Oak - Head of Risk & Compliance – Trust and Funds
Jersey
Vacancy listed 22/07/2026
Application deadline 31/07/2026
Details
Opera summary: 
Opera is a privately owned financial services group, created to build a world-class portfolio of fund, corporate and fiduciary businesses.  Majority backed by Pula, the family office of Stephen Lansdown CBE - co-founder of Hargreaves Lansdown - and like-minded shareholders such as Sealyham, the family office of Tom Scott. 
 
Opera’s growing portfolio includes Accuro (pending regulatory approval), Amber Trust Ltd (now Oak Bahamas), HFL, Meritus (pending regulatory approval) and Oak, with operations across eight jurisdictions: Bermuda, Geneva, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, London, Mauritius and The Bahamas. The group administers assets totaling $71.5bn. 
 
For more information, please visit: https://www.operalimited.com/   

Oak summary:
Oak offers innovative private client, corporate and fund administration services tailored to our clients' needs. Oak operates across Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, Mauritius and The Bahamas with more than 250 employees administering over $24 billion in assets. The group is known for its client-centric approach, commitment to excellence and forward-thinking vision.

Job summary:
The role holder will: 
  • Hold key regulatory appointments where required 
  • Act as senior risk and compliance leader for trust licence(s) and all fund structures 
  • Provide assurance to the Board, regulators and stakeholders that regulatory, conduct, financial crime and operational risks are appropriately identified, mitigated and managed 
  • Lead a unified risk and compliance framework across jurisdictions, ensuring consistency, proportionality and regulatory alignment. 

Key Responsibilities: 
Strategic Leadership 
  • Set the enterprise wide Risk & Compliance strategy for the Trust and Fund businesses post merger, aligning Accuro and Oak frameworks, policies and risk appetites 
  • Support the integration of risk, compliance and governance frameworks for the Jersey business 
  • Advise the Jersey Board on emerging regulatory, conduct, financial crime and operational risks impacting trust and fund services 
  • Ensure regulatory change is proactively monitored, interpreted and embedded across both businesses 
 
Regulatory Oversight & Key Person Responsibilities 
  • Hold senior regulatory roles as required (e.g. MLRO, MLCO, Compliance Officer, Risk Officer or equivalent) for:  
  • Trust licences 
  • Fund services businesses 
  • Underlying fund structures where applicable 
  • Act as primary or senior contact for JFSC, FIU, auditors and other external stakeholders 
  • Ensure timely, accurate and transparent regulatory reporting and engagement 
  • Lead regulatory inspections, thematic reviews and remediation programmes 
 
Risk Management 
  • Own and maintain the Risk Management Framework covering: 
  • Trust companies 
  • Fund administration and fund governance structures 
  • Identify, assess and manage:  
  • Regulatory and compliance risk 
  • AML/CFT and financial crime risk 
  • Conduct risk 
  • Operational and reputational risk 
  • Oversee risk assessments at entity, licence and product/fund levels 
  • Ensure effective incident management, breach reporting and escalation 

Compliance Management 
  • Ensure robust compliance monitoring programmes are in place across trust and fund operations 
  • Oversee testing, monitoring and assurance activities, ensuring issues are tracked to resolution 
  • Ensure policies, procedures and controls meet applicable trust law, funds law and regulatory standards across relevant jurisdictions 
  • Provide regular and ad hoc compliance reporting to senior management, the Board and Committees 
 
Governance & Reporting 
  • Chair or provide senior leadership to the Jersey Risk & Compliance Committee 
  • Oversee Jersey governance, escalation and reporting frameworks 
  • Prepare and present risk and compliance reports to:  
  • Boards 
  • Board Committees 
  • Investment / Fiduciary Committees (where relevant) 
  • Ensure appropriate management information (MI) is produced for Trust and Fund activities 
 
People Leadership & Culture 
  • Lead and develop the Jerey Trust & Funds Risk and Compliance team 
  • Ensure adequate resourcing, capability and succession planning 
  • Promote a strong risk aware and compliance led culture across the merged Jerey business 
  • Oversee training and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes 
 
Key Activities 
  • Act as MLRO, MLCO and/or Compliance Officer for trust and fund entities as required 
  • Manage regulatory relationships and inspections 
  • Lead post merger harmonisation of risk and compliance frameworks 
  • Ensure timely completion of compliance monitoring plans and risk assessments 
  • Oversee breaches, SARs, regulatory notifications and remediation actions 
  • Deliver risk and compliance reporting to Committees and Boards

Key Competencies & Skills: 
  • ICA Diploma (or equivalent), ACAMS or other relevant professional qualification 
  • Extensive experience leading Risk & Compliance within:  
  • Trust & fiduciary services and/or 
  • Fund administration / fund governance businesses 
  • Deep understanding of:  
  • Trust company regulation 
  • Fund structures (regulated and unregulated) 
  • AML/CFT frameworks 
  • Corporate and fiduciary governance 
  • Proven experience holding regulated roles and engaging with regulators 
  • Strong leadership and people management capability 
  • Excellent stakeholder management and regulator facing communication skills 
  • Strategic thinker with ability to operate at Board level 
  • Sound judgement and decision making skills in complex regulatory environments 
  • Ability to operate across multiple jurisdictions, licences and structures 
  • Strong project and change management capability 

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