Senior Advisor – Policy and Governance

Location Geneva, Switzerland
Contract
Permanent or Advisory Mandate – Full time

Role Summary
We are a specialist advisory firm operating at the intersection of financial services, commodity markets and geopolitics, supporting boards, senior executives and public authorities in navigating complex policy, reputation, regulatory and governance challenges.

As Senior Advisor / Head of Compliance, you will provide strategic leadership on policy (EU, Swiss and US) trade and geopolitical matters, governance, sanctions, and market conduct risk across highly regulated and politically sensitive environments. You will advise multinational corporate firms, investment banks, asset managers, governments and ultra-high-net-worth structures on policy analysis, operational and regulatory strategy, new business initiatives and crisis situations.

You will operate across Europe, the UK, Middle East, APAC and the US, engaging directly with regulators, law enforcement agencies and international institutions, while leading the design, implementation and optimisation of global or regional governance and risk frameworks. The role combines hands-on technical expertise, executive advisory and external representation at the highest level.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic compliance & governance leadership
Advice on design, implementation and oversight of enterprise-wide governance and risk frameworks covering trade flows, risk and compliance and governance.
Advise boards and executive committees on political strategy, regulatory risk, enforcement exposure and strategic decision-making.
Act as trusted senior advisor in high-risk jurisdictions and complex political environments.

Political affairs & external engagement
Deep experience with political and regulatory analysis at the European Commission level and country level within the EU, the UK and Switzerland. Policy analysis and network within the area to facilitate representation of clients as well as preforming of technical analysis across a broad spectrum of underlying topics: Economic stability, energy security, food security, green agenda, financial market stability, banking and payments and tax.
Delivery and provision of briefings to law enforcement, political arms of governments, trade bodies on current geopolitical events and their impact on current global and regional trade.

Financial crime, sanctions & market conduct
Lead advisory and remediation work relating to economic sanctions, AML, anti-bribery & corruption, market abuse and trade finance risks.
Provide expert insight on sanctions regimes (OFAC, SECO, EU, OFSI), including designation events, escalation management and regulator engagement.
Design and deploy market conduct and derivatives compliance frameworks across physical and financial commodity markets.

Advisory, remediation & special projects
Lead post-enforcement remediation programmes, regulatory gap analyses and governance reviews.
Advisory capability on M&A transactions, Trade and Structured Finance, Fx and digital currency, new business set-ups, capital and liquidity initiatives.
Support vendor selection and deployment of technology architectures.

Leadership, culture & capability building
Build, lead and mentor global compliance teams across EMEA and APAC.
Design and deliver compliance training programmes for front office, logistics, treasury and senior management.
Drive cost-effective compliance solutions by harmonising processes while maintaining regulatory robustness.

Thought leadership & expert representation
Act as Expert Witness in commercial and regulatory disputes relating to compliance, sanctions, commodity trading and financial crime.
Represent the organisation at industry conferences, regulatory forums and academic institutions.
Contribute to public policy debate through publications, government briefings and academic engagement.

Core Competencies
Executive compliance leadership – board-level advisory, governance design and regulatory strategy.
Financial crime & sanctions expertise – deep mastery of AML, ABC, economic sanctions, trade finance and maritime risk.
Commodity markets & derivatives – deep understanding of physical and financial trade flows and market dynamics.
Regulatory affairs & enforcement – direct experience with lobbying, political analysis, regulators, investigations and remediation programmes.
Crisis & high-risk advisory – operating effectively in politically sensitive and high-exposure environments.
Systems & process optimisation – technology infrastructure, data digitalisation and cost-controlled framework deployment.
Influence & communication – trusted advisor to regulators, governments, boards and C-suite executives.

Required Qualifications
Experience : 20+ years in senior compliance, regulatory risk and governance roles within financial services and commodity markets.
Extensive background in investment banking, commodity trading, asset management and international advisory environments.
Proven track record as Chief Compliance Officer / Global Head of Compliance / Senior Advisor.
Deep knowledge of global regulatory frameworks and enforcement bodies (US, EU, UK, APAC).
Experienced public speaker, lecturer and author on compliance and market integrity topics.
Languages : Full professional proficiency in English; additional European languages an advantage.
Comfortable operating independently at senior level with significant autonomy and discretion.

Why Join Us?
This role offers the opportunity to operate at the front line of global compliance, geopolitics and financial crime risk, advising the most sophisticated market participants and public authorities worldwide. You will work on high-stakes, non-standard matters where judgement, credibility and experience are paramount, shaping regulatory outcomes and protecting institutions operating in volatile environments.

With a strong emphasis on intellectual independence, strategic impact and global exposure, this position is ideally suited to a senior professional seeking to leverage deep expertise across advisory, leadership and thought-leadership dimensions.

Apply
Apply to hr@phenixstrategy.com