaves. If you work this way, tell us your current commitments, how many days you have available and how you handle urgent matters on days you aren’t working, because firms and the regulator will both ask. Our pages on fractional MLRO recruitment, part-time compliance officers and interim compliance and MLRO roles explain what clients look for, and our guide to fractional SMF agreements covers the contract terms.
Aiming for Your First Senior Manager Role?
Many strong candidates are a step away from their first Senior Manager Function. The gap is usually evidence rather than ability: the regulator wants to see experience that matches the specific responsibilities you’ll hold. Formal deputising, attending the board and its committees, direct contact with the regulator and owning a discrete area of the function all help. Register with us even if you’re not quite ready, and we’ll give you an honest view of how close you are and what would strengthen your case. These guides will help you prepare:
- Preparing for an FCA or PRA approval interview
- Accepting an SMF role: due diligence before you say yes
- The first 90 days for a new MLRO or compliance officer
- The Conduct Rules explained
Confidentiality and Your Data
Many of the people who register with us are in senior roles and not openly looking. We treat every registration in confidence. We don’t contact your current employer, we don’t send your CV to any firm without your agreement to that specific role, and we only share the information a client needs to consider you. We hold your details securely, use them only for recruitment purposes, and will update or delete them whenever you ask. We handle personal data in line with UK data protection law; the Information Commissioner’s Office explains your rights.
Pay and the Market
If you’re weighing up a move, our SMF and compliance salary guide gives current salary and day-rate benchmarks by function, and our market update shows where demand is strongest. The FCA’s own SMCR pages are the best starting point for the rules that will apply to you.
Resources for Senior Manager Candidates
Guides, roles and market data for your next move. Every SMF search is led personally by Adrian Lawrence FCA
Getting Approved
What the regulator assesses.
→ The fit and proper test
→ Approval interviews
Flexible Work
Interim and fractional roles.
→ Fractional MLRO
→ Part-time compliance officer
Every SMF search is led personally by Adrian Lawrence FCA
Frequently Asked Questions
Is registering free?
Yes. Candidates never pay to register or to be placed. Our fees are paid by the firms we recruit for.
Will my employer find out?
No. We treat every registration in confidence and never send your details to a firm without your agreement to that specific role.
Can I register if I’ve never held a Senior Manager Function?
Yes. Many of our placements are first-time Senior Managers. We’ll give you an honest view of how ready you are.
Do you recruit for interim and fractional roles?
Yes. Interim and fractional compliance officers and MLROs are a growing part of our work.
Can I update or remove my details?
Yes, at any time. Email recruitment@smfcapital.co.uk.
About Our Founder
Adrian Lawrence FCA is the founder of SMF Capital. He is a Chartered Accountant and Fellow of the ICAEW, holds a practising certificate in his own name, and is a former listed-company Finance Director with a BSc from Queen Mary College, University of London. He founded FD Capital in 2018 and has since built a network of five specialist recruitment practices. He reviews every candidate registration and leads every SMF Capital search personally. View Adrian’s ICAEW profile.
Ready for Your Next Senior Manager Role?
Register above, or send your CV directly. We’ll review it personally and come back to you within two working days.