Senior Compliance Manager - Regulatory Change, Policies & Standards

JOB PURPOSE

• The Senior Compliance Manager - Regulatory Change, Policies & Standards is responsible for the proactive identification, interpretation, governance and oversight of regulatory change, compliance policies, standards and regulatory obligations across the Bank, in line with applicable laws, Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) Prudential Guidelines, Financial Reporting Centre (FRC) requirements and Group standards.
• The role ensures that regulatory requirements are translated into clear policies, accountable ownership and effective controls, that implementation is tracked to closure, and that material delays, breaches and policy deficiencies are escalated in a timely manner, while preserving a clear separation of responsibilities under the Three Lines of Defence.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead enterprise-wide regulatory horizon scanning, interpretation and impact assessment of new and changing laws, regulations and supervisory guidance.
• Oversee regulatory change implementation plans, accountable owners, dependencies, milestones and escalation of delays.
• Lead the development, review and approval of regulatory compliance policies, standards and frameworks.
• Maintain policy governance, version control and alignment with Group standards and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee the central regulatory obligations inventory, including applicability mapping, executive ownership and control linkages.
• Coordinate the Bank's submissions and feedback on CBK reforms, consultation papers and emerging regulations.
• Advise Management on regulatory requirements for new products, digital channels, outsourcing, expansion and technology change.
• Prepare regulatory change and policy governance reports for ExCo and the Board Risk Committee.
• Lead, develop and allocate resources across the Regulatory Change, Policies & Standards team.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Establish and maintain an enterprise-wide regulatory horizon scanning process covering CBK, FRC, CMA, ODPC, KDIC and other relevant authorities.
• Ensure timely and documented interpretation and impact assessment of regulatory changes, working with Legal where interpretation is complex.
• Ensure each regulatory change has an approved implementation plan, accountable executive owner, defined milestones and evidence of completion.
• Monitor implementation progress and escalate overdue, at-risk or deficient implementation to Senior Management and governance forums.
• Lead the policy lifecycle, including drafting standards, stakeholder consultation, approval routing, periodic review and attestation.
• Maintain a policy and standards register with version control, ownership, review dates and alignment to Group policies.
• Oversee the regulatory obligations register, ensuring applicability mapping, ownership, control linkages and integration into the GRC system.
• Coordinate consolidated Bank responses to CBK consultations, draft Prudential Guidelines and Risk Management Guidelines.
• Provide regulatory advisory input into new products, digital channels, outsourcing arrangements, expansion and technology change.
• Identify regulatory compliance gaps and ensure remediation actions are owned by the accountable First Line functions.
• Prepare regulatory change dashboards, policy status reports and obligation coverage reports for ExCo and the Board Risk Committee.
• Escalate significant regulatory breaches, implementation delays and policy deficiencies through established governance structures.
• Support regulatory inspections, audits and thematic reviews relating to regulatory change and policy governance.
• Drive the adoption of regulatory technology to improve horizon scanning, obligations management and policy governance.
• Lead, mentor and develop the team, including performance management, capability building and succession planning.

Qualifications

CORE COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

• Strong knowledge of Kenyan banking laws, CBK Prudential Guidelines, Risk Management Guidelines and FRC requirements.
• Expertise in regulatory horizon scanning, impact assessment and regulatory change management.
• Strong policy drafting, policy governance and standards development capability.
• Understanding of regulatory obligations registers, control mapping and GRC systems.
• Ability to interpret and apply regulatory requirements in a practical business environment.
• Excellent report writing, Board reporting and executive communication skills.
• Strong stakeholder engagement, influencing and constructive challenge capability.
• Demonstrated leadership, people management and team development skills.
• High integrity, independence, sound judgement and attention to detail.

EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 10 years' experience in Regulatory Compliance, Risk Management, Legal, Internal Audit or related functions within the financial services sector.
• At least 5 years' experience in a management role.
• Demonstrated experience in a complex regulated financial institution, regulatory authority or leading professional services firm.
• Demonstrated experience in regulatory change management, policy governance and regulatory obligations management.
• Prior experience in a Tier 1 bank and familiarity with CBK and FRC supervisory expectations will be an added advantage.

ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Law, Finance, Banking, Commerce, Economics, Business Administration, Risk Management or a related field.
• Master's degree in a relevant discipline will be an added advantage.
• Professional certifications such as ICA Diploma in Governance, Risk and Compliance, CCEP, CAMS, CPA(K), ACCA, CPS(K) or equivalent.
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous professional development in regulatory compliance and governance.