Location: GIFT City, Gandhinagar, Gujarat
Qode Advisors LLP is a SEBI-registered Portfolio Management Services (PMS) firm serving High Net-Worth Individuals (HNIs), family offices and sophisticated investors.
As part of its growth strategy, Qode is expanding into GIFT City, IFSC to establish a compliant, scalable and globally oriented fund management platform. The IFSC entity will cater to sophisticated global investors and operate within the regulatory framework prescribed by the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA).
We are looking for a Compliance Officer who will play a critical role in establishing and strengthening the compliance architecture of the IFSC entity and ensuring that the business operates in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements.
The Compliance Officer will be responsible for building, implementing and managing the compliance framework for Qode’s IFSC entity.
The role will involve regulatory licensing and readiness, policy development, AML/KYC, regulatory reporting, compliance monitoring, risk management, governance, internal controls, audit readiness and ongoing engagement with regulators and external stakeholders.
The ideal candidate should have strong knowledge of financial-services regulations, excellent attention to detail and the ability to independently build compliance processes in a fast-growing financial institution.
-
Lead the development and implementation of the compliance framework for the IFSC entity.
-
Ensure compliance with applicable IFSCA regulations, circulars, guidelines, directions and regulatory requirements.
-
Support and coordinate the IFSCA registration/licensing and regulatory approval process.
-
Prepare, review and submit regulatory applications, filings, declarations, undertakings and other regulatory documentation.
-
Act as a key point of contact for regulatory correspondence and coordinate responses to regulatory queries.
-
Track regulatory developments and assess their impact on the business.
-
Maintain a regulatory obligations tracker and ensure timely completion of all applicable requirements.
-
Ensure the entity remains compliant with applicable regulatory conditions throughout its operations.
-
Build the compliance framework for the IFSC entity from the ground up.
-
Develop and maintain comprehensive compliance policies, manuals and SOPs.
-
Establish a structured Compliance Calendar covering periodic regulatory filings, reporting and compliance activities.
-
Develop processes for regulatory monitoring, compliance testing and exception management.
-
Establish appropriate compliance controls across business and operational functions.
-
Review existing policies periodically and update them in line with regulatory changes.
-
Ensure that compliance requirements are effectively communicated to relevant stakeholders.
-
Establish and oversee the AML/KYC framework in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements.
-
Develop and maintain policies relating to Customer Due Diligence (CDD), Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD), sanctions screening and ongoing customer monitoring.
-
Ensure appropriate KYC documentation and investor onboarding controls.
-
Monitor and identify potential AML, sanctions, fraud or suspicious activity risks.
-
Coordinate with relevant internal teams and external service providers for KYC/AML processes.
-
Ensure appropriate escalation and reporting of suspicious transactions/activity, wherever applicable.
-
Maintain appropriate AML/KYC records and ensure audit readiness.
-
Establish a periodic compliance monitoring and testing program.
-
Conduct compliance reviews across business, operations, investor onboarding and other relevant functions.
-
Identify regulatory gaps, control weaknesses and compliance exceptions.
-
Maintain a compliance issue and remediation tracker.
-
Work with business teams to implement corrective and preventive actions.
-
Report material compliance issues and exceptions to senior management.
-
Track closure of identified compliance observations within defined timelines.
-
Support the development of the entity's overall risk management framework.
-
Identify, assess and monitor regulatory, operational and compliance risks.
-
Establish appropriate risk registers and control mechanisms.
-
Develop processes for identifying and escalating regulatory and operational risk events.
-
Support Business Continuity, operational resilience and other applicable risk-management initiatives.
-
Review key controls and recommend improvements where required.
-
Ensure appropriate segregation of duties and governance controls are maintained.
-
Support the governance framework of the IFSC entity.
-
Prepare compliance reports, MIS and regulatory updates for senior management and relevant committees.
-
Maintain appropriate records of compliance reviews, decisions, approvals and regulatory correspondence.
-
Support preparation of agendas, papers and minutes for relevant governance meetings, where required.
-
Monitor action items arising from management, audit, risk and compliance meetings.
-
Ensure governance processes remain aligned with applicable regulatory requirements.
-
Manage periodic and event-based regulatory filings and submissions applicable to the IFSC entity.
-
Ensure regulatory reports are accurate, complete and submitted within prescribed timelines.
-
Maintain a centralized record of all regulatory submissions.
-
Coordinate with Finance, Operations, Fund Management and other stakeholders for regulatory data requirements.
-
Conduct periodic checks to ensure consistency and accuracy of regulatory information.
-
Coordinate compliance requirements for internal audits, external audits and regulatory inspections.
-
Ensure all required policies, records, registers, reports and supporting documentation are maintained appropriately.
-
Act as a key coordinator for regulatory and compliance audits.
-
Track audit observations and ensure timely remediation.
-
Prepare the organization for regulatory inspections and reviews.
-
Maintain a high level of ongoing audit and inspection readiness rather than treating compliance as a periodic activity.
-
Provide compliance guidance to business, investment, operations, finance and senior management teams.
-
Review new products, investment structures, processes and business initiatives from a regulatory and compliance perspective.
-
Identify regulatory implications of proposed business activities and provide appropriate recommendations.
-
Support the business in balancing commercial objectives with regulatory requirements.
-
Work closely with legal counsel, auditors, consultants, compliance service providers and other external stakeholders.
-
Develop and conduct compliance and regulatory awareness sessions for employees.
-
Ensure employees understand applicable AML/KYC, conflicts of interest, code of conduct, information security and other compliance requirements.
-
Promote a strong culture of regulatory discipline and accountability.
-
Maintain appropriate records of compliance training and employee acknowledgements.
The successful candidate will be expected to take ownership of:
-
Establishing the complete compliance framework for the IFSC entity.
-
Supporting successful IFSCA registration/licensing and regulatory readiness.
-
Developing the compliance policy and SOP framework.
-
Establishing AML/KYC and investor due-diligence processes.
-
Implementing a regulatory obligations and compliance calendar.
-
Establishing compliance monitoring and testing mechanisms.
-
Building regulatory reporting and filing processes.
-
Establishing risk registers and internal control mechanisms.
-
Ensuring audit and regulatory inspection readiness.
-
Creating a robust compliance culture across the organization.
-
3+ years of relevant experience in Compliance, Risk, Legal & Compliance or Regulatory Compliance within a regulated financial-services organization.
-
Experience with financial markets, PMS, AIF, asset management, investment management, securities markets, brokerage, banking, fintech or related regulated financial institutions.
-
Strong understanding of regulatory compliance frameworks and financial-services regulations.
-
Experience in developing or implementing compliance policies, processes and controls.
-
Strong understanding of AML/KYC and regulatory reporting requirements.
-
Strong documentation, analytical and stakeholder-management skills.
-
Ability to work independently and build processes in a relatively new or evolving regulatory environment.
-
Company Secretary (CS) or equivalent professional qualification.
-
Prior experience with IFSCA / IFSC / GIFT City regulatory frameworks will be strongly preferred.
-
Experience working with SEBI, RBI, IFSCA or other financial-sector regulators will be an advantage.
-
Experience in PMS, AIF, Fund Management or Investment Management compliance will be highly preferred.
-
Relevant certifications in AML, compliance, risk management or financial crime prevention will be an advantage.
Competitive and open to discussion, aligned with the candidate's experience, qualifications, regulatory expertise and criticality of the role.
