Head - Investment Compliance & Controls Monitoring

Overview

Senior leadership role accountable for Controls Monitoring, Market Abuse Monitoring and end-to-end investment compliance across portfolios and funds managed by the Asset Management business, within the Global Controls Monitoring capability in the COO/Global Controls environment.

What you'll do

• Set the strategy and multi-year roadmap for Investment Compliance (coding, monitoring and governance) and Controls Monitoring, aligned to the Asset Management operating model, risk appetite and control framework.
• Establish and own the global operating standards for mandate interpretation, rule taxonomy, evidence and documentation, breach workflows and escalation thresholds.
• Lead governance routines, executive updates and risk forums; provide clear MI and insights on compliance health, emerging risks and remediation progress.
• Act as the senior control owner for Investment Compliance processes, ensuring appropriate design effectiveness and sustainable oversight.
• Oversee fund and portfolio onboarding and mandate change implementation end-to-end: interpretation, rule specification, coding, testing and go-live assurance.
• Drive consistent interpretation of prospectus, IMAs, retail product constraints and house restrictions, ensuring controls are implemented accurately in systems.
• Sponsor simplification and standardisation initiatives to reduce complexity, improve rule reusability and shorten time-to-onboard.
• Oversee the operational performance and control outcomes of pre-trade and post-trade guideline monitoring, automated and manual where required.
• Ensure robust breach investigation, root-cause analysis, timely escalation and closure discipline across front office, investment operations and product.
• Maintain a strong control environment for complex instruments and strategies (derivatives, structured products, private assets where applicable) and evolving ESG and sustainability constraints.
• Oversee control monitoring and market abuse monitoring outcomes, ensuring monitoring is robust, complete and accurate.
• Ensure escalations from monitoring are taken forward by stakeholders and that monitoring thresholds are reviewed regularly under suitable governance.
• Serve as primary senior contact for audits, assurance reviews, control testing and escalations, ensuring high-quality responses and remediation plans.
• Build a proactive regulatory change capability: assess impact, translate requirements into controls and rules, and track implementation across systems and processes.
• Drive continuous improvements to strengthen preventative controls, reduce repeats, and enhance transparency and traceability.
• Sponsor technology improvements across investment compliance tooling (e.g. Aladdin), market abuse tooling (e.g. MAST), data quality, rule logic, automation and workflow digitisation.
• Partner with Technology and Data teams to enhance rule lifecycle management, data lineage and quality controls, reporting and analytics (Power BI dashboards, metrics), and operational resilience and scalability.
• Build trusted partnerships with Portfolio Managers, Client Directors, Product Specialists, Dealers and Trading desks, Cash Managers and disclosure teams.
• Collaborate closely with Risk, Compliance, Legal and global controls stakeholders to ensure consistent interpretation and an effective risk management culture.
• Present clearly to senior leadership, providing pragmatic options, risk-based recommendations and decision-ready insights.
• Lead, coach and develop managers and specialists across coding and monitoring; define capability standards, succession plans and talent development aligned to the function's growth.

What you'll need

• Proven senior leadership experience running a global or complex operational control function, with strong accountability for outcomes and governance.
• Ability to influence and partner with senior stakeholders, including front office, risk and technology.
• Deep understanding of investment guidelines, mandate interpretation (IMA/prospectus) and portfolio compliance monitoring across asset classes.
• Strong knowledge of capital markets and instruments, including derivatives; ability to translate complex requirements into robust controls and rule logic.
• Strong understanding of ESG guidelines and sustainability frameworks and their translation into monitorable constraints.
• Strong techno-functional orientation: ability to shape systems-based controls, rule frameworks and process automation.
• Familiarity with SQL and logic-based rule implementation concepts; ability to guide teams on testing, data dependencies and control evidence.
• Strong MI and reporting capability (Excel, PowerPoint, Power BI).
• Track record of leading cross-functional change and driving measurable improvements in controls, quality, throughput and risk outcomes.
• Comfortable operating in fast-paced environments with high consequence decision-making.
• 15+ years' experience in a buy-side asset management environment, with significant depth in investment compliance or guideline monitoring and breach governance.
• Demonstrable experience leading teams across coding and monitoring, managing senior stakeholders and delivering enterprise-level change.
• Strong experience interpreting fund prospectus and IMAs and converting requirements into system controls and operational processes.
• Master's degree in Finance, Economics or Mathematics (or equivalent).

Nice to have

• Experience with BlackRock Aladdin (or equivalent compliance monitoring platforms).
• Understanding of UK/European regulatory frameworks impacting guideline monitoring (e.g. UCITS, AIFMD, NURS, COLL) and broader market conduct expectations.
• Experience operating in a multi-cultural, globally distributed environment.
• Curiosity and continuous improvement mindset; challenges the status quo with pragmatic solutions.
• CFA preferred; FRM desirable; relevant Investment Operations or Investment Management qualifications beneficial.
• Technical certifications (SQL, VBA or modern equivalents) desirable.

Details

• Location: Mumbai.
• Hybrid working with three days' work from office (subject to policy change).
• Reports to Director, Asset Management.