Business Acceptance Manager

Licensed sponsor Belfast Full-time Posted 6 hours ago

The role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Business Acceptance Manager to assist with the ongoing development of the CCU function working closely with partners, legal advisors and the wider risk directorate.

The CCU team work across all of our offices and enjoy a position as the engine room of the business. CCU ensures that the firm complies with key regulatory and legal obligations around conflicts of interests and anti-financial crime prevention. The Business Acceptance Manager will ensure that onboarding processes are embedded into the firm’s culture whilst championing the commercial needs of our business.

As well as acting as an escalation point for complex queries, the Business Acceptance Manager will take responsibility for the day-to-day development and management of the CCU team - which includes trainees, analysts, specialist and senior specialists. The Business Acceptance Manager will focus on operational efficiency to ensure the firm’s lawyers can focus on what matters - advising our clients, at the same time as ensuring gold standard compliance across our business.

The team

The risk & ethics directorate (R&E) is responsible for all areas of compliance and risk management for Shoosmiths including developing firmwide policies and procedures to ensure compliance with all legal and regulatory compliance requirements, and to promote best practice. The team is split between the Central Compliance Unit (‘CCU)’ who are responsible for onboarding of all clients/matters (including conflicts and AML), Risk Management, and Data Protection.

Main Responsibilities

Reporting to the Senior Manager Regulatory Compliance and working closely with the firm’s Head of Risk.
Day to day Management of the firm’s Central Compliance Unit working on development plans for the wider team and instilling a continuous improvement mindset. Considering day-to-day operations to ensure the team operates effectively as the business requires.
Managing team performance, workload allocation, succession planning and employee development.
Assisting with the resolution of complex legal/commercial conflicts of interests and confidentiality/disclosure issues and advising the firm on relevant regulatory requirements.
Acting as an escalation point of higher risk financial crime issues (such as PEPs, sanctions or high-risk jurisdictions).
Assisting the firm’s MLRO/MLCO and deputies on reviewing complex anti-financial crime escalations (including AML, ABC and sanctions) as well as reputational issues impacting the firm.
Acting as a gate keeper of reputational risk, considering the firm’s risk appetite, sector focus and ethics guidance for the inception of new clients or new matters.
Considering short and midterm development plans for the CCU team with operational efficiency and client service at the heart of the teams’ workings.
Working to continue to embed core processes within the firm in a way that captures all relevant MI information whilst ensuring compliance with the various professional obligations/legislation to which the firm is subject.
Working with the risk & ethics directorate to implement and maintain firmwide policies and procedures to ensure continued compliance with legal/regulatory obligations and to mitigate key risks
Take ownership of the training and development framework for the CCU team, including onboarding new joiners, delivering technical and regulatory training, identifying skills gaps, supporting professional development plans and fostering a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing across the team.
Assisting with the ongoing review of the firm’s risk registers and compliance plans
Helping the firm to meets its regulatory and strategic objectives
Assisting in the rolling-out of quality and regulatory initiatives across the firm.
Being involved in R&E projects either as a part of a team or individually to manage risk across the business

This job description encompasses the main duties expected of the role but the successful candidate may be involved in all areas of risk management from time to time according to the needs of the directorate.

Required

Skills and qualifications

Proven experience of working at a mid level within a risk and compliance environment in a commercial law firm
Pervious people management experience, including leading, coaching and developing high-performance teams.
Detailed knowledge of AML legislation and the Money Laundering Regulations and being able to apply the knowledge in a commercial context
Detailed knowledge of SRA rules and legislation affecting solicitors including resolving conflicts of interest
Strong stakeholder management skills and ability to influence and deliver excellent results in conjunction with the senior management of the risk & ethics directorate

Personal Attributes

Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate, develop and inspire teams.
Comfortable managing performance, providing constructive feedback and addressing challenging people matters where required.
A collaborative leadership style, fostering an inclusive and supportive team culture.
Ability to identify talent, support career development and build succession capability within the team.
Demonstrates resilience and sound judgement when managing competing priorities and team pressures.
Exceptional interpersonal & communication skills both verbally and written able to communicate at all levels
Proven ability to think independently and engage with and influence colleagues at all levels.
Able to work in a fast-paced and demanding environment
Able to assimilate large amounts of information extracting key information for high level reports
Excellent attention to detail.
Strong analytical skills.
Demonstrates commercial acumen and a pragmatic attitude.
Good organisational skills
Able to adapt and cope well under pressure

The firm

Shoosmiths is the law firm clients choose for excellent service, incisive thinking and above all for our ability to focus on what matters. From offices across the UK and Brussels, we support some of the world’s most exciting and ambitious businesses; amazing clients making an impact. We empower our people to be their authentic selves and deliver together in supportive teams committed to excellence and innovation. The first top 50 law firm to achieve ‘Platinum Standard’ Investors in People, our values and culture are not just words on our website but are the heartbeat of the firm.

We have an outstanding benefits package to complement our competitive remuneration system. In addition to the competitive salaries, great working environment and high-quality work, we believe that all staff should be rewarded for their commitment to the continued success of the firm through a comprehensive and flexible range of benefits.

To discover more about our benefits, please visit: Benefits Package

Shoosmiths is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. Disability Confident is a government scheme designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term conditions. The Disability Confident scheme replaced the Two Ticks Positive about Disabled People scheme. We had been accredited as a two tick employer for many years - Disability Confident broadens and develops that original commitment, and demonstrates we have adopted a proactive approach to employing disabled people and developing their abilities.

As part of our accreditation, we commit to interviewing any applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria for each vacancy. In some circumstances we may only be able to interview those that best meet the essential criteria due to the volume of applications received.

Further information on the Disability Confident scheme is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/disability-confident-campaign

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to and usable by everyone. If you have a disability or long-term condition and would like to receive information in a different way, or need us to make any adjustments, changes or do anything differently during the recruitment process, please get in touch with the Talent Acquisition team on Experienced.Hire@shoosmiths.com. We can consider your needs and requirements, and how we can assist you to apply for our roles. For example we can provide a copy of our application via email so that you can complete it using your own accessibility software.

Background checks

Due to the nature of the work undertaken, confirmation of employment will be subject to a variety of checks which will be carried out once an offer of employment is accepted. These checks will include employment references covering the last 5 years, proof of ID, proof of address covering the last 5 years, Personnel Vetting credit search (which will only highlight insolvency or County Court Judgments - should any adverse data show on the Personnel Vetting search then any offer of employment made will be withdrawn).Terrorism Check (against data supplied by the Bank of England) and a DBS check previously known as a Criminal Records check.

Equal opportunities

Our approach to our people is underpinned by our approach to diversity, inclusion and well-being. Our ambition is to build a diverse and ambitious workforce that reflects all backgrounds and talents, and a workplace that is supportive and inclusive, recognises and nurtures talent, and has a strong sense of community between colleagues.

This means that everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, whatever their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.