Overview

Role title: Advice Quality Specialist

Reports to: Advice Quality Manager

Location: Hub Location (Reading, London, Birmingham, Bristol or Glasgow)

Hours of work: 35 hours each week

SMCR Function: This is a Certified Role

Purpose of role

The purpose of this role is to provide technical support to Advisers, undertake technical project work where required, and to manage and assess Adviser’s KPIs under Ascot Lloyd’s Training and Competency Scheme and Business Quality Review Framework.

The role will ensure that Ascot Lloyds Advisers are supported in line with the FCA’s T&C Requirements, enabling them to provide high quality advice thus ensuring the right outcomes for clients and that this is evidenced by quality file completion.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical support to the IFA team

• Provide oversight of advisers’ key performance indicators (“KPI”) as defined in Ascot Lloyd Training and Competency Scheme and appropriate spans of control.

• Ongoing assessment of advisers’ competency in areas of adviser licensing, annual risk assessments and fitness ..

• Complete Business Quality Reviews in line with risk based approach of Ascot Lloyd’s Business Quality Review Framework, identifying areas for development.

• To interact with internal stakeholders with respect to the delivery of advice quality, such as the commercial, product and risk and compliance teams.

• To help maintain and develop management information as part of the KPI oversight of advisers through the Training and Competency Scheme and Business Quality Review Framework.

• To maintain personal compliance of operational and regulatory risk

• To escalate areas of concern to the Senior Manager (Advice Quality & Technical Support) and identify trends and emerging risk to the business

• To assist the Compliance team with department projects and thematic reviews (include past business reviews) as required.

• Encourage good risk management processes.

• Fostering a risk-aware culture acts as a business enabler through which management feels empowered to take risks in a manner that is transparent and that is in line with the business and risk strategy.

SM&CR Responsibilities

As an FCA regulated Company, Ascot Lloyd are required to adhere to the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SM&CR), to develop a culture where employees take personal responsibility for their own actions.

Individual Conduct Rules

1. You must act with integrity
2. You must act with due care, skill and diligence
3. You must be open and co-operative with the FCA, PRA and other regulators
4. You must pay due regard to the interests of customers and treat them fairly
5. You must observe proper standards of market conduct
6. You must act to deliver good outcomes for clients

Experience / Skills Required

• Sound knowledge of UK Financial Services Industry and retail products (including Corporate Business)
• Strong technical knowledge
• Experience gained with an IFA firm in a financial services customer services or operational role is essential
• Qualified to Level 4 (at a minimum)
• Use of T&C Systems such as Star Compliance (desirable)
• Working knowledge of MS Office – including Excel, Work, Outlook and PowerPoint
• Proven experience of working with multiple systems and databases
• Experience of working successfully in a target driven, operational environment