Job Summary

As the Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) for South Africa, you will hold a pivotal role in steering the bank's compliance, conduct, and financial crime risk strategies within the region. You will lead the CFCR (Compliance, Financial Crime & Conduct Risk) function, ensuring its alignment with the Enterprise Risk Management Framework (ERMF) and the overall corporate vision and strategic objectives. Your role is crucial in maintaining the integrity and reputation of Standard Chartered Bank by overseeing adherence to regulatory standards and internal policies at every level.

Key to this position is your accountability as the primary escalation point for CFCR issues, including any regulatory concerns arising in South Africa, delivering proactive risk management, and implementing rigorous compliance controls. You will be responsible for developing and executing comprehensive policies and procedures, overseeing the management of financial crime risk encompassing anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, fraud prevention, and anti-bribery and corruption measures.

This leadership role requires a collaborative approach working closely with other CFCR teams and business units, enabling a culture of compliance that balances regulatory requirements with business objectives. Your strategic direction will be instrumental in ensuring the bank operates in line with the highest standards of regulatory and ethical conduct, preserving the trust of clients, regulators, and stakeholders alike.

Key Responsibilities

In your role as Chief Compliance Officer for South Africa, you will:

• Lead and develop the South African CFCR function, championing the organisation’s commitment to integrity and being "Here for Good."
• Engage proactively with the CEO, business leaders, and key functions to promote a culture of appropriate conduct, compliance with regulations, and delivery of fair outcomes for clients.
• Maintain the independence of the CFCR function by delivering timely and transparent risk assessments, ensuring escalation of critical issues beyond the Group’s risk appetite.
• Build and sustain robust stakeholder relationships, including regulatory bodies, internal teams, and global CFCR counterparts to align strategies and mitigate risks effectively.
• Direct oversight of regulatory liaison and ensure adherence to obligations under South African legislation and global compliance mandates.
• Champion the strategic implementation of CFCR policies and frameworks as communicated by the Global Head CFCR Transaction Banking and Africa, aligning this with broader Group growth objectives.
• Ensure continuous improvement by analysing the impact of CFCR risks on business operations and driving adaptation where necessary.
• Oversee crisis management and provide decisive leadership during high-risk scenarios involving compliance and regulatory issues.
• Lead communication and training efforts to cascade policy changes and compliance standards efficiently across business units.
• Support stakeholders with expert advice on regulatory interpretation and best practices to manage compliance risk and uphold regulatory expectations.

Skills and Experience

The ideal candidate will possess a comprehensive skillset to provide effective leadership within compliance and risk management environments. Key skills and experiences include:

• In-depth knowledge and experience in Compliance Policies and Standards applicable to financial services.
• Proven ability to offer Compliance Advisory services with clear, actionable guidance across complex regulatory landscapes.
• Experience conducting Compliance Reviews and FCC (Financial Crime Compliance) assurance, including monitoring, screening, and surveillance activities.
• Strong investigative skills related to compliance breaches and potential financial crime incidents.
• Expertise in conducting Compliance Risk Assessments to identify and mitigate potential exposures.
• Effective Regulatory Liaison experience managing interactions with regulators and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated capacity to lead and manage large-scale Change initiatives and Projects within a compliance or risk function.
• Excellent communication skills enabling transparent and impactful engagement with diverse audiences and senior leadership.
• Proactive problem-solving skills with a collaborative approach working across functions and geographies.
• Robust decision-making capabilities, with a focus on regulatory adherence, risk mitigation, and ethical business conduct.

Qualifications

To qualify for this senior leadership role, candidates should possess the following qualifications and attributes:

• Minimum of 8 years' experience in risk management, governance, compliance, or related disciplines within the financial services sector.
• Comprehensive understanding of the South African regulatory and legal environment, including financial crime and conduct regulations.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills to assess complex compliance landscapes and provide sound governance.
• Exceptional judgement enabling effective advising on challenging legal, regulatory, and risk-related matters.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and communicate regulatory requirements clearly to various business stakeholders, influencing compliance culture positively.
• Inquisitive, proactive mindset committed to continuous improvement of compliance practices and risk controls.
• Strong leadership capabilities with experience managing multidisciplinary teams and fostering talent development.
• High level of business acumen, capable of integrating compliance considerations with strategic business decisions.
• Integrity, independence, and resilience, maintaining professionalism under pressure.
• Personal authority complemented by strong ethics to maintain trust with senior executives, regulators, and extended stakeholders.

About Standard Chartered

We're an international bank, nimble enough to act, big enough for impact. For more than 170 years, we've worked to make a positive difference for our clients, communities, and each other. We question the status quo, love a challenge and enjoy finding new opportunities to grow and do better than before. If you're looking for a career with purpose and you want to work for a bank making a difference, we want to hear from you. You can count on us to celebrate your unique talents and we can't wait to see the talents you can bring us.

Our purpose, to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, together with our brand promise, to be here for good are achieved by how we each live our valued behaviours. When you work with us, you'll see how we value difference and advocate inclusion.

Together we:

• Do the right thing and are assertive, challenge one another, and live with integrity, while putting the client at the heart of what we do
• Never settle, continuously striving to improve and innovate, keeping things simple and learning from doing well, and not so well
• Are better together, we can be ourselves, be inclusive, see more good in others, and work collectively to build for the long term

What we offer

In line with our Fair Pay Charter, we offer a competitive salary and benefits to support your mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing.

• Core bank funding for retirement savings, medical and life insurance, with flexible and voluntary benefits available in some locations.
• Time-off including annual leave, parental/maternity (20 weeks), sabbatical (12 months maximum) and volunteering leave (3 days), along with minimum global standards for annual and public holiday, which is combined to 30 days minimum.
• Flexible working options based around home and office locations, with flexible working patterns.
• Proactive wellbeing support through Unmind, a market-leading digital wellbeing platform, development courses for resilience and other human skills, global Employee Assistance Programme, sick leave, mental health first-aiders and all sorts of self-help toolkits
• A continuous learning culture to support your growth, with opportunities to reskill and upskill and access to physical, virtual and digital learning.
• Being part of an inclusive and values driven organisation, one that embraces and celebrates our unique diversity, across our teams, business functions and geographies - everyone feels respected and can realise their full potential.