Governance and Compliance Senior Manager in London

Location: Hybrid Working – London N3 / EC4M / Remote

Working Hours: Monday to Friday, 35-hour week (Flexitime)

Reporting To: Chief Governance and Sustainability Officer

Salary Range: £70,000 - £90,000

About BKL

BKL is a Top 40 accountancy and advisory business supporting a diverse client base, from entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals to ambitious owner-managed businesses and multinational groups. With a legacy spanning over 130 years, we’ve evolved into a modern, purpose-driven business that balances profit with impact. We are proud to be a certified B Corp, reflecting our commitment to sustainability, transparency, and responsible governance.

Your Opportunity

The Governance & Compliance Manager is intended to support the firm’s ICAEW-designated role-holders by running the systems, processes and controls that underpin regulatory compliance, ensuring that our frameworks work in practice, remain up to date and are consistently applied across the business. This role ensures the governance and compliance “engine room” operates smoothly, enabling senior statutory role-holders to focus on regulatory engagement, judgement, and sign-off.

You will work with teams across BKL, bringing clarity, structure, good judgement and a constructive mindset to help the firm continue to grow with confidence.

How You’ll Make a Difference

• Regulation & professional standards
  • Act as the operational lead for the firm’s regulatory calendar, ensuring deadlines and obligations are tracked, prepared for, and met on time.
  • Manage ICAEW annual returns, forms, and day-to-day liaison, preparing materials for review/sign-off by the statutory role-holders.
  • Coordinate internal reviews and audits, including DPB, Client Money, and Probate, ensuring evidence is gathered, maintained and quality-checked.
  • Prepare regulatory readiness packs and documentation for ICAEW/FRC/DPB visits, working closely with the statutory officers.
  • Work with BKL CoSec on annual filings and keep our regulatory and legal structure information up to date.
• Policies & procedures
  • Own the policy lifecycle, including drafting, updating, maintaining version control, and coordinating publication and communication.
  • Ensure policies reflect regulatory expectations and internal practice, escalating gaps or risks to senior statutory role-holders.
  • Carry out gap analyses and support training so teams understand how policies apply to their work.
  • Oversee the Gifts & Hospitality policy and maintain the register.
• Risk management
  • Maintain the firm-wide risk register, coordinating inputs from departments and ensuring timely updates.
  • Bring together risk information from across the business and develop a clear picture of emerging issues.
  • Track risk-mitigation actions and prepare summaries and insights for senior leadership and ICAEW role-holders.
  • Support continuous refinement of our risk processes and reporting.
• Data, quality & Insight
  • Collate and analyse governance and compliance data to spot trends, issues and opportunities for improvement.
  • Manage complaints logging, analysis and root-cause review, escalating regulatory concerns as needed.
  • Prepare management information and governance insights for Board packs and senior leadership.
• Governance strategy & continuous improvement
  • Support the development and maintenance of BKL’s governance and compliance framework, ensuring systems, registers, logs and processes operate effectively.
  • Track progress against governance measures, elevate issues and ensure clear visibility for statutory role-holders.
  • Work closely with Heads of Department to embed good governance into everyday practice.
  • Provide clear and regular communication to keep the business informed and engaged.
• M&A support
  • Support governance and compliance due diligence during M&A activity.
  • Lead governance-focused integration work to bring new teams smoothly into BKL’s ways of working.
• Project management
  • Lead and coordinate governance-related projects, ensuring they are well-scoped, well-planned and delivered on time.
  • Bring structure, clear milestones and regular updates to multi-team initiatives.
  • Work with project sponsors to identify priorities, manage risks and keep work on track.
  • Ensure changes are embedded effectively by aligning people, processes, systems and communication.
  • Use a practical, transparent approach to help teams understand what needs to be done and why.

You’ll Be Ideal for This Role If You Have:

• Experience in governance, compliance, risk or quality roles (professional accountancy services experience is essential).
• Strong understanding of ICAEW environments and regulatory frameworks.
• Ability to act as the operational lead supporting statutory role-holders and preparing high-quality materials for senior regulatory review.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to turn data into meaningful insight.
• Experience with contractual drafting and negotiation, including supplier agreements and client terms desirable.
• Excellent written communication and the ability to create clear, practical policies and reports.
• Confidence working with senior leaders and guiding teams through change.
• A constructive, solutions-focused approach and the ability to manage multiple priorities calmly and independently.

We know you have a lot to offer, which is why we give you the freedom to thrive, no matter who you are or what your background is.

Our Values

• Think Big – Be curious, brave, and open to new ideas.
• In It Together – Collaborate, care, and build an inclusive culture.
• Take Pride – Strive for excellence and believe in your impact.
• Do the Right Thing – Act with integrity, honesty, and fairness.
• Enjoy It – Bring your whole self to work and have fun doing it.

Working With Us: Your Benefits, Wellbeing & Development

At BKL, we’re committed to creating a people-first workplace where everyone can thrive. We offer a carefully curated benefits package, wellbeing support, and meaningful development opportunities that empower you to grow your career.

Snapshot of our Benefits Package

• Private Medical Insurance (PMI) – including mental health cover, hospital treatment & 24/7 GP access
• Health Cash Plans – covering everyday costs like dental, optical & physiotherapy and an Employee Assistance Programme
• Pension scheme – helping you save for retirement in a tax-efficient way
• Group Life Assurance – peace of mind with financial protection for your loved ones
• Cashback & savings portal – discounts across hundreds of high-street and online retailers
• Cycle to Work Scheme – spread the cost of a new bike and accessories tax-free
• Electric Vehicle Scheme – sustainable transportation options that include roadside support and servicing
• Free Mortgage Advice – expert guidance for your home-buying journey
• Season Ticket Loan – support with travel expenses
• Enhanced Family Leave – generous leave policies for family-related needs
• Holiday Entitlement – generous entitlement which increases with promotion

Development & Growth

• Clear development pathways and progression frameworks
• Professional qualifications support – including study time and funding
• Internal mentoring, coaching, and buddying schemes
• Leadership development programmes to help you grow with us
• Regular check-ins and performance conversations – driven by your goals, not just metrics

Take Your Next Step

Ready to grow your career with a company that balances ambition with purpose? Apply today and discover how far you can go at BKL.

Our recruitment process typically involves three stages:

• An introductory Teams call with our Talent Acquisition team.
• A first-stage interview with two team members.
• A final interview at our London office, including a tour to give you a feel for our working environment.

Compliance & Equal Opportunities

In addition to the responsibilities listed above, you will be required to undertake GDPR training in order to fully understand the regulations and ensure all work is carried out in a compliant manner. As part of any recruitment process, BKL collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants. BKL is committed to being transparent about how it collects and uses that data and to meeting its data protection obligations. BKL is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified candidates eligible to work in the UK.

We know you have a lot to offer, which is why we want to give you the freedom to thrive no matter who you are or what your background is. You will have every opportunity to use your creativity in how you approach your work and the support to innovate. Inclusion, diversity, and talent development are a fundamental aspect of who we are, and we welcome applications from candidates who share and champion these values. You will play an integral part in helping to make BKL a great place to work with a sense of belonging for everyone.

High challenge, high support. If you enjoy problem-solving and a fast-changing environment, you will thrive in this role. As in all BKL roles, you will be able to take a flexible approach: balancing independent work with teamwork, and remote working with time in the office with colleagues.

We’re proud to be one of the few Certified B Corporations in the accountancy sector. In joining us, you’ll become part of a business that’s committed to balancing profit and purpose.

Take your next step

If this sounds like the role for you, we’d be delighted to discuss the career you could build at BKL.

By applying, you consent to the processing of your personal data for recruitment purposes, in line with UK GDPR. Your information will be used securely, only for recruitment, and won’t be shared without your consent.