Strategic Compliance & Regulation Lead - Audit Learning in London

We’re BDO, an accountancy and business advisory firm, providing the advice and solutions entrepreneurial organisations need to navigate today’s changing world. We work with the companies that are Britain’s economic engine – ambitious, entrepreneurially-spirited and high‑growth businesses that fuel the economy – and directly advise the owners and management teams leading them.

Learning and Development (L&D) is a key enabler of our strategy as an Audit Stream and critical to our success. It supports our ability to attract, develop and retain talented people who take pride in their work and successfully deliver for our business. Effective L&D underpins quality and productivity by supporting our people to develop the necessary knowledge and skills to perform their work, helping them reach their personal and professional potential.

Effective L&D does not happen by chance. It requires specialist resources who partner with the Audit Stream to identify training needs and appropriately respond to them. Careful planning and project management are necessary, as are a critical-thinking and commercial mindset, and an understanding of regulatory requirements. Effective L&D needs consideration of the latest innovation, tools and technology to lead the development of personal and professional learning that is tailored, relevant and timely for our people.

An exciting opportunity has arisen within Audit Stream L&D for an experienced Senior Manager or equivalent level to join the function’s Leadership Team (LT). We are looking for a talented, high performing and ambitious individual to oversee and manage our compliance and regulatory reporting activities. This role reports to the Director - Audit Learning and Development Strategic Operations (ALDSO) who leads the function and reports into the Head of People and Culture on the Audit Executive (Partner Sponsor for L&D).

The Compliance and Regulation Lead (CAR) oversees compliance and regulatory reporting for the function. They work with the ALDSO, the Business Partnering and Learning Implementation Lead (BPI), and the Development and Monitoring Lead (DAM), as part of the LT, to deliver the Audit Stream L&D Strategy and maintain the curriculum, ensuring it meets quality standards, supports wider people initiatives, and complies with regulatory reporting requirements.

You will be responsible for:

• Supporting the scoping, design, development, delivery and evaluation of our curriculum to ensure effective learning and compliance with reporting requirements (internal and external).
• Coordinating stakeholders such as the Audit Quality Directorate (AQD) and the ISQM (UK) 1 team to understand compliance and regulatory reporting requirements and develop appropriate responses.
• Providing insights into the latest thinking and best practice around L&D operations (supported by the Operations Manager and wider team) to optimise our systems, processes and controls.
• Acting as a key liaison for internal stakeholders such as Quality & Risk Management (QRM) and Root Cause Analysis (RCA).
• Supporting the firm’s engagement with regulators in relation to Audit Stream L&D activities, under the direction of the ALDSO, both in respect to leading responses to formal information requests and meeting with the regulators.
• Overseeing compliance monitoring and reporting for all Audit L&D programmes, providing regular updates on our compliance status and actively managing any identified risks.
• Leading on response to all internal and external compliance requests supported by the wider team (with appropriate review and sign off from the ALDSO / LT).
• Working alongside the other LT members to deliver the Audit Stream L&D Strategy.
• Leading, engaging and sharing key messages with the L&D team to support effective achievement of L&D goals.
• Acting as a compliance expert, advising the wider team and business leaders as appropriate.
• Assessing and managing risks in the L&D processes, considering wider factors such as our People Priorities and Quality Findings.
• Supporting the DAM with the development of the learner profiling tool(s) and associated validations process to ensure compliance risks are appropriately managed.
• Reviewing Audit L&D dashboards and recommending enhancements with a particular focus on balancing compliance needs with learning effectiveness.
• Maintaining our quality assurance processes, ensuring effective systems, processes and controls are in place.
• Providing coaching and support to the wider team in the fulfilment of their duties.
• Advocating L&D activities in the business as appropriate to support effective learning culture in the Stream.
• Working as part of the Leadership Team to achieve our Audit L&D objectives.
• Coordinating all compliance or regulatory reporting data with the support of the DAM and the MRC and Ops teams.
• Supporting the ALDSO with regulatory compliance matters, through developing successful long-term strategic relationships with the Audit Stream and the regulators.
• Representing BDO Audit Stream L&D at external events.
• Bringing the latest thinking and innovation to the operational and compliance processes within L&D, enhancing the efficiency of the team and maintaining our system of quality management to support compliance and manage regulatory risk.
• Advocating change where needed, leading by example and seeking support as appropriate.

Required skills and experience:

• Experienced Senior Manager (or equivalent), ideally with a background in Learning & Development / Adult Education background.
• Formal L&D qualifications would be an advantage but are not essential, subject to proven experience.
• Strong understanding of Audit including the regulatory environment.
• Previous experience in compliance and quality management systems would be beneficial.
• Proven ability to build and maintain strong working relationships with senior stakeholders (internal and external).
• Proven managerial and leadership skills – the ability to inspire, engage and support teams in the development and execution of strategic and operational plans.
• Strong project management skills are crucial – demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and deliver these to time and to expected quality standards.
• Ability to pragmatically problem solve and generate commercially viable solutions.
• Excellent analytical, interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Understanding of business strategy and goals and a focus on delivering effectively against these.
• Focus on operational excellence and quality.

Mutual support and respect is one of BDO’s core values and we’re proud of our distinctive, people-centred culture. From informal success conversations to formal mentoring and coaching, we’ll support you at every stage in your career, whatever your personal and professional needs.

Our agile working framework helps us stay connected, bringing teams together where and when it counts so they can share ideas and help one another. At BDO, you’ll always have access to the people and resources you need to do your best work.

We know that collaboration is the key to creating value and satisfying experiences at work, so we’ve invested in state-of-the-art collaboration spaces in our offices. BDO’s people represent a wealth of knowledge and expertise, and we’ll encourage you to build your network, work alongside others, and share your skills and experiences.

At BDO, we help entrepreneurial businesses to succeed, fuelling the UK economy. Our success is powered by our people, which is why we’re always finding new ways to invest in you. Across the UK thousands of unique minds continue to come together to help companies we work with to achieve their ambitions.

We’ve got a clear purpose, and we’re confident in our future, because we’re adapting and evolving to build on our strengths, ensuring we continue to find the right combination of global reach, integrity and expertise. We shape the future together with openness and clarity, because we believe in empowering people to think creatively about how we can do things better.