Most compliance jobs at this level are a dead end. This one is designed to be the opposite.
Pense is a technology-led retirement advice firm. We've built a large amount of assets under management in about eighteen months, hold a 4.9/5 Trustpilot rating, and run our own advice platform rather than relying on the creaking systems most firms put up with.
We're small, we move quickly and there's very little politics.
We're looking for someone with hands-on experience working in an FCA-regulated business, ideally in a compliance role, to take ownership of the day-to-day running of our compliance function and grow into something much bigger.
This isn't a role where you'll spend your career maintaining spreadsheets and chasing signatures. You'll have real responsibility, direct access to the leadership team, and a clear opportunity to develop into a senior compliance role as Pense grows.
The role
You'll be the person who keeps the compliance machinery running properly and makes sure the business does what it says it does.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Managing the compliance monitoring calendar and making sure reviews and actions happen on time
- Maintaining our compliance registers, including breaches, complaints, conflicts of interest, gifts and hospitality, and financial promotions
- Coordinating with our external file review partner and tracking remediation actions through to completion
- Keeping CPD, training and competence records up to date across the adviser team
- Preparing and submitting FCA Connect notifications and regulatory returns
- Supporting our Non-Executive Compliance Director and external compliance consultant with board and management reporting
- Helping maintain and improve our compliance policies, procedures and controls
- Providing practical compliance support to the wider business as questions and issues arise
- Identifying where something doesn't look right and making sure it gets followed through
You'll work directly with the leadership team. In a firm this size, compliance isn't hidden away in a corner of the business. The person who owns it is visible, involved in decisions and able to make a genuine difference.
What we're looking for
We're looking for someone who already understands the realities of working in an FCA-regulated environment.
You might currently be working as a Compliance Officer, Compliance Administrator, Compliance Assistant, Risk & Compliance Officer, or in a similar role within financial services.
We're particularly interested in people who have:
- Experience working within an FCA-regulated business
- Previous experience in a compliance, risk, governance or regulatory role
- A practical understanding of FCA regulation and what good compliance looks like day to day
- Strong organisation and attention to detail
- The confidence to challenge something when it doesn't look right
- The ability to manage deadlines, actions and competing priorities without things falling through the cracks
- The confidence to chase people, politely but persistently, including people more senior than you
- Clear and accurate written communication
- A genuine interest in developing a long-term career in compliance
Experience in financial advice or wealth management would be particularly useful, but we're open to people from other FCA-regulated financial services businesses who can demonstrate strong transferable compliance experience.
What we'll invest in you
We don't expect you to arrive fully formed, and we're not looking for someone who simply wants to do the same job for the next five years.
You'll have a structured development programme built around you.
You'll have a weekly mentoring session with a senior compliance consultant, who will oversee your development, help you work through real compliance issues and provide guidance as your responsibilities grow.
This isn't just an occasional catch-up. You'll have regular access to someone with significant senior compliance experience who can challenge your thinking, answer questions, help you develop your technical knowledge and support you in becoming increasingly independent.
We'll also support you in gaining relevant professional qualifications as part of your development at Pense. If you already hold an ICA qualification, such as an ICA Certificate or Advanced Certificate in Compliance, that's a strong advantage. If you don't, we'll discuss the most appropriate qualification route based on your existing experience and where you want your career to go.
The aim isn't simply to get you qualified. It's to give you the experience, mentoring and responsibility to become a genuinely senior member of our compliance function.
As Pense grows, so will the role.
Why Pense?
You'll be joining at an unusually interesting point in our growth.
We're already operating at scale, but we're still small enough that you can see the impact of your work immediately. You'll work alongside experienced compliance professionals and the leadership team rather than being one person in a large compliance department.
We're building technology to make financial advice better and we're trying to build the company in the same way: intelligently, efficiently and without unnecessary bureaucracy.
If you're looking for a compliance role where you can learn, take ownership, get properly mentored and build towards leading a function, we'd like to hear from you.
Pay: £40,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company events
- Company pension
- Discounted or free food
- Financial planning services
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Application question(s):
- Have you worked in an FCA-Regulated environment in a compliance capacity
- Is working 5 days a week in the company headquarters an issue for you?
Work Location: In person
