Director, Equities Compliance

Bank of Montreal•New York, NY

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Equities Compliance will assist in the effective implementation, maintenance and administration of the Capital Markets Compliance Program. The role provides compliance advisory services, coordinates and performs ongoing risk assessment, monitoring and surveillance activities to ensure that the Compliance Program remains current and aligned with the Firm’s Enterprise-wide Compliance Program. The role works closely with the relevant other internal business partners to ensure regulatory and corporate obligations are met. This role will have a specific focus on compliance oversight over BMO’s Capital Markets equity activities. The Director of Equities Compliance maintains current knowledge of regulatory requirements and developments, monitors risk, identifies and corrects possible gaps and weaknesses. This individual will be responsible for the successful implementation and maintenance of the Firm’s compliance framework. The Director of Equities Compliance will have a strong background in equities trading activities, as well as knowledge of various regulatory reporting requirements. This role provides real-time guidance to Capital Markets management on implications of new regulatory policies or Bank products and assists in the implementation of new or revised policies and programs to address them. The role develops and maintains compliance information for analysis and reporting.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
Minimum of 5 years of experience with a financial services firm in a compliance role or equivalent experience at a regulator.
Strong knowledge of multiple equity market activities preferred including: communications, SEC Rule 605/6, supervision, best execution/order handling, and SEC Rule 15c3-5.
Builds relationships with key stakeholders to ensure high levels of satisfaction and lay the foundations for continued growth and partnership.
Leads project to completion, provides process and technical expertise, advice and consulting throughout plan execution.
Leads process improvements based on post-mortem analysis.
Leverages feedback to improve processes collaborating with leadership teams across departments.
Must be a highly motivated candidate with the ability to work independently.
The ability to multi-task, plan and prioritize a large volume of detail-oriented work in accordance with changing deadlines.
Strong knowledge of applicable securities laws, rules and regulations with the ability to assess firm impact.
Series 7, 63, 24 a plus.
Strong communication, critical thinking, relationship management, and project management skills.
Deep operational and regulatory knowledge across SEC, FINRA, and exchange rules.
Strong understanding of options trading and market structure.
Experience across multiple compliance functional areas (surveillance, investigations, testing, reporting).
Expertise in surveillance systems, investigation methodologies, and testing protocols.
Ability to translate complex regulatory requirements into practical operational procedures.
Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to synthesize complex information and provide actional recommendations.

Nice To Haves

Strong knowledge of multiple equity market activities preferred including: communications, SEC Rule 605/6, supervision, best execution/order handling, and SEC Rule 15c3-5.
Series 7, 63, 24 a plus.
Strong understanding of options trading and market structure.
Experience across multiple compliance functional areas (surveillance, investigations, testing, reporting).
Expertise in surveillance systems, investigation methodologies, and testing protocols.

Responsibilities

Monitor business activities and engage in active dialog with business unit personnel regarding Compliance impacts of their activities.
Communicate directly with traders and supervisors to provide real time guidance, assess risks and remediate issues.
Actively monitor regulatory developments and trends and take appropriate action to ensure the business unit complies with new and/or amended regulations.
Review, draft, and enhance Policies and Procedures and Written Supervisory Procedures.
Review new business initiatives, products, and markets to ensure full compliance before launch.
Work closely with IT and support staff on the implementation of regulatory initiatives.
Assist and train the business line, support functions and compliance support staff on relevant rules and regulations.
Assist in the response of regulatory inquiries and regulatory examinations.
Provide advisory guidance to support functions in order to ensure compliant functionality of front and back-office tools for topics such as CAT, TRF reporting, Reg SHO, SEC Rule 15c3-5, FINRA Rule 5310, SEC Rule 605/6.
Communicate and escalate potential issues for timely addressing and resolution.
In coordination with the CCO, support the CMC equity program including a focus on building and executing the monitoring framework and compliance responsibilities.
Execute appropriate testing and analyze key performance indicators to ensure requirements of the LOB policies and programs are maintained at a level commensurate with regulatory expectations.
Support root cause analysis in response to material control failures in line(s) of business.
Review electronic communications.
Participate in risk assessments , issue tracking, and remediation efforts to address control gaps and regulatory findings.