Compliance Officer

About the organization

The Office of the New York City Comptroller is responsible for helping safeguard the financial well-being, integrity, and effectiveness of New York City government. Its work supports public trust, promotes responsible use of city resources, and helps ensure the city remains fair, resilient, and prepared for long-term challenges.

Within the office, the Bureau of Asset Management oversees the investment programs of the five New York City pension systems. The bureau emphasizes teamwork, collaboration, professional growth, and continuous improvement in order to deliver strong investment results, support trustees effectively, and act as a responsible steward of public assets.

Role overview

The Compliance Officer will support the design and execution of policies, workflows, and monitoring practices that help ensure regulatory compliance across the bureau and with outside managers and consultants. The role focuses on investment-related compliance in the financial services sector and helps make sure activity follows city, state, and federal law, as well as investment guidelines and trustee-approved asset allocation decisions.

Key responsibilities

• Partner with BAM Investment Strategy and the Office of the General Counsel to carry out compliance due diligence and review disclosure forms for private market manager recommendations.
• Act as a compliance resource for public equity and public fixed income search committees by advising on the compliance programs of bidding firms.
• Support the Chief Compliance Officer by reviewing written materials such as investment memos, presentations, and quarterly reports prepared for trustees and other external stakeholders.
• Maintain the bureau’s Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan, and help create training and regular reporting for senior leadership.
• Use available internal systems to automate compliance processes, including public market investment guideline monitoring, compliance training, quarterly trustee reporting, and the annual ethics and compliance questionnaire for more than 300 investment managers and consultants.
• Assist with implementing the agency’s Personal Trading Policy, including broker data feeds, onboarding for new hires, and offboarding steps for departing employees.
• Research regulatory updates and summarize changes in rules or practices that affect firms managing assets for the NYC retirement systems.
• Handle special projects assigned by the Chief Compliance Officer.

Minimum qualifications

• A master’s degree from an accredited institution in finance, economics, compliance, business, or a closely related field, plus at least 3 years of progressively responsible full-time professional experience in financial services compliance or similar work for an SEC-registered investment adviser, broker/dealer, consulting firm, or comparable setting; or
• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in one of the same fields, plus at least 5 years of progressively responsible compliance experience as described above; or
• An equivalent combination of education and experience.

Preferred skills and experience

• Knowledge of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Investment Advisers Act of 1940, especially Rules 206(4)-7, 204A-1, and 206(4)-5.
• Ability to spot control gaps and compliance risks early, and propose workable solutions.
• Strong personal ethics and a commitment to a compliance-focused culture.
• Clear writing, strong verbal communication, and effective time management.
• Comfort working both independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to influence stakeholders without direct authority and build support for compliance initiatives.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office tools, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint, and Teams.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Employees or prospective employees of the City of New York may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. Additional information is available through the U.S. Department of Education’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

Residency requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. In some cases, current City employees in specific titles who have completed 2 continuous years of service may be eligible to live in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. Applicants should confirm whether this rule applies during the interview process.

Equal opportunity and inclusion

The City of New York is committed to inclusive hiring and to maintaining a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. Employment decisions are made without regard to protected characteristics, including sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, and pregnancy.