Risk & Compliance Associate

Job Description

Department: Risk & Compliance (R&C)

Reports to: UK Head of Compliance & MLRO (SMF 16/17)

Location: London, with EU liaison.

Business Focus: Alantra is a global independent financial services group, focused on providing mid-market companies, families, and investors with highly specialised advice and investment solutions. The Group operates through three main business areas: Investment Banking (M&A, debt advisory, restructuring, structured finance, equity capital markets), Asset Management (private equity, private debt, infrastructure, venture capital), and Equities Brokerage & Research.

Role Purpose

The R&C Associate will play a key role in supporting Alantra’s London-based Risk & Compliance function, providing day-to-day compliance oversight across the Group’s UK businesses and liaising with EU affiliates where required. The role involves delivering timely, practical compliance guidance to deal teams, ensuring robust client onboarding and mandate governance, monitoring conduct and conflicts on live transactions, and overseeing adherence to applicable UK and EU regulatory requirements. Beyond corporate finance, the Associate will also contribute to compliance support for Alantra’s wider business lines, including asset management and equities brokerage, helping to safeguard the firm’s reputation and maintain a strong control environment across the Group.

Key Responsibilities

1. Advisory & Transactional Compliance

• Serve as the first point of contact for deal teams on compliance and regulatory matters across the transaction lifecycle (e.g. interpretation of MiFID II, COBS, conduct obligations).
• Review Engagement Letters to ensure regulatory and internal policy alignment (scope, disclosures, regulatory status, cross-border issues).
• Maintain and monitor mandate onboarding (KYC/AML) and assist with regulated mandate logs.
• Provide compliance input at early deal structuring stages (M&A, securitisation, portfolio deals), focusing on conflicts, client categorisation, required disclosures, and regulatory risk.

2. Engagement Oversight

• Ensure all mandates follow internal control procedures (internal sign-offs, engagement documentation, KYC documentation, compliance policies).
• Review transaction documents (placement/subscription agreements, investor materials, marketing content, legal drafts) to identify regulatory or conduct risks.
• Monitor for risk triggers, e.g.:
  • Cross-border advisory activity (EU/UK interface, tied agent / passporting implications)
  • Potential inside information or market abuse (UK/EU MAR)
  • Financial promotions and investor marketing rules
  • Potential conflicts of interest
• Liaise with Legal and business teams to resolve scope ambiguities or risk flags.

3. Confidential Information Management

• Oversee safe handling of sensitive or confidential information, ensuring alignment with data protection (GDPR) and internal policies.
• Support identification and assessment of inside information obligations per UK/EU MAR.
• Maintain and manage insider lists
• Monitor and enforce information barriers, restricted access controls, and conduct risk assessments in deal contexts.

4. Conflicts of Interest Management

• Perform first-level conflict analyses, escalating materially sensitive issues to the Head of Risk & Compliance.
• Support the maintenance of the Conflicts Registers and internal conflict clearance procedures.

5. Group support, EU Coordination and Cross-Boder Compliance

• Coordinate with EU businesses to align engagement governance, regulatory permissions and cross-border marketing standards.
• Review documents and outreach materials for consistency with EU regulatory requirements (e.g. MiFID II, marketing rules).
• Assist periodic business reviews (sampling, file audits) of regulated activity across UK/EU.
• Help design and deliver compliance training or briefings tailored to deal teams or EU-linked personnel.

6. Regulatory and Compliance Operations

• Assist in the execution of the Compliance Monitoring and Testing Programme, including deal reviews, supervisory reviews, and thematic reviews.
• Prepare non-financial regulatory returns for the FCA and other regulators, and support the Finance Department with financial regulatory returns, including the prudential returns.
• Support the generation of internal MI and Risk, Compliance, and AML reports to senior management and governance committees.
• Assist in maintaining and updating key compliance-related risk assessments, including the Risk Register, Compliance, and Financial Crime risk assessments.
• Conduct regulatory horizon scanning to identify and evaluate emerging regulatory developments.
• Support the preparation of regulatory returns and applications.
• Track and report compliance exceptions, policy deviations, and late KYC onboardings.
• Assist in monitoring capital and liquidity positions in accordance with applicable prudential requirements and assist in the execution of the ICARA process and document.
• Assist in the execution of Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SM&CR) processes, including fitness and propriety assessments, certifications, and associated FCA filings.

Requirements

Required Skills & Experience

Essential

• 3–5 years’ experience in Compliance, Risk, or Legal Advisory within an investment banking, corporate finance, advisory, or regulated financial services environment.
• Proven track record in dealing with engagement letters, mandate onboarding, internal approvals, and pipeline tracking.
• Experience supporting deal teams across transaction lifecycles, with an emphasis on conduct risk and regulatory intersections.
• Familiarity with corporate finance, M&A, and structured finance / securitisation (ABS, MBS, CLOs, credit-linked structures) deals.
• Good knowledge of UK/EU MiFID II, UK/EU MAR, FCA rules (COBS, SYSC), GDPR and AML/KYC frameworks.

Desirable / Additional Exposure

• Understanding of cross-border advisory, tied agent models, passporting or regulatory outsourcing.
• Prior exposure to engagement governance, transaction clearance frameworks, or compliance assurance, and control design projects.
• Awareness of regulatory regimes such as Securitisation Regulation, DORA, or EU financial regulatory initiatives.
• Experience interfacing with multiple business lines (asset management, corporate finance, equities brokerage, etc.)

Personal Attributes

• Commercial and pragmatic approach to compliance in a deal-driven environment.
• Confidence to engage and advise front-office staff and challenge constructively when needed.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail, especially around engagement tracking and document control.
• Team-oriented, resourceful, and adaptable to a fast-paced advisory environment.

Qualifications

• Degree in Law, Business, Finance, or a related discipline.
• Compliance or regulatory certifications (e.g. ICA, CISI, ACAMS) are advantageous.