Interim Director of Compliance
Location: London | Local Authority
Rate: £850 – £900 per day (Inside IR35)
Contract: 6-9 months
Some roles keep things ticking over. This one doesn’t.
This is a critical interim appointment within a London local authority operating under significant external scrutiny, following statutory recommendations and ongoing engagement with auditors and regulators.
They need someone who can step in quickly, take control of the narrative, and drive real, measurable improvement across governance, risk and assurance.
Reporting to the Corporate Director of Resources (s151), you will take ownership of the council’s response to compliance, audit, risk and internal control challenges.
Your remit will centre on strengthening assurance, restoring confidence and ensuring that audit and regulatory findings translate into embedded, sustainable change.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and coordinate the council’s response to statutory recommendations, ensuring clear delivery plans, ownership and measurable outcomes
- Provide strategic oversight of the corporate risk management framework, embedding consistent risk identification, escalation and mitigation across all directorates
- Oversee the Internal Audit function, ensuring audit plans are aligned to key risks and that recommendations are delivered and closed down
- Establish robust assurance reporting to Members, Corporate Leadership Team and committees, improving visibility and supporting decision-making
- Act as the key interface with external auditors, inspectorates and regulators, ensuring credible, timely and well-managed engagement
- Strengthen and embed effective internal control environments, particularly across financial governance, procurement and decision-making
- Lead oversight of investigations and counter-fraud activity, ensuring independence, rigour and appropriate resolution
- Drive delivery of the Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) from a governance, compliance and assurance perspective
- Provide independent challenge and advice to Members (including the Mayor), Corporate Directors and senior officers
- Support and enhance key governance forums, including Audit Committee and assurance boards
- Ensure alignment between risk, finance, performance and governance, creating a joined-up assurance framework
- Lead and stabilise teams across audit, risk, compliance and assurance, ensuring capability is fit for purpose
- Identify and manage emerging risks linked to organisational change, financial pressure and ongoing scrutiny
You’ll likely have operated at the Director level within local government or a similarly regulated environment.
You’ll be comfortable working with Members, s151 officers, auditors and regulators, and able to provide calm, credible leadership when it matters most.
Next Steps
If the role sounds of interest, I’d be happy to share more details or arrange a quick call. Just reply with your CV or let me know a good time to speak.
Even if this role isn’t quite the right fit, I’d still love to hear from you. We have other exciting interim and permanent opportunities in the pipeline, and Panoramic Associates also runs a referral scheme, so if you know someone suitable, feel free to share!
