Location
Geneva, Switzerland
Contract
Permanent or Advisory Mandate – Full time
Role Summary
We are a specialist advisory firm operating at the intersection of financial services, commodity markets, and geopolitics, supporting boards, senior executives, and public authorities in navigating complex policy, reputation, regulatory, and governance challenges.
As Senior Advisor / Head of Compliance, you will provide strategic leadership on policy matters related to the EU, Switzerland, and the US, as well as trade and geopolitical issues, governance, sanctions, and market conduct risk across highly regulated and politically sensitive environments. You will advise multinational corporate firms, investment banks, asset managers, governments, and ultra-high-net-worth structures on policy analysis, operational and regulatory strategy, new business initiatives, and crisis situations.
You will operate across Europe, the UK, the Middle East, APAC, and the US, engaging directly with regulators, law enforcement agencies, and international institutions while leading the design, implementation, and optimization of global or regional governance and risk frameworks. The role combines hands-on technical expertise, executive advisory, and external representation at the highest level.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic compliance & governance leadership
- Provide advice on the design, implementation, and oversight of enterprise-wide governance and risk frameworks covering trade flows, risk, compliance, and governance.
- Advise boards and executive committees on political strategy, regulatory risk, enforcement exposure, and strategic decision-making.
- Act as a trusted senior advisor in high-risk jurisdictions and complex political environments.
- Political affairs & external engagement
- Utilize deep experience in political and regulatory analysis at the European Commission level and country level within the EU, the UK, and Switzerland.
- Facilitate the representation of clients and perform technical analysis across topics such as economic stability, energy security, food security, the green agenda, financial market stability, and tax.
- Deliver briefings to law enforcement and trade bodies on current geopolitical events and their implications for global and regional trade.
- Financial crime, sanctions & market conduct
- Lead advisory and remediation work related to economic sanctions, AML, anti-bribery and corruption, market abuse, and trade finance risks.
- Provide expert insight on sanctions regimes, including designation events, escalation management, and regulator engagement.
- Design and deploy market conduct and derivatives compliance frameworks across physical and financial commodity markets.
- Advisory, remediation & special projects
- Lead post-enforcement remediation programs, regulatory gap analyses, and governance reviews.
- Provide advisory capabilities on M&A transactions, trade and structured finance, FX, digital currency, and capital initiatives.
- Support vendor selection and the deployment of technology architectures.
- Leadership, culture & capability building
- Build, lead, and mentor global compliance teams across EMEA and APAC.
- Design and deliver compliance training programs for front office, logistics, treasury, and senior management.
- Drive cost-effective compliance solutions by harmonizing processes while maintaining regulatory robustness.
- Thought leadership & expert representation
- Act as an expert witness in commercial and regulatory disputes related to compliance, sanctions, commodity trading, and financial crime.
- Represent the organization at industry conferences, regulatory forums, and academic institutions.
- Contribute to public policy debates through publications, government briefings, and academic engagement.
Core Competencies
- Executive compliance leadership: board-level advisory, governance design, and regulatory strategy.
- Financial crime & sanctions expertise: deep mastery of AML, ABC, economic sanctions, trade finance, and maritime risk.
- Commodity markets & derivatives: understanding of physical and financial trade flows and market dynamics.
- Regulatory affairs & enforcement: experience with lobbying, political analysis, regulators, investigations, and remediation programs.
- Crisis & high-risk advisory: effective operation in politically sensitive and high-exposure environments.
- Systems & process optimization: proficiency in technology infrastructure, data digitalization, and cost-controlled framework deployment.
- Influence & communication: trusted advisor to regulators, governments, boards, and C-suite executives.
Required Qualifications
- Experience: 20+ years in senior compliance, regulatory risk, and governance roles within financial services and commodity markets.
- Extensive background in investment banking, commodity trading, asset management, and international advisory environments.
- Proven track record as Chief Compliance Officer, Global Head of Compliance, or Senior Advisor.
- In-depth knowledge of global regulatory frameworks and enforcement bodies (US, EU, UK, APAC).
- Skilled public speaker, lecturer, and author on compliance and market integrity topics.
- Languages: Full professional proficiency in English; additional European languages are an advantage.
- Comfortable operating independently at a senior level with significant autonomy and discretion.
Why Join Us?
This role offers the opportunity to operate at the forefront of global compliance, geopolitics, and financial crime risk, advising the most sophisticated market participants and public authorities worldwide. You will engage in high-stakes, non-standard matters where judgment, credibility, and experience are critical, shaping regulatory outcomes and protecting institutions operating in volatile environments.
With a strong emphasis on intellectual independence, strategic impact, and global exposure, this position is ideally suited to a senior professional seeking to leverage deep expertise across advisory, leadership, and thought-leadership dimensions.
Apply
Apply online using the form below. Please note that only applications matching the job profile will be considered.