Head of Advice & Sales Governance (Financial Planning & Brokerage)
Location: Dublin, IE
Full Time Permanent position
Hybrid role based in our City Centre offices
What we offer
We have embraced a hybrid working model for most of our positions, which means that you can enjoy a balanced approach of working from home for part of the week and working from the office for the remainder of the week.
We offer a comprehensive benefits package including competitive salaries and bonuses, robust Learning and Development support, excellent Defined Contribution pension and comprehensive Wellbeing initiatives and support to name but a few.
Role Overview
The purpose of this role is to design, lead and continuously strengthen the governance and compliance framework for advice and sales activity across both Brokerage and Financial Planning within Advice Solutions. You will ensure that our advice and distribution models remain safe, sustainable and aligned to evolving Irish, EU and global regulatory expectations, whilst enabling the business to deliver on its strategic and commercial objectives. You will shape policy, standards and ways of working, provide expert counsel to senior Distribution leadership, and lead cross‑functional initiatives that improve risk management, operational efficiency and business integrity.
Team Background
This role is across all distribution channels in Advice Solutions and covers both Brokerage and Financial Planning. The role will report to the Director of Financial Planning. This is a senior first‑line leadership role that sets the direction for how Advice Solutions manages sales and advice risk, oversees adviser remuneration frameworks, and embeds high governance standards in day‑to‑day practice. As Head of Advice and Sales Governance you will lead and inspire governance and compliance teams spanning both Brokerage and Financial Planning, driving cultural change, developing talent and ensuring our frameworks, controls and training remain fit for a complex and fast‑changing regulatory environment.
More specific responsibilities will include
Delivering a strong Governance framework and first‑line oversight:
Establish, implement and continuously improve a robust Sales Governance Framework covering advice and sales activities across Financial Planning and Brokerage.
Provide direct first line oversight of sales governance and compliance, ensuring frameworks, controls and processes are consistently applied across both channels.
Identify, assess and mitigate sales and advice risks, drafting and maintaining governance policies and standards to reflect regulatory developments and business needs.
Regulatory, risk and policy leadership
Lead out on advice risk governance, including the design and oversight of compliance frameworks and associated resource allocation.
Act as primary point of contact for internal and external stakeholders on sales and advice governance matters, including regulators, auditors, second and third line functions and Board‑level stakeholders.
Oversee regulatory incident response, including breaches, notifications and remediation activity, ensuring timely, well‑governed resolution and learning.
Strategic counsel and business partnering
Provide counsel and support to Senior Distribution leadership in delivering divisional risk, compliance and governance objectives.
Sit on the Financial Planning leadership team and contribute to strategic decision‑making on the evolving role of advice, ensuring governance and regulatory considerations are fully embedded.
Provide consultancy support to Brokerage leadership to ensure Irish Life remains a thought leader in compliance and regulatory support across its intermediary franchise.
Adviser remuneration and commercial integrity
Oversee adviser remuneration frameworks and ensure compliance with relevant regulatory guidelines, with ultimate reporting to the Board as required.
Balance robust governance with support for commercial objectives, ensuring that controls strengthen – rather than inhibit – sustainable growth and customer outcomes.
Training, culture and continuous improvement
Lead training and awareness initiatives on best practice in sales and advice governance, building a strong risk and compliance culture across Financial Planning and Brokerage.
Drive cross‑functional continuous improvement initiatives, including process automation and the adoption of emerging technologies to enhance governance effectiveness and efficiency.
Champion cultural change and foster a high‑performance environment within governance and compliance teams, with a strong focus on talent development and succession.
What you will help us to achieve
The ideal candidate will have / be:
Proven senior leadership experience in financial services, with significant time spent in governance, compliance, risk or sales oversight roles, ideally linked to advice or distribution businesses.
Deep expertise in Irish and EU regulatory frameworks relevant to advice and sales (e.g. CPC, EIOPA, IDD, GDPR), with a strong track record of leading compliance or governance functions.
Strong governance, risk management and policy development skills, with the ability to translate complex regulation into practical business solutions that support strategic objectives.
Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with experience engaging regulators, auditors and cross‑functional senior leaders on sensitive and complex issues.
Experience leading teams, developing talent and driving cultural change in a high‑performance, highly regulated environment.
Professional qualifications in compliance, risk or financial services are highly desirable.
Fitness & Probity
This role is a ‘controlled function’ as defined by the Central Bank Reform Act 2010 Regulations 2011. Any appointment will be conditional on the company being satisfied that the appointee meets the requirements as set out in the Fitness and Probity standards issued by the Central Bank. This requires the company to complete prescribed due diligence to assess the appointee’s fitness and probity. Further details on this due diligence process are available from ILFS Human Resources.
If you require any accommodations during the recruitment process please contact lifecareers@irishlife.ie and we will be delighted to ensure you are fully supported to be your best.
Irish Life Financial Services supports Equal Opportunity. Irish Life Assurance plc is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.
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