Compliance Solicitor
£40,000 - £55,000 plus excellent benefits (Work Level 6A) 
Manchester, Bristol, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Sheffield – (hybrid working)

We’re looking for a compliance solicitor to join us at Co-op Legal Services (CLS).

In this role, we’ll look to you to be our technical specialist in regulatory compliance, providing compliance oversight and strategic support to the business for all legal and regulatory requirements. You’ll work collaboratively with the compliance manager on providing expertise relating to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) code of conduct, operational governance, regulatory compliance framework, data protection, anti-money laundering, complaint handling, professional indemnity insurance and negligence claims. As a fast-growing business, you’ll also support us in providing due diligence and governance of contractual relationships with our business partners. As we continue to grow, they’ll be plenty of opportunity to develop your skills and build a rewarding career with us.

What you’ll do:

•    draft and review CLS policies and procedures – working with other business areas to drive efficiencies whilst meeting regulatory obligations
•    assist operations with client onboarding including conflict checking, client due diligence and AML queries
•    support the data protection lead and deputise when necessary to managing DSARs, deletion requests, and undertaking data breach investigations
•    sample file reviews/audits
•    be responsible for Practicing Certificate and PII policy renewals
•    investigate regulatory breach notifications, preparing reports for COLP/SRA as required
•    monitor the relationships with new and existing business partners, performing due diligence and governance of contracts
•    provide support and manage issues escalated from CLS colleagues and Heads of Practice

This role would suit people who have:

•    qualified as a solicitor
•    significant experience of SRA regulation 
•    a background in legal operations, working in an SRA regulated environment 
•    experience of dealing with complaints and professional negligence claims
•    good knowledge of data protection legislation and processes 
•    understanding of money laundering regulations
•    excellent relationship building and communication skills

Why Co-op?

Here you’ll do work that matters. We’re a commercial organisation with a purpose beyond profit, you’ll have an opportunity to help us build a stronger Co-op and stronger communities. You’ll also get a package that includes:

•    competitive salary
•    coaching, training and support to help you develop
•    pension with up to 10% employer contributions
•    annual incentive scheme 
•    28 days holiday plus bank holidays (rising to 32 in line with service)
•    discounts on Co-op products and services

Building an inclusive work environment

We’re actively building diverse teams and we welcome applications from everyone. We want to build inclusive work environments, where our colleagues have equal opportunities to reach their full potential. We celebrate our differences, and recognise the importance of our teams reflecting the communities they serve. 

If you have a disability, we can make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process according to your needs. We're also part of the Disability Confident scheme, meaning we'll always offer an interview to disabled candidates who apply through the scheme if they meet the minimum criteria for a job.

We'll ask whether you’d like to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme when you apply. 

If we invite you to take part in the recruitment process for any of our jobs, we’ll ask you if you need any reasonable adjustments to enable you to participate.

You can find out more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process. 

You can find out more about the Disability Confident scheme and all our commitments to diversity and inclusion at colleagues.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion-and-wellbeing.

If you’re successful in your application, we’ll perform some background checks as part of our pre-employment screening process. These will include an SRA check, credit checks, and a DBS (disclosure and barring service) check. Please note Co-op does not offer visa sponsorship for this role.