The Chief Compliance Officer is the registered compliance head of the entity. The role carries regulatory obligations under National Instrument 31-103 and is accountable to the board of directors of VanEck Canada Inc.
The first twelve months are a build. The successful candidate will refine the existing Canadian policy manual, supervisory framework, and interact with existing Canadian compliance-focused vendors. The person in this role will design the compliance program, secure registration, and put operating controls in place before the platform scales. VanEck global policies are available as a starting point, but they will require adaptation to Canadian requirements rather than direct adoption.
Regulatory Designation and Accountability
- Designated as Chief Compliance Officer under subsection 11.3(1) of National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations.
- Holds the personal obligations set out in section 5.2 of NI 31-103: establishing and maintaining policies and procedures for assessing compliance, monitoring and assessing compliance with those policies, reporting instances of material non-compliance to the Ultimate Designated Person as soon as possible, and submitting an annual compliance report to the board of directors.
- Works alongside the Ultimate Designated Person who is also the Chief Executive Officer of VanEck Canada Inc.
- Holds registration across each additional Canadian jurisdiction as applicable.
Core Responsibilities
Compliance program and supervision
- Refine and maintain the compliance policies and procedures manual covering every registration category the firm holds.
- Build the monitoring and supervisory framework, including the annual testing calendar, sampling methodology, and evidence standards.
- Maintain the compliance risk assessment and refresh it as products, distribution channels, and jurisdictions are added.
- Deliver the annual compliance report to the board and interim reporting on material issues.
- Own individual registration and continuing fitness, including National Registration Database filings, notices of change, outside business activity review, and annual attestations.
Fund and product regulation
- Oversee compliance with National Instrument 81-102 Investment Funds, National Instrument 81-106 Investment Fund Continuous Disclosure, National Instrument 41-101 General Prospectus Requirements, and the ETF Facts regime.
- Support the Independent Review Committee and manage the conflict of interest matters referred to it.
- Review new product proposals for regulatory feasibility, including any exemptive relief required, before commitments are made to the market.
- Oversee investment restriction monitoring, including derivatives use, concentration limits, illiquid assets, securities lending, and related party dealings.
- Coordinate listing and continued listing obligations with the exchange in collaboration with Product team
Registrant obligations and client conduct
- Implement and monitor the Client Focused Reforms requirements applicable to the firm, including identification, disclosure, and control of material conflicts of interest.
- Advise on Total Cost Reporting obligations
- Own the complaint handling, referral arrangement, and books and records frameworks.
Marketing and sales communications
- Review and approve sales communications against Part 15 of National Instrument 81-102 and National Instrument 81-105 Mutual Fund Sales Practices.
- Establish the marketing review workflow and the record of approvals, coordinated with the VanEck global review process rather than duplicating it.
- Oversee compliance with Canada Anti-Spam Legislation for electronic marketing and event invitations.
Vendor oversight and operations
- Establish the outsourcing oversight framework covering the fund administrator, custodian, transfer agent, index provider, and technology vendors.
- Review service provider agreements for regulatory adequacy and monitor delivery against them.
- Own business continuity, cyber incident response, and records retention for the Canadian entity.
Regulatory relationships
- Serve as the primary contact for the Ontario Securities Commission and other Canadian securities regulators.
- Manage compliance reviews, examinations, deficiency responses, and information requests.
- Track regulatory developments and translate them into specific changes to the program rather than circulating summaries.
Governance and legal coordination
- Support the IRC, and board of directors of VanEck Canada Inc., including meeting materials, minutes, and corporate records.
- Instruct and manage outside Canadian counsel on securities, corporate, and commercial matters, and control the scope and cost of that work.
- Review distribution, sub-advisory, index licensing, custody, and administration agreements.
Experience And Background
- Minimum of five years in Canadian investment management compliance, including time in an intermediate or senior compliance role at an investment fund manager, portfolio manager, or exchange traded fund issuer.
- Direct experience with prospectus qualified funds, covering prospectus filing and renewal, continuous disclosure, and exchange listing.
- Prior registration as a Chief Compliance Officer in Canada is strongly preferred.
- Experience building a compliance program at a new or small platform is valued above administration of an established program at a large one.
- Experience with digital asset or crypto asset funds is an advantage given the VanEck product set.
- Working knowledge of how a Canadian subsidiary operates under a United States parent, including group policy adoption, cross border information sharing, and shared service arrangements.
- A law degree or an accounting designation is useful but not required.
Attributes
- Comfortable being the only compliance person in the building and making decisions without a committee, but with the support of external consultants.
- Willing to raise an objection early in the product process rather than late.
- Able to write a policy that a small team will follow rather than one that reads well and is ignored.
- Practical about the difference between what the rule requires and what a large firm does out of habit.
- Credible with regulators, the board, and the investment team at the same time.
- Comfortable operating in a firm where the compliance function is being defined rather than inherited.
