Head of AI Governance and Controls

About Marex

Marex Group plc (NASDAQ: MRX) is a diversified global financial services platform providing essential liquidity, market access and infrastructure services to clients across energy, commodities and financial markets. The group provides comprehensive breadth and depth of coverage across four core services: clearing, agency and execution, market making, and hedging and investment solutions. It has a leading franchise in many major metals, energy and agricultural products, with access to 60 exchanges. The group provides access to the world’s major commodity markets, covering a broad range of clients that include some of the largest commodity producers, consumers and traders, banks, hedge funds and asset managers. With more than 40 offices worldwide, the group has over 3,000 employees across Europe, Asia and the Americas.

For more information visit https://www.marex.com/

Vacancy Number: VN3247

Department description

Marex has unique access across markets with significant share globally both on and off exchange. The depth of knowledge amongst its teams and divisions provides its customers with clear advantage, and its technology-led service provides access to all major exchanges, order-flow management via screen, voice and DMA, plus award-winning data, insights and analytics.

The Technology Department delivers differentiation, scalability and security for the business. Technology provides digital tools, software services and infrastructure globally to all business groups. Software development and support teams work in agile ‘streams’ aligned to specific business areas. Our other teams work enterprise-wide to provide critical services including our global service desk, network and system infrastructure, IT operations, security, enterprise architecture and design.

The Data & AI team drives productivity, compliance, and insights through a robust Data Lakehouse, decentralized data access and data-driven practices. Within this, the AI function is scaling Marex's AI capability through a federated model that gives business units the freedom to build their own AI solutions, underpinned by an evolving governance framework. The Head of AI Governance & Operations sits within this team, reporting to the Head of Data & AI, and provides the operational and governance backbone that allows the federated model to scale safely.

Role Summary

Marex is seeking a senior, operationally minded AI leader to serve as Head of AI Governance & Operations - acting as a hands-on operator with deep AI governance and regulatory expertise, embedding this into Marex's existing governance, risk and vendor management processes, and freeing the Head of Data & AI to focus on strategic priorities by owning day-to-day AI coordination.

You will own and evolve Marex's AI Governance framework, keeping pace with an evolving regulatory environment (including the EU AI Act) across the jurisdictions in which Marex operates. You will act as the firm's AI Governance SME, embedding AI-specific expertise into Marex's existing governance, risk and compliance processes rather than building parallel structures. You will run the AI Working Group in partnership with the AI Engineering Manager and provide governance input to the AI Steering Group chaired by the Head of Data & AI.

You will horizon-scan developments from Marex's AI vendors and partners (e.g. Anthropic, OpenAI, AWS), getting ahead of new model and feature releases so that Marex can make deliberate, well-governed decisions about adoption, and track AI cost (e.g. token consumption) to give the business visibility into usage. You will coordinate the trial and rollout of new AI products and capabilities (e.g. Claude Cowork), working with Marex's existing Infrastructure, Network, End User Computing and Information Security teams to move safely from pilot cohort to scaled deployment.

Responsibilities

Role specific:

• Own and evolve Marex's AI Governance policy and framework, keeping pace with evolving regulatory expectations (e.g. the EU AI Act) across the jurisdictions in which Marex operates, and translating policy into practical, adopted controls.
• Act as the firm's AI Governance SME, embedding AI-specific expertise into Marex's existing governance, risk and compliance processes, and providing hands-on guidance to business units and engineering teams on responsible, compliant AI use.
• Run the AI Working Group, partnering closely with the AI Engineering Manager, and provide structured papers and input to the AI Steering Group chaired by the Head of Data & AI.
• Horizon-scan developments from Marex's AI vendors and partners (e.g. Anthropic, OpenAI, AWS), proactively identifying new models, features and capabilities, and coordinating with relevant teams to prepare for, gate, or delay adoption as appropriate.
• Coordinate the trial and rollout of new AI products and capabilities (e.g. Claude Cowork), working with Marex's existing Infrastructure, Network, End User Computing and Information Security teams - who retain ownership of their respective execution - to move from pilot cohort to safe, scaled deployment.
• Embed Responsible AI practices throughout the AI lifecycle, ensuring ethical, transparent and accountable development and deployment across the federated AI operating model.
• Ensure AI use cases and associated risks are captured within Marex's existing governance processes, bringing AI governance expertise to risk assessment and sign-off ahead of deployment.
• Track AI cost (e.g. token consumption) to provide visibility to the AI Steering Group and stakeholders.
• Provide AI governance and market input to support Procurement-led vendor negotiations, contract renewals and annual commits with AI platform and model vendors (e.g. AWS Bedrock, Anthropic, OpenAI); final decisions on commercial offers rest with the AI Steering Group.
• Ensure AI-specific incidents and risks are captured within Marex's existing incident and risk management processes, and that lessons learned feed back into the AI governance framework.
• Partner with Legal, Compliance, Risk, Information Security and Data Privacy to ensure AI governance controls are integrated with, and not duplicative of, existing regulatory frameworks (e.g. MiFID II, DORA, GDPR).
• Provide governance and operational input to support the Head of Data & AI's Steering Group and Board/exco reporting on AI.

All staff:

• Ensuring compliance with the company’s regulatory requirements under the FCA, NFA, AMF, AFM, MAS.
• Adhere to the operational risk framework for your role ensuring that all regulatory or company determined parameters are complied with.
• Role model for demonstrating highest level standards of integrity and conduct and reflecting Company Values.
• At all times complying with the FCA’s Code of Conduct
• To ensure that you are fully aware of and adhere to internal policies that relate to you, your role or any other activities for which you have any level of responsibility
• To report any breaches of policy to Compliance and/ or your supervisor as required
• To escalate risk events immediately
• To provide input to risk management processes, as required.

Competencies, Skills, Experience & Qualifications:

Skills and Experience:

Essential:

• Leadership experience in technology, data, risk or governance functions, including meaningful experience operating in or around AI specifically.
• Financial Services experience, with a solid understanding of the regulatory, risk and commercial context in which Marex operates.
• Deep, current understanding of the fast-moving AI landscape - technologies, vendors and regulatory developments - with the ability to translate this into practical governance and operational decisions.
• Expert in AI governance, with experience establishing and scaling Responsible AI practices in enterprise/regulated environments, and hands-on familiarity with emerging global AI regulation (e.g. the EU AI Act).
• Familiarity with AWS Bedrock's governance and guardrail capabilities, alongside experience of token cost management.
• Commercial awareness, with experience contributing AI governance expertise into vendor negotiations and contract discussions led by others (e.g. Procurement).
• Experience embedding domain-specific expertise into existing governance, risk or incident management processes, rather than building and running standalone structures.
• Strong programme/portfolio management skills, with a demonstrated ability to coordinate multiple cross-functional stakeholders (Engineering, Information Security, Infrastructure, Network, End User Computing) to deliver pilots and rollouts safely and on time.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, able to operate credibly with technical, risk and compliance audiences, and to contribute to Board-level materials on request.
• A genuine “doer” mindset - equally comfortable moving between governance/policy work and hands-on operational coordination.

Desirable:

• Technical grounding in SQL and Python.
• Experience running or supporting a working group or governance forum.
• Track record of vendor liaison and relationship management with major AI or cloud providers.

Competencies:

• A collaborative team player, approachable, self-sufficient and influences a positive work environment.
• Demonstrates curiosity and a genuine passion for staying ahead of developments in AI.
• Resilient in a challenging, fast-paced environment.
• Ability to take a high level of responsibility in a fast-paced and high-volume environment.
• Excels at building relationships, networking and influencing others, including with technical, risk and compliance stakeholders.
• Strategic collaborator with insight and agility, able to anticipate future challenges and ensure operational effectiveness.
• Commands credibility with senior stakeholders; articulate and clear, able to translate governance requirements into practical action across the business.

Conduct Rules, You must:

• Act with integrity

• Act with due skill, care and diligence

• Be open and cooperative with the FCA, the PRA and other regulators

• Pay due regard to the interests of customers and treat them fairly

• Observe proper standard of market conduct

• Act to deliver good outcomes for retail customers

• Company Values

• Be collaborative - by working together across the organisation, we foster teamwork, can better respond to challenges and successfully deliver for our clients

• Act with integrity - we pride ourselves on our honesty and high ethical standards. We apply these values when working with all our clients, colleagues and other stakeholders

• Be adaptable and entrepreneurial - we embrace change as markets evolve to constantly increase our efficiency and create innovative solutions for our clients. We are interested in the world around us and inquisitive about understanding the challenges and opportunities our clients face.

• Be respectful – how we treat each other, and our clients says everything about who we are. We always act respectfully and treat people fairly in everything we do.

• Nurture talent – we aim to grow our own talent and make Marex the place ambitious, hardworking and talented people choose to build their career. This means giving and taking stretch opportunities, taking risks, and committing to career development and support – for ourselves, and our teams.

• Marex is fully committed to being an inclusive employer and providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process for all. We will provide reasonable adjustments to remove any disadvantage to you being considered for this role. We value the differences that a diverse workforce brings to the company. We welcome applications from candidates returning to the workforce. Also, Marex is committed to avoiding circumstances in which the appearance or possibility of conflicts of interest may exist within the hiring process.

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