Assistant Vice President - Fit & Proper and Investigations

The Team Lead is responsible for leading and managing the Fit & Proper and Investigations team and overseeing the quality, consistency and timely completion of Fit & Proper assessments and market conduct investigations relating to New Applicants and existing Distribution Representatives.

The role is primarily responsible for directing and reviewing the work of the team, providing technical guidance, overseeing complex or high-risk matters, and exercising appropriate decision-making authority within the applicable governance and delegation frameworks. The Team Lead will also advise internal stakeholders, determine appropriate enforcement actions within delegated authority, maintain relevant frameworks and procedures, and ensure effective management reporting.

The role is accountable for managing team performance, capability, workload and operational effectiveness, while promoting compliance with applicable laws, regulations, regulatory guidelines and internal requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership and People Management

• Lead and manage the Fit & Proper and Investigations team to achieve the team's objectives, service standards and operational priorities.
• Set individual objectives and manage the performance and development of direct reports through regular feedback, coaching and formal performance evaluations.
• Allocate, monitor and reprioritise Fit & Proper assessments, investigation cases and other assignments across the team, taking into account case complexity, risk, urgency, operational priorities and available resources.
• Monitor team capacity, leave arrangements and resource requirements to ensure adequate operational coverage.
• Review work completed by team members to ensure its quality, consistency and compliance with applicable regulatory and internal requirements.
• Provide technical guidance and direction on complex, sensitive or high-risk matters.
• Identify competency and training needs and implement appropriate development, training and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
• Foster a collaborative, accountable, high-performance and risk-aware culture within the team.
• Work collaboratively with business units, Risk, Compliance, Legal and other relevant stakeholders.
  
  

Fit & Proper

• Review Fit & Proper assessments relating to New Applicants and existing Distribution Representatives and provide guidance on the appropriate course of action.
• Assess supporting information and evidence to ensure that assessments are complete, properly documented and supported by objective findings.
• Provide advice to business units on Fit & Proper matters, including matters relating to the Financial Advisers Act and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Evaluate reference-check results relating to Fit & Proper records and other relevant matters referred by business units.
• Assess concurrent or outside engagements to determine whether they may give rise to actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest.
• Maintain and periodically review the Fitness and Propriety framework in the Agency Management Guidelines and Representative Management Guidelines.
• Prepare and provide accurate and timely Fit & Proper statistics, management information and reports.
• Perform other Fit & Proper-related duties and projects as assigned.
  
  

Investigations

• Oversee investigations undertaken by the team and personally lead selected complex, sensitive or high-risk investigations where appropriate.
• Review assessments and investigation reports prepared by team members to ensure that the relevant issues, evidence, surrounding circumstances and risks have been appropriately considered.
• Ensure that investigation findings and conclusions are objective, properly supported by evidence, clearly documented and aligned with applicable laws, regulations, regulatory guidelines and internal requirements.
• Identify and communicate material issues, control weaknesses and emerging risks arising from investigations.
• Recommend practical remedial measures and risk-mitigation actions to address identified issues.
• Recommend appropriate enforcement actions based on substantiated investigation findings and implement or communicate approved actions within the applicable delegated authority.
• Monitor the timely completion of investigation cases and follow-up actions.
• Prepare accurate and timely management reports, statistics and analysis relating to investigation findings, trends and outcomes.
• Prepare information and supporting materials for mediation and adjudication proceedings involving the Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre, where required.
• Perform other investigation-related duties and projects as assigned.
  
  

Governance, Reporting and Continuous Improvement

• Maintain Fit & Proper and investigation standard operating procedures (SOPs), assessment matrices, guidelines, controls and related processes.
• Maintain the Fitness and Propriety and disciplinary frameworks of the Company.
• Ensure that changes in applicable regulatory or internal requirements are appropriately incorporated into the relevant frameworks, procedures and operational processes.
• Share good risk-management practices and support initiatives to strengthen the organisation's risk and compliance culture.
• Contribute to projects and process-improvement initiatives relating to Fit & Proper, investigations and market conduct.
• Establish and monitor operational standards, timelines and quality expectations for Fit & Proper assessments and investigations.
• Monitor case progress, ageing, backlogs and follow-up actions and take appropriate measures to address delays, quality concerns or resource constraints.
• Ensure material matters, significant risks and overdue actions are escalated to Management in a timely manner.
• Review operational data and management information to identify trends, recurring issues and opportunities for process improvement.
• A recognised degree in any discipline.
• At least 10 years of relevant experience in investigations, compliance, audit, law enforcement, regulatory work or a related function, preferably within the financial services or insurance industry.
• Demonstrated experience in leading and managing direct reports, including work allocation, quality review, performance management, coaching and staff development.
• Experience in conducting or overseeing complex investigations and making or recommending enforcement or disciplinary decisions.
• Sound knowledge of applicable Monetary Authority of Singapore requirements, the Financial Advisers Act and the relevant regulations, notices and guidelines.
• Experience in insurance distribution, financial advisory or sales conduct matters would be an advantage.
• Strong investigation, analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess evidence and reach objective, well-supported conclusions.
• Ability to exercise sound professional judgement and make balanced, evidence-based decisions in complex or sensitive matters.
• Strong report-writing and presentation skills.
• Good interpersonal, communication, stakeholder-management and organisational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining accuracy and quality.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• High standards of integrity, accountability and professional judgement.
• Self-motivated, adaptable and able to take the initiative to improve existing processes.
• A collaborative team player with a constructive working attitude.
  
  

How You Succeed

• Champion and embody our Core Values in everyday tasks and interactions.
• Demonstrate high level of integrity and accountability.
• Take initiative to drive improvements and embrace change.
• Take accountability of business and regulatory compliance risks, implementing measures to mitigate them effectively.
• Keep abreast with industry trends, regulatory compliance, and emerging threats and technologies to understand and highlight potential concerns/ risks to safeguard our company proactively.
  
  

Who We Are

Founded in 1908, Great Eastern is a well-established market leader and trusted brand in Singapore and Malaysia. With over S$100 billion in assets and more than 16 million policyholders, including 12.5 million from government schemes, it provides insurance solutions to customers through three successful distribution channels – a tied agency force, bancassurance, and financial advisory firm Great Eastern Financial Advisers. The Group also operates in Indonesia and Brunei. The Great Eastern Life Assurance Company Limited and Great Eastern General Insurance Limited have been assigned the financial strength and counterparty credit ratings of AA- by S&P Global Ratings since 2010, one of the highest among Asian life insurance companies. Great Eastern's asset management subsidiary, Lion Global Investors Limited, is one of the leading asset management companies in Southeast Asia. Great Eastern is a subsidiary of OCBC, the longest established Singapore bank, formed in 1932. It is the second largest financial services group in Southeast Asia by assets and one of the world's most highly-rated banks, with an Aa1 rating from Moody's and AA- by both Fitch and S&P. Recognised for its financial strength and stability, OCBC is consistently ranked among the World's Top 50 Safest Banks by Global Finance and has been named Best Managed Bank in Singapore by The Asian Banker.

To All Recruitment Agencies

Great Eastern does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our email or our employees. We will not be responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

Work Locations

SG-GE Centre

Job

Risk Management