Compliance Officer

We are recruiting on behalf of a reputable and growing international organisation for a detail-oriented and professional Compliance Officer with strong analytical skills, good judgement and an understanding of compliance and regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities:

• Own KYC, beneficial-ownership and due-diligence decisions for clients, suppliers and crew/seafarers, including cases involving complex, multi-layered or cross-border ownership structures.

• Own sanctions and trade-control screening and clearance for STS transfers, voyage/fixture operations and periodic fleet-wide screening runs.

• Own the quality and integrity of the screening tools and processes used (World-Check, Dow Jones RiskCenter, SeaSearcher/Lloyd's List and related platforms), including identifying and escalating gaps.

• Own individual conflict-of-interest disclosure decisions, gift/hospitality administration, and MACN anti-corruption reporting.

• Support regulatory monitoring, Code of Conduct/compliance training coordination, and compliance input into M&A, JV and restructuring transactions.

• The job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of responsibilities. These may change, or new ones may be assigned, with notice, at any time. 

Duties:

• Take ownership of KYC/ODD decisions for clients and counterparties with complex, multi-layered ownership structures, including nominee arrangements and cross-border beneficial-ownership chains.

• Run supplier due diligence and embed compliance clauses in supplier contracts; monitor higher-risk suppliers periodically.

• Screen crew/seafarer sanctions and AML exposure, including bank-jurisdiction checks, and route flagged deployments for CLO/COO approval per policy.

• Support enhanced due diligence (EDD) escalations, including sourcing and managing external EDD provider quotes.

• Clear STS transfers and voyage/fixture screening (cargo origin, ports, counterparties, payment touchpoints, licence requirements), applying enhanced protocols for higher-risk jurisdictions.

• Run periodic bulk sanctions-screening exercises across the managed fleet and report findings.

• Track sanctions and regulatory package changes in real time and translate them into updated internal guidance.

• Commission and interpret third-party legal opinions on complex or high-risk cases.

• Identify and escalate discrepancies or gaps between screening tools/data sources; recommend fixes rather than waiting to be asked.

• Periodically test whether documented processes are actually being followed in practice, and surface gaps to the Compliance Director, including in legacy cases.

• Maintain a complete, defensible audit trail for every screening and clearance decision, sufficient to withstand audit or regulator review.

• Administer the Gift Register and process gift/hospitality approvals against policy thresholds.

• Review and decide on individual conflict-of-interest disclosures from a compliance perspective.

• Act as a point of contact for MACN-related port corruption demands and facilitation-payment reports.

• Support Code of Conduct/compliance training coordination for shore staff and seafarers, and provide compliance due-diligence input on M&A/JV transactions as required.

• The job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of duties. These may change, or new ones may be assigned, with notice, at any time. 

Authority:

• Authorised to independently approve, reject, escalate or place a compliance hold on KYC/ODD, sanctions-screening, EDD and STS/voyage-clearance decisions in line with policy and documented risk thresholds.

• Authorised to place a hold on onboarding, payments or fixtures where a sanctions, AML or adverse-media red flag is identified, pending Compliance Director review.

• Authorised to sign compliance clearance correspondence necessary to carry out the duties described above.

• Final sign-off on high-risk, ambiguous or escalated cases sits with the Compliance Director. Authority otherwise as per Company authority matrix.

Requirements Qualifications and Experiences:

• Degree in Law, Business, International Relations, Accounting/Audit or a related field.

• Internal-audit or controls-testing experience/qualification strongly preferred; this role is expected to test and challenge existing controls, not only execute them.

• 4–7 years' experience in compliance, sanctions, AML/KYC or trade-control roles, ideally in shipping, maritime, trade finance or logistics, with exposure to complex, multi-layered ownership structures and multi-jurisdictional risk assessment.

• Working knowledge of OFAC, EU and UK/OFSI sanctions regimes and how they apply to shipping/STS/voyage operations.

• Hands-on experience with sanctions/KYC screening tools (World-Check, Lloyd's List/SeaSearcher, Dow Jones RiskCenter or equivalent) and CRM/KYC platforms (Salesforce or similar).

• Solid grounding in ABAC/AML frameworks and gift/hospitality/conflict-of-interest controls.

Benefits:

• Medical Insurance Scheme

• Life insurance

• Provident Fund

• Hybrid working set up

• Lunch Provided

• Professional Development & Training Opportunities