Principal Specialist, Compliance

Reports to: Head of Governance, Risk and Compliance

Role Objective

• Serve as a 2nd Line of Defense (L2) Operational Risk & Compliance Manager focusing exclusively on brick-and-mortar store operations. Provide independent compliance oversight, challenge, and advice over store-level activities across supermarkets and food outlets.
• Embed regulatory obligations and internal control standards into daily shop-floor operations while maintaining continuous monitoring, risk assessments, and governance reporting.

Key Responsibilities

• Store Compliance Framework & Regulatory Mapping
• Maintain and update the L2 store compliance framework, minimum control standards, policies, and store inspection checklists for physical retail and food outlets.
• Map applicable local regulatory obligations (e.g., food hygiene standards, licensing, price display, weights & measures, PDPA at store level) and internal policies into clear operational control requirements for store teams.
• Maintain a central inventory of store-level operational compliance risks, obligations, and key controls.
• Provide independent advice and L2 challenge on store operational risks and control effectiveness.
• Risk-Based Store Reviews & Independent Challenge
• Plan and conduct risk-based store compliance reviews, control self-assessment (CSA) validations, attestations, and unannounced store visits.
• Maintain supervisory L2 oversight over key store risk areas-such as cash management, inventory management, point-of-sale (POS) exceptions, data protection, and store-level regulatory licenses.
• Oversee root-cause analysis for store compliance breaches, control deficiencies, and repeat audit findings.
• Agree on remediation action plans with Store Operations, track issue closure, and escalate overdue or recurring risks.
• Continuous Monitoring & Tech Enablement
• Establish Continuous Compliance Monitoring (CCM) rules, risk thresholds, Key Control Indicators (KCIs), and escalation triggers using store-level operational data.
• Leverage data analytics (e.g., POS exceptions, cash variances, stock loss trends) to target L2 reviews at higher-risk store locations rather than relying on fixed physical rotation schedules.
• Partner with Digital & Technology and Compliance Tech teams to refine digital inspection tools, automated exception reporting, and GRC tracking platforms for store managers.
• Governance Reporting, Training & Culture
• Prepare store compliance dashboards, KCI trend reports, and risk insights.
• Deliver practical compliance training and guidance to store managers and frontline teams to build strong compliance awareness and accountability on the shop floor.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Business, Finance, Risk Management, Law, or a related field.
• 8 to 10 years in operational compliance, internal audit, operational risk, or loss prevention-experience in the retail industry is preferred, especially prior hands-on experience in supermarket or food outlet operation.
• Demonstrated knowledge of 2nd Line risk frameworks, control self-assessment testing, risk mapping, and issue tracking.
• Proficiency in analysing store exception data, cash variances, or inventory reports to identify high-risk stores.
• Ability to effectively influence and challenge store operational leaders, along with willingness to conduct store visits islandwide (including occasional non-office hours).

Good to have

• Experience with Continuous Compliance Monitoring (CCM) logic or GRC dashboarding tools.
• Experience in assessing store-level fraud risks, designing anti-fraud monitoring controls, or participating in operational risk and fraud prevention reviews within physical retail environments.
• Professional certifications such as Certified Internal Auditor, Certification in Risk Management Assurance, Certified Fraud Examiner, International Compliance Association (or International Compliance Association Qualification/Diploma), Personal Data Protection Act certifications.