Director Market Operations at Capital Markets Authority (CMA)

REF: CMA/DMO/01/2023 – 1 POST
Job Purpose

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Director Market Operations will be responsible for providing strategic direction as well as technical leadership in matters related to overall market oversight ensuring orderly, fair, and efficient market and investor protection while remaining facilitative and proactive in supporting market development. The successful candidate will serve on a five (5) year contract renewable only ONCE based on performance. The Authority will offer a competitive remuneration package to the successful candidate.

Job responsibilities

• Advising on market supervision and oversight strategies at the Authority that ensure the market is orderly and fair tending towards market efficiency;
• Advising on the appropriateness of investigatory and enforcement processes to provide investor protection when dealing in capital markets products and services;
• Designing and implementing systems to facilitate timely and effective review of licensing applications and robust oversight of fit and proper assessment for all new and existing market participants;
• Providing technical leadership and strategic direction in the design, implementation and evaluation of capital markets supervision, inspection and surveillance programmes to secure compliance of capital market regulatory requirements by all market participants (publicly listed companies, exchanges, central depositories, licensed persons and licensed products);
• Developing and overseeing the continuous enhancement of financial analysis functions to grow scope and quality of information for purposes of risk-based supervision, market performance analysis, surveillance and identification of areas for market development;
• Providing guidance on monitoring of governance by issuers of securities to the public, ensuring timely review of relevant information filed with the Authority and giving feedback from reviews;
• Ensuring proper regulatory mechanisms are in place to boost robust levels of investor protection through effective surveillance, investigations, and vigorous prompt enforcement to support capital markets growth;
• Developing improved investigations coordination with internal investigators, Capital Markets Fraud Investigation Unit and financial industry regulators to combat market abuse and ensure fair and orderly markets and investor protection;
• Continuously assessing Directorate resources needs and being involved in mobilizing the same from internal or external sources.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Law, Business/ Economics/ Finance or relevant field;
• Relevant Master’s Degree;
• Member of professional body in good standing;
• At least twelve (12) years of work experience;
• At least six (6) years’ experience in senior management level; and
• Leadership course lasting not less than four (4) weeks is an added advantage.

Key skills, Knowledge & Competencies

• Risk Management skills;
• Understanding of capital markets operations;
• Understanding of the Kenyan legislative system and investigations and enforcement of capital markets operations;
• Presentation skills including ability to develop proposals, concept papers, position papers as well as write reports;
• Knowledge of transformative strategic management, project planning and budgeting, resource management, implementation as well as monitoring and evaluation ;
• Professional Skepticism;
• Ability to maintain high standards of integrity; establish straightforward, productive relationships.