Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Consultant UK

£500 - £600 per day (inside IR35) London. Six month contract with successful Australian investment manager reporting to the Head of Group Risk, this role will contribute to ongoing market abuse surveillance activities through daily monitoring, system enhancements and improvements to existing processes.

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Supporting Risk & Compliance International and reporting activities to ensure market abuse monitoring and surveillance is performed effectively, including:

• Operate the NICE surveillance platform to perform daily monitoring, review and escalation of potential market abuse risks related to trading (Equities, fixed income, swaps, futures, fx) and electronic communications.
• Support the optimisation of surveillance activities by assisting in the refinement and tuning of system rules and thresholds to improve the detection of market abuse.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders on the development of enhanced surveillance solutions and contribute to system wide reviews and control documentation.
• Contribute to process improvement initiatives across policy, procedure, governance and control frameworks relating to market abuse surveillance and reporting.
• Prepare and present updates to senior management on market abuse risk assessments, metrics, escalations and incidents.
• Contribute to the broader development of risk-based approach and control enhancements.
• Support the review, uplift and testing of market abuse related controls and procedures.
• Identify and participate in the ongoing review of output from the FCA and other trade bodies signalling best practice and their emerging expectations relevant to market abuse and surveillance.
• Undertake MAR risk assessments of company activities (and in-scope non-UK activity) across the range of products, instruments and asset classes, mapped to all market abuse offences and use this to inform the risk-based monitoring programme.
• Liaise with various stakeholders including Front office, Middle office and Technology on effective system performance, reporting, incident resolution and risk assessments.
• Develop and refine reporting frameworks to ensure that senior management and governance bodies receive clear, comprehensive, and timely updates on MAR compliance activities, emerging risks, and mitigation efforts.
• Support quarterly review meetings to consider the monitoring and surveillance framework; consider adjustments and re-sets of this, performance of the vendor and use of the systems, and MI and other reporting being produced.
• Conduct targeted risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities related to trading strategies, product structures, or operational roles that may be more susceptible to market abuse and recommend appropriate controls.
• Support the periodic review and update of relevant policies and supporting procedures, including the surveillance team process document.
• Develop targeted risk-based training modules that address the unique risks faced by different teams, enhancing awareness and promoting a culture of compliance across the organisation.

Capabilities and Experience:

Essential:

• Well-developed analytical and organisational skills, and a high attention to detail.
• Well-developed written and oral communication/interpersonal skills with the ability to work independently.
• Experience in a risk and/or compliance function in a major financial institution, custodian, pension fund or insurance office, with specific exposure to funds management.
• An extensive understanding of relevant compliance, prudential and markets regulations.

Desired:

• Relevant exposure to institutional investment strategies including a working knowledge of derivative instruments and pooled investment structures.
• Self-starter and comfortable working in a small team and a rapidly changing environment.
• Developing stakeholder relationship skills, e.g. eventual ability to initiate, maintain and develop relationships with peers with the objective of gaining cooperation and meeting timelines for the delivery of advice.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Commerce or Finance, or other equivalent.

Competency Profile with required level:

• Shapes member and employee experience - developing
• Business and industry awareness - effective
• Relationship-building and partnering - effective
• Embracing challenge - effective
• Informed and decisive judgement - developing
• Results delivery – strength
• Providing leadership

Contact:

If you feel that this opportunity could be of interest for you, or you would like to recommend one of your contacts, then please contact Allison Gillson at the PSD Group.

Please contact by phone on +44 20 7970 9704 / +44 7879 032 229 or email allison.gillson@psdgroup.com