Role: Independence, Ethics and Business Conduct - Quality & Control Framework Lead
Location: Jersey/Guernsey
Line of Service: Business Enablement - Independence, Ethics and Compliance
Grade: Manager
Contracted Hours per Week: 37.5 hours
PwC Channel Islands Overview
PwC is a highly dynamic professional services firm offering Advisory, Tax, Audit and other
assurance services to a large portfolio of international and local clients. The Channel Islands
firm employs 600+ staff in offices across Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney and is part of an
international network of 151 PwC firms employing over 364,000 staff.
Job Summary:
This role supports the Independence, Ethics and Business Conduct Team in maintaining the
firm’s integrity, ethical conduct and compliance with independence standards. The Manager will
lead operational execution of compliance monitoring, training, reporting, and process
improvements, ensuring alignment with global and UK policies. This role is central to PwC’s
mission to build trust in society and solve important problems. By proactively identifying ethical
risks and promoting principled behaviour, the Ethics and Business Conduct Manager helps
safeguard the firm’s reputation and ensures that PwC remains values and quality driven.
The Independence, Ethics and Business Conduct team plays a critical role in ensuring that
employees and the firm remain independent of our clients in accordance with applicable
independence and ethical standards and fulfilling the Firm’s reporting obligations to the wider
PwC network. We do this by the following:
● carrying out monitoring with the Firms’ policies and procedures.
● ensuring we keep policies and procedures up to date.
● providing training to employees.
● maintaining and providing input to client deliverables and templates.
● issuing a number of reports/communications to Staff and the Leadership team, as well
as the PwC Network.
Responsibilities
You will lead and coach a team of individuals who will support you in delivering on key activities
for the Compliance, Independence and Ethics team:
• Ensuring that the firm’s business conduct is always managed carefully and consistently,
covering Engagement Independence, Anti-Trust and Fair Competition; Bribery and
Corruption; Conflicts of Interest, Modern Slavery, Human Rights and Insider Trading.
• Champion PwC’s Code of Conduct across all levels of the firm and promote a “speak up,
listen up, follow up” culture, encouraging open dialogue and ethical decision-making.
Policies and procedures
• Support engagement teams in meeting independence requirements in line with Network
and regulatory standards.
• Liaise with UK counterparts to ensure local policies remain aligned with global and UK
frameworks, including PwC’s Purpose and Values.
• Monitor and act on network communications, coordinating appropriate responses.
• Implement process improvements as directed by senior leadership.
• Draft and propose policy updates, ensuring relevance and alignment with current
standards.
• Oversee timely approval, publication, and communication of policy changes across the
business.
• Manage ethics-related initiatives, including induction and CPD programmes.
• Support the development and delivery of training on new and existing policies,
collaborating with L&D and business leaders.
• Respond to consultations and escalations, referring complex matters to senior managers
or directors.
• Lead technology-related initiatives supporting policy implementation, development, and
reporting.
Compliance framework and monitoring
• Contribute to the design and implementation of the independence compliance framework
for partners, staff, and engagements, ensuring alignment with internal and external
standards (e.g. IESBA).
• Manage regular monitoring and assessments of independence, ethics, and business
conduct procedures, supported by junior team members.
• Maintain and update risk assessments and action plans in accordance with Network and
Audit Quality Standards.
• Coordinate stakeholder input and ensure timely review and approval by senior
leadership.
• Collaborate with UK and local Risk and Quality teams to ensure regulatory alignment.
• Maintain compliance logs and registers (e.g. breaches, communications).
• Liaise with the People Pillar on ethics case outcomes and training integrity reviews;
prepare analysis for senior review.
• Ensure timely completion and documentation of monitoring activities.
• Analyse results, identify trends and exceptions, and implement remediation plans.
• Provide regular updates to senior leadership and escalate high-priority issues.
• Participate in relevant network and regional calls to inform risk assessments.
Compliance Reporting
• Manage responses to document and data requests for Independence Assessments; and
JBR requests.
• Manage the preparation and review of reports to the Risk and Quality Committee,
covering regulatory updates, monitoring outcomes, and remediation actions.
• Oversee quarterly and annual reporting under Audit Quality Standards (QMSE, ISQM1,
QC 1000), ensuring completeness and accuracy.
• Manage the coordination reporting to global teams under Network Standards and Risk
Management Policies.
• Ensure all reports are reviewed and approved by senior leadership, with supporting
evidence retained.
Regulatory, Internal Audit and Network review engagement lead
• Coordination of external assessments by regulators, Internal Audit, and network
reviewers (e.g. QMR teams).
• Manage the preparation and submission of documentation and information for review,
ensuring senior leadership approval.
• Keep senior stakeholders informed of review progress and escalate issues as needed.
• Review outcomes and actions from assessments, updating risk assessments and action
plans accordingly.
• Support with the assignment of responsibilities and track completion of remediation
actions.
Direct Reports:
This role reports to:
● The Compliance, Ethics and Independence Senior Managers
● The Compliance, Ethics and Independence Directors
● The Partner Responsible for Independence and Ethics / Conflict of Interest Specialist
Reporting to this role:
● Senior Support - Independence *
[*Additional resources to be recruited in due course as part of our ongoing development of this
team]
Qualifications & Certifications:
● A relevant professional qualification (i.e. ACCA, ICAEW).
Further study support is also available.
Skills & Experience Required:
Essential skills:
● Solid understanding of independence and ethics requirements, including IESBA
guidelines, a global firm’s network standards, and risk management policies.
● Ability to assess and mitigate risks related to independence, ethics, and business
conduct.
● Analytical capability to interpret regulatory requirements and evaluate their impact on
firm operations.
● Experience in compliance monitoring and audit, applying a risk-based approach.
● Skilled in interpreting data and producing clear, actionable reports.
● Ability to resolve issues pragmatically and develop effective solutions.
● Experience drafting policies and designing controls to ensure compliance with relevant
standards and regulations.
● Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with
stakeholders at all levels, including regulators.
● Commercial awareness and ability to align compliance solutions with business strategy.
● Commitment to fostering an inclusive and psychologically safe working environment.
● Experience designing and delivering.
● Demonstrated leadership in managing self and others, with strong collaboration and
team management skills.
Desirable skills:
● Familiarity with PwC’s Code of Conduct and its practical application, as well as Network
Standards, PwC Risk Management Policies and PwC Methodologies.
● 3-5 years relevant experience in audit, independence and ethics
● Experience with compliance systems implementation projects.
● Proficiency in compliance-related technologies.
● Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to recommend practical compliance
solutions.
● Experience and knowledge on how to go about driving ethical culture, responding to
cultural shifts, and implementing firm-wide campaigns and initiatives.
Travel Requirements:
This role may require you to travel between our PwC Jersey / Guernsey (depending on where
candidate based) and UK offices from time to time (circa 4 - 6 times per annum). You may also
be required to attend training in other locations.
The skills we look for in our people:
All our people need to demonstrate the skills and behaviours that support us in delivering our
business strategy. This is important to the work we do for our business, and our clients. These
skills and behaviours make up our global leadership framework, The PwC Professional.
The PwC Professional focuses on five core attributes: whole leadership, business acumen,
technical capabilities, global acumen and relationships. We use this framework to recruit,
develop, and assess our people, at all grades and in all areas of our business, because we
expect all our people to be leaders.
Diversity:
We work in a changing world which offers great opportunities for people with diverse
backgrounds and experiences. We seek to attract and employ the best people from the widest
talent pool as well as those who reflect the diverse nature of our society. We aim to encourage a
culture where people can be themselves and be valued for their unique strengths. Creating
value through diversity is what makes us strong as a business. https://www.pwc.co.uk/diversity