Compliance Manager

An exceptional opportunity has arisen for an experienced Compliance Manager to join a leading international law firm on a maternity cover basis, based in either Paris or Luxembourg.

The Role:

This role is pivotal in supporting the firm's European offices, including Luxembourg, Paris, Milan, and Switzerland, with a focus on delivering expert guidance on Customer Due Diligence (CDD) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) matters. The organisation is renowned for its commitment to responsible business practices, fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where every team member can thrive.

You will be joining a collaborative and supportive culture that values empathy, clarity, and meaningful relationships—ensuring you feel valued and empowered to make a real impact. Flexible working opportunities are available, allowing you to balance your professional ambitions with personal commitments while contributing to the ongoing success of a respected legal network.

What You Will Do:

• Serve as the primary point of contact for all European Anti-Money Laundering and New Business Intake queries, offering expert advice to compliance teams, local offices, and assistants.
• Assist with adverse media clearances by ensuring appropriate escalation procedures are followed and senior management is kept informed of any significant findings.
• Support European offices in navigating administrative differences by applying a risk-based approach to complex queries and ensuring consistent compliance standards.
• Draft and submit Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) or Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) when required, maintaining meticulous records of all submissions.
• Address non-AML compliance and risk-related queries by directing offices to relevant resources, particularly regarding conflicts of interest and engagement letters.
• Collaborate closely with finance teams on European queries involving third-party payments, retainer invoices, and month-end matter openings to ensure regulatory adherence.
• Review and approve binders for medium- and high-risk clients, ensuring robust due diligence processes are consistently applied across all cases.
• Lead the audit process for European offices by preparing annual questionnaires, responding to audit questions, maintaining comprehensive logs of compliance activities, and supporting successful audit outcomes.
• Oversee the onboarding process for new lateral hires in Europe by liaising with Managing Partners, building rapport with new colleagues, ensuring completion of CDD requirements, and arranging relevant training sessions.
• Create and deliver engaging training sessions on CDD requirements, local AML legislation, and best practices for compliance teams while identifying knowledge gaps and collaborating with other departments to provide targeted support.

What You Will Need:

• Demonstrable expertise in Customer Due Diligence requirements across Europe and the UK gained through experience within a law firm compliance team.
• Comprehensive understanding of Anti-Money Laundering regulations in multiple jurisdictions with proven ability to interpret complex legislative frameworks.
• Proven track record advising on source of wealth assessments and funds due diligence processes within professional services environments.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills enabling effective engagement with clients, partners, fee earners, support staff, and external stakeholders.
• Highly organised approach with the capacity to manage conflicting priorities while meeting tight deadlines in a fast-moving environment.

Robert Walters Operations Limited is an employment business and employment agency and welcomes applications from all candidates