AFEX is a global Payments and Risk Management Solutions provider with a growing business in the EMEA region including offices in London, Dublin, Rome, Madrid, Stockholm, Zurich and Jersey.

AFEX Ireland has built a successful and growing sales business in Dublin and is the strategic location for the EMEA region moving forward with licensed entities for both Payments (PSD2) and Markets (MiFID) business. The continued growth of our Dublin office and our ongoing commitment to our presence in Ireland and the EU with the highest standards of Regulatory and Financial Crime Compliance creates a need for a Head of Compliance & Risk based in Dublin.

ROLE

The Head of Compliance & Risk is a senior role responsible for all essential compliance activities for AFEX Markets Europe’s investment business (FX Options) in Ireland and passported to the EU including oversight of branches in Rome and Madrid. The role will also be responsible for AML for the firm. The role-holder will have the opportunity to contribute significantly to the leadership of the Compliance function across the EMEA region and will be required to hold the PCF-14 and PCF-15 designations upon approval by the Central Bank of Ireland.  

Changes to the EU landscape including AFEX’s fully implemented Brexit solution have heightened the profile of our presence in Ireland and the importance of this role. The role-holder will partner with the CEO and Board to ensure the successful management of all regulatory affairs and will be the central point of contact for the CBI. AFEX Markets Europe (investment business) works hand-in-hand with Afex Ireland Ltd (Payments and FX) to achieve the aims of its clients and this role will work closely with the Head of Compliance & Risk for the Payments firm, creating an opportunity to participate in and influence all compliance and risk activities across the combined business. A background or knowledge of payments services is therefore also an advantage.                     

The Compliance Officer will work under minimal supervision and demonstrate capability to monitor, research, and analyze regulatory needs and exercise good judgment in identifying issues and driving resolution. The successful candidate will take proactive measures to prevent losses and reputational risk through any of the following: reviewing client information as part of AFEX’s Know Your Customer (“KYC”) policy including account onboarding and account reviews, transaction screening, analyzing suspicious account activity and reporting and categorizing activity that could potentially create a loss or regulation exposure. Specifically, in relation to investment/MiFID business, the role-holder will be responsible for monitoring the Suitability and Appropriateness of products offered and sold, updating policies and procedures where needed and achieving consistent high-standards across the Options business across the region. Additionally, the Compliance Officer will be accountable for the accurate completion of key regulatory reporting and leading governance including Board and Oversight Committees.    

The EMEA Compliance team works both regionally and globally to support tasks such as account onboarding, screening and post-event monitoring so there is a real opportunity to influence process improvement and to take region-wide ownership for compliance processes dependent on experience. As well as oversight and monitoring of critical processes, the Head of Compliance & Risk will act as key business partner and advisor to regional leadership and the Country Manager for Ireland to support AFEX’s continued business growth

RESPONSIBILITIES

General

• Execute directives from the Board, Group CRO and Compliance Director
• Partner with the EU business including the CEO, Country Manager and Sales teams to provide a commercial, focused approach to Compliance and Risk – supporting controlled, compliant growth.
• Take a leading role on regional governance matters such as board and risk committees as well as developing appropriate oversight of processes performed on behalf of AFEX Ireland in other locations (eg. intra-group service agreements)
• Partner with Branch Office Compliance Officers in Rome and Madrid to ensure the continued successful passporting of business from the Irish hub including any necessary reporting, registrations or governance.
• Responsible to assist, train and oversee Compliance Analysts within the region where required.
• Support the development and execution of the Compliance Monitoring Programme in Ireland and EMEA and ensure the firm aligns with the protocols outlined in the Risk Appetite Statement.
• Support the implementation of the firms policies and procedures throughout the business.
• Maintain the firms Risk Log, Internal controls and Outsourcing oversight of various functions.
• Investigate ad hoc issues assigned by the Compliance Director or raised by the business or global team.
• Maintain current knowledge of relevant global and local government regulatory and corporate governance standards.
• Accountable to meeting all AFEX brand guidelines and executing all duties with the AFEX core values as the benchmark.
• Play a critical role in the successful execution of the Company's compliance mission.

Regulatory

• Act as the central point of contact for the Central Bank of Ireland relationship including any onsite reviews or requests for information.
• Successful application for the PCF 14 and 15 roles through the Central Bank of Irelands Fitness and Probity regime.
• Oversight/completion of regulatory reporting requirements.
• Be the central point of contact for managing all KYC/AML due diligence processes to onboard a new client.
• Be responsible for gathering client documents to ensure adherence to compliance and regulatory requirements.
• Oversight of periodic reviews of documents for completeness, identify and drive resolution of deficiencies and provide advice to the business or broader Compliance team on local regulatory matters.
• Lead oversight of key staff supervision such as SEAR (Ireland) and SMCR (UK).
• Review transactions and client profiles due to any bank-related inquiry.
• Responsible to review and file applicable regulatory and licensing reports applicable to the region.
• Under the direction of the Compliance Director, deliver professional communication and outreach to foster awareness regarding financial crime and suspicious activity.
• Implement, maintain and perform testing on company Key Performance and Risk Indicators and update as necessary.

Support

• As a key strategic hub, the Compliance Officer for Ireland will also have the opportunity to drive regional activities from Dublin dependent on experience. This includes partnering with the Compliance Director to drive strong corporate governance at the country and regional level (eg. Board meetings and Oversight Committees).
• Assist in identifying client-related trends, typologies and issues associated with money laundering, terrorist financing, and other suspicious transactions.
• Assist with internal or external audits including the resolution of any findings.
• Support the preparation of reporting for risk or board committees where required.
• Provide support to the different functions performed in Compliance such as the Financial Intelligence, Unit, when required.
• Support the Compliance Director and business management in promoting a strong, commercial, culture for risk and compliance.

Required Skills Required Experience

• A strong background in Compliance with the desire to succeed.
• Experience of working in a regulatory environment; dealings with the CBI an advantage
• Previous experience in a PCF role would be an advantage
• Professional qualifications such as LCOI/ACAMS/CISI beneficial
• Knowledge of Irish regulatory reporting requirements, knowledge of MiFIR and EMIR reporting an advantage.
• Knowledge of investment/MiFID business (specifically FX Options) an advantage, in particular Suitability and Appropriateness and trade reviews.
• Leadership qualities including the desire to help drive regional standards  
• Be a self-starter time manager, consistently sustaining high levels of productivity and quality in a fast-paced high volume environment.
• Clearly document and support judgments, decisions and rationale, which will necessitate strong writing skills and the ability to maintain files and records in accordance with department standards.
• Demonstrate sound judgment and decision making in the context of regulatory requirements, Company policies, and industry best practices.
• Apply project management and organization skills to a variety of tasks; demonstrating flexibility and problem-solving skills.
• Good communication skills, strong written communication and critical thinking skills.
• A self-motivated team player, a tactful negotiator with strong people and process management skills.
• Strong organization and prioritizing skills with the ability to quickly react to ever changing business needs.
• Knowledge of AML, KYC and & suspicious transaction reporting
• Knowledge of the payments (MSB) and FX business
• College degree preferred, or equivalent work experience.
• Ability to learn and use a variety of systems and technology.
• Constantly curious, seeks and implements new solutions, novel workflows.
• Operates in a high stress regulatory environment, with constantly changing expectations and close regulatory and audit scrutiny.