Business Risk Manager, Suitability Lead

Overview

As the Business Risk Manager, Suitability Lead, you will own and enhance the suitability and advice framework across discretionary, advisory, and wealth planning activities. You will drive first-line risk and control activities, ensure FCA and policy alignment, and provide independent challenge to Front Office management. The role supports regulatory readiness, risk reporting, and remediation, contributing to a strong risk culture within Schroders Wealth Management. You will partner with global teams to improve processes, automation, and data quality while guiding transformation of the risk operating model.

Responsibilities

• Own and enhance the suitability and advice control framework across discretionary, advisory and wealth planning activities
• Develop global minimum standards for suitability and advice quality
• Ensure framework aligns with FCA requirements, Consumer Duty and internal policies
• Design and oversee first-line suitability and advice quality monitoring programmes
• Conduct thematic reviews of suitability reports, client reviews, financial plans and investment recommendations
• Identify trends, weaknesses and recurring control failures; provide independent challenge to Front Office
• Establish and continuously enhance the first-line risk and control framework aligned with RMF and governance standards
• Prepare risk reporting and insights for senior management
• Facilitate Risk and Control Assessments and capture risks in systems
• Ensure timely remediation of risk issues and control gaps; lead root cause analysis
• Act as key contact for internal/external auditors on first-line control matters
• Ensure timely regulatory reporting, responses, and remediation plans
• Monitor evolving regulatory expectations and industry standards; promote risk awareness and accountability
• Coach management on risk responsibilities, ownership, and accountability
• Identify opportunities to enhance processes, automation, and data quality
• Support transformation initiatives to improve Wealth risk operating model
• Contribute to strengthening the control environment and shift to proactive risk management

Key requirements

• Deep knowledge of suitability regulations, investment advice and wealth planning
• Strong understanding of FCA COBS, Consumer Duty, vulnerable customers and suitability requirements
• Ability to influence senior Front Office stakeholders and provide independent challenge
• Strong understanding of regulatory requirements (FINMA, MiFID II, AML/KYC, operational risk, risk governance frameworks)

• Stakeholder management
• Influencing and challenge
• Integrity and independent judgment
• Suitability & Advice Frameworks
• QA and controls testing
• Risk Management Framework (RMF) adherence

…