Head of Compliance & MLRO (f/m/d)

Head of Compliance & MLRO (f/m/d) Upvest is on a mission to make investing as easy as spending money. The company empowers businesses to offer a wide range of investment products and the best experience in the field of capital market investment and retirement planning. Upvest’s Investment API is easy to integrate so that fintechs and enterprises alike can save resources and fully focus on their core business.‍ Upvest is one of the few fintechs in Europe that can provide its B2B clients with the full range of investment opportunities in the areas of principal broking business, proprietary trading, and safe custody business for traditional securities. We are proud to partner with Europe’s leading Fintechs and financial institutions such as DKB, Revolut, N26 and Raisin. Founded in 2017 by Martin Kassing, Upvest now brings together over 270 talented professionals from more than 70 nationalities. Our latest €100m fundraising round (Series C) was led by Sapphire Ventures, with continued support from existing investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, BlackRock, Earlybird, HV Capital, Motive Ventures, and Notion Capital. Our headquarters are in Berlin, Germany, with hubs in London, UK and Tallinn, Estonia. This role is based in London (hybrid), with some travel expected to the Upvest HQ in Berlin. YOUR MISSION: As the Head of Compliance and MLRO, you are responsible for the strategic oversight and execution of our regulatory framework in the UK. You will hold the SMF 16 and SMF 17 functions for Upvest Securities Ltd, acting as a senior business partner to ensure our growth is built on a foundation of regulatory excellence. You will lead the development of a robust compliance and AML function that aligns with FCA standards and supports our ambitious product roadmap, including the launch of our SIPP (pensions) offering. By fostering a "Compliance by Design" culture, you will enable Upvest to scale its financial infrastructure to millions of end-users while maintaining the highest levels of integrity and trust with regulators, clients, and partners. THIS ROLE OFFERS YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO: - Serve as the primary UK regulatory lead, holding the Senior Management Functions (SMF 16/17) and acting as one of the main points of contact for the FCA. - Lead the regulatory workstream for our UK SIPP launch, ensuring our pension products meet all specific tax and FCA requirements from day one. - Oversee Financial Crime prevention, providing AML guidance, and maintaining oversight of fraud, bribery, and sanctions risks. - Review and enhance the risk based Compliance Monitoring Programme (CMP). Ensure that our B2B partners are meeting their integrated compliance obligations. - Implement data-driven monitoring and reporting to ensure continuous adherence to COBS, CASS, SYSC, and the Consumer Duty. - Partner with Product, Engineering and Growth teams to integrate compliance considerations into the development of new investment products and automated workflows, and provide guidance and support for client discussions on regulatory topics where required. - Act as a senior advisor to the Board and Management providing independent challenge and translating complex UK regulatory developments into actionable strategic insights and policies. - Lead and develop a high-performing UK compliance function, fostering a culture of technical excellence, autonomy, and proactive risk mitigation. WHAT YOU'LL BRING: - 7+ years of experience in compliance and AML within a UK-regulated investment firm, wealth manager, or brokerage. - Direct experience holding or being ready to hold SMF 16/17 (Head of Compliance & MLRO) status. - Proven expertise in the UK wealth/investments landscape, with a deep understanding of FCA rules (COBS, Consumer Duty). - Significant experience with SIPPs/Pensions is highly desirable to support our retirement planning product expansion. - Strategic thinking with the ability to scale compliance practices in a high-growth, ... (truncated, view full listing at source)