Senior Business Acceptance Manager

Overview of role

This is an exciting opportunity for an individual looking for significant responsibility and the opportunity to develop and manage a business acceptance team. The Senior Business Acceptance Manager will manage a team responsible for business acceptance (conflicts and compliance clearance and approvals) for the law firm's European offices (London, Dublin, Jersey & Guernsey), with team members primarily based in London.

We are seeking an experienced individual with significant team management experience, as well as the conflicts and compliance expertise to join the law firm risk and compliance team. The successful candidate would need to be a proactive team player with excellent inter-personal skills and have the ability to build and foster a collaborative working relationship both within the team and with law firm colleagues. The successful candidate must have a proven track record of fostering a positive and proactive culture amongst the team and be able to advocate for and lead the team to embed best practice and promote that culture across the law firm globally.

The role will involve significant responsibility for the law firm's new client and new business intake processes, as well as supporting the law firm in adhering to its anti-money laundering and regulatory obligations. This will include new client and new matter compliance escalations and approvals, conflicts analysis, escalations and reporting. The role will involve a broad range of risk and compliance matters, including anti-money laundering, counter terrorist financing and sanctions risk and conflicts of interest.

It will include team management, communicating with key stakeholders in the business, workflow allocation and management, project management, handling escalations, introducing process efficiencies and embedding a risk based approach. The successful candidate will work with the Senior Business Acceptance Managers, Head of New Business Acceptance and other senior members of the team to embed streamlined and effective business acceptance processes and promote best practice across their region, including improvement initiatives to Intapp, and our business acceptance policies, procedures and processes.

The successful applicant will manage the day to day running of the team, handling jurisdiction specific conflicts, compliance queries and issues, regulatory requirements and projects. The successful applicant will work in close collaboration with the Senior Business Acceptance Managers for the other regions on global projects and initiatives.

We are looking for candidates based in London, however the successful applicant will occasionally be required to travel to other offices when necessary.

Duties, Responsibilities & Person Specification

• Manage the Europe business acceptance team, who deal with business acceptance (conflicts and compliance) and related conflicts and compliance queries for the law firm's European offices;
• Supervision, mentoring and development of the members of the team;
• Leading on team projects and ensuring the team is resolving incoming queries and new business intake requests promptly;
• Provide practical and prompt advice and assistance to fee-earners and other professional staff in relation to applicable AML/CTF (including CDD) obligations;
• Work closely with the Head of New Business Acceptance and other senior Business Acceptance Managers in embedding of risk policies, procedures, training and guidance to support the business;
• Provide lawyers and other staff with day-to –day conflicts and compliance expertise and support, to ensure that the on boarding procedures for all clients and matters are adequately met from an AML/CTF perspective and conflicts perspective;
• Work closely with operational teams to ensure that the firm's AML/CTF obligations are met;

• Assist with drafting, updating and maintaining conflicts and compliance related documentation, including policies and procedures;
• Supervision of the team in dealing with conflicts or compliance queries and escalations, providing any training and support required;
• Input into the continued development of a strong compliance culture, ensuring the law firm understand and take ownership for managing compliance and risk within their business areas. This will include interfacing with the businesses to ensure that the implementation of new procedures are understood and followed.
• Assist with the preparation for regulatory inspections and submissions; and
• Assist the GC and Director of Group Business Acceptance with regional and global business acceptance and on-boarding projects as required and support and promote a positive and proactive risk management culture across the team and regions.

Education, Skills & Experience

• Graduate with proven experience in an international compliance function role with a focus on conflicts, AML and other financial crime, preferably in a law firm environment.
• Experience of managing a conflicts, compliance or business acceptance team in a law firm environment.
• Practical knowledge and experience of applying a risk based approach to compliance.
• Knowledge of conflicts of interest, sanctions regimes, PEPs and other high risk categories; understanding of offshore structures, particularly in a funds context.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to communicate with partners, employees and (where appropriate) with the firm's clients.
• Articulate issues in a clear and concise manner whilst ensuring a commercial approach is maintained.
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to manage a team located across three locations
• Strong research and analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Client- focused and commercial aptitude.
• Ability to work under pressure and responsive to the expectations of partners and clients.
• Able to prioritise competing demands; excellent time management and organisational skills.

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