| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Legal and Compliance |
| Level | Mid level |
| Reports to | Compliance Manager |
| Direct reports | None |
| Experience | 2 to 5 years in compliance or audit support |
Compliance Officer job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Compliance Officer
Department: Legal and Compliance
Reports to: Compliance Manager
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Compliance Officer carries out the day to day compliance checks that keep a company within its rules and regulations. They run monitoring, handle regulatory requirements such as know your customer and reporting, and flag breaches. The role reports to the Compliance Manager or Chief Compliance Officer. A good compliance officer completes monitoring on schedule, catches breaches before they grow, keeps clean records and evidence, files regulatory returns on time, keeps staff aware of the rules, and gives the compliance manager an accurate picture of where the risks and gaps are.
Key responsibilities
- Carry out compliance monitoring and checks against the applicable rules and policies.
- Handle regulatory requirements such as know your customer, reporting and record keeping.
- Flag breaches and control gaps and follow up on their correction.
- Prepare and file regulatory returns and reports within the due dates.
- Keep compliance registers, evidence and records complete and current.
- Support investigations into complaints and suspected breaches with facts and records.
- Deliver compliance reminders and awareness to staff in the area.
- Support audits and regulatory inspections with records and explanations.
- Track open compliance issues and chase them to closure.
- Escalate serious breaches and risks to the compliance manager.
Requirements
- Graduate in law, commerce or finance
- Knowledge of the regulations for the area
- A compliance certification is an advantage
- 2 to 5 years in compliance or audit support
KRAs and KPIs for a Compliance Officer
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Monitoring completion | Scheduled compliance checks completed on time above the agreed level |
| Regulatory filing | Regulatory returns filed within the due dates with zero misses |
| Breach detection | Breaches and gaps caught and escalated within the required time |
| Record accuracy | Compliance records kept accurate and inspection ready |
| Issue closure | Open compliance issues closed within the agreed timeline |
| Awareness | Compliance reminders delivered to staff on schedule |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Compliance management software, Regulatory portals, MS Excel, Issue trackers, Know your customer systems.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Compliance Manager, Internal Auditor, Risk Analyst
Interview questions for a Compliance Officer
- How do you complete monitoring checks on time under a heavy workload?
- How do you handle a breach you find during a routine check?
- How do you keep regulatory returns from being filed late?
- How do you keep compliance records ready for an inspection?
- How do you keep staff aware of the rules that apply to them?
- When do you escalate an issue rather than handle it yourself?
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What does a Compliance Officer do?
A Compliance Officer carries out day to day compliance checks that keep a company within its rules. They run monitoring, handle requirements such as know your customer and reporting, flag breaches, file regulatory returns and keep records. They keep staff aware of the rules and escalate serious issues to the compliance manager.
What is the difference between a Compliance Officer and a Compliance Manager?
A Compliance Officer executes the checks, filings and record keeping on the ground. A Compliance Manager plans the programme, leads the officers, investigates serious issues and reports to the compliance head. The officer does the monitoring; the manager owns the programme and its results.
What qualifications does a Compliance Officer need?
Most roles ask for a graduate degree in law, commerce or finance and knowledge of the regulations that apply to the area, with two to five years in compliance or audit support. A compliance certification helps, along with careful monitoring, record keeping and reporting skills and strong integrity.