Overview
Corporate Manager – British Virgin Islands
Location: Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Department: Corporate Services
Reports to: Head of American Region
Position Overview
ICS is seeking an experienced Corporate Manager to lead the day-to-day operation of its Corporate Services function in the British Virgin Islands.
The Corporate Manager will serve as the senior operational and technical lead for the BVI Corporate Services team and will be responsible for the effective administration of the firm’s BVI client portfolio, supervision and development of corporate administration staff, maintenance of high standards of client service, and compliance with applicable corporate and statutory requirements.
Reporting directly to the Head of American Region, the Corporate Manager will be expected to operate with a high degree of independence and ownership over the BVI Corporate Services function. The successful candidate will act as the primary technical escalation point for local corporate administration matters and will be capable of managing complex client matters, reviewing the work of the team, improving operational processes and ensuring that the BVI
office consistently delivers accurate, timely and professional service.
The position will work closely with the firm’s separate Compliance function, which is responsible for AML/CFT/CPF compliance oversight, client due diligence and Economic Substance filings.
This is a hands-on management role requiring strong technical BVI corporate services knowledge, leadership ability, sound judgement, attention to detail and a strong client-service mindset.
Key Responsibilities
Corporate Services Leadership and Technical Oversight
- Lead the day-to-day operation of the BVI Corporate Services function.
- Oversee the administration of a portfolio of BVI business companies, limited partnerships and other structures, as applicable.
- Serve as the primary technical escalation point for Corporate Services staff on complex or unusual BVI corporate matters.
- Ensure entities are administered in accordance with their constitutional documents, applicable BVI legislation, statutory requirements and internal policies and procedures.
- Provide technical guidance and review in relation to:
o Incorporations and registrations.
o Continuations and migrations.
o Transfers of registered agent.
o Amendments to memoranda and articles of association.
o Appointments, resignations and changes of directors and officers.
o Share issuances, transfers, redemptions and other changes to share capital.
o Changes in shareholders and beneficial ownership.
o Mergers and reorganisations.
o Voluntary liquidations.
o Restorations and strike-offs.
o Certificates of incumbency and other corporate certifications.
o Other corporate transactions and restructuring matters. - Review directors’ and shareholders’ resolutions, minutes, certificates, registers and other corporate documentation.
- Ensure statutory registers, minute books and corporate records are complete, accurate and properly maintained.
- Oversee corporate filings and transactions with the BVI Registry of Corporate Affairs through VIRRGIN and other applicable systems.
- Ensure statutory filings and deadlines are monitored and completed accurately and on time.
- Oversee beneficial ownership filings and related corporate information requirements.
- Provide practical guidance to staff and clients regarding the application of BVI corporate legislation and company secretarial requirements.
- Coordinate transfers-in and transfers-out of BVI entities and ensure appropriate acceptance and handover procedures are followed.
- Remain current on developments in BVI company law, Registry requirements and corporate administration practice.
- Serve as the principal escalation point for client-service issues within the BVI Corporate Services team.
Team Management and Development
- Manage, supervise and support members of the BVI Corporate Services team.
- Allocate work across the team and monitor workloads, priorities and deadlines.
- Ensure appropriate division of responsibilities and adequate coverage of client portfolios.
- Review work completed by corporate administrators and other team members to ensure accuracy, completeness and compliance with applicable standards.
- Provide technical guidance, coaching and mentoring to team members.
- Develop the technical knowledge and professional capabilities of Corporate Services staff.
- Conduct or contribute to performance reviews, objective setting and employee development planning.
- Identify training needs and arrange appropriate internal or external training.
- Assist with the recruitment, onboarding and training of new Corporate Services employees.
- Promote accountability, teamwork, professionalism and consistently high standards of client service.
- Foster a working environment in which issues are identified early, escalated appropriately and resolved efficiently.
Operational Management and Quality Control
- Maintain effective oversight of the BVI corporate portfolio and ensure outstanding matters are actively managed.
- Establish and maintain appropriate workflow controls, calendars, checklists and review processes.
- Ensure corporate records and client information are accurately maintained within the firm’s corporate administration and document-management systems.
- Develop and improve Corporate Services procedures, workflows and internal controls.
- Identify opportunities to streamline, automate and improve repetitive administrative processes.
- Ensure processes are scalable as the BVI business and client portfolio grow.
- Monitor service quality, turnaround times and operational efficiency.
- Implement appropriate quality-control procedures and periodic file reviews.
- Produce or contribute to management reporting covering matters such as:
o Portfolio activity.
o Outstanding corporate matters.
o Statutory deadlines.
o Workloads.
o Service levels.
o Team performance.
o Operational risks and issues. - Coordinate with Finance regarding billing, disbursements, outstanding fees and client account matters as required.
- Participate in systems implementations, regulatory-change projects and other operational initiatives.
- Escalate material operational, client or technical issues to the Head of American Region.
Coordination with Compliance
ICS maintains a separate Compliance function responsible for compliance oversight, AML/CFT/CPF matters, client due diligence and Economic Substance filings. The Corporate Manager will work closely with Compliance but will not be responsible for independently performing the Compliance Officer’s control functions.
Responsibilities will include:
- Ensure that Corporate Services staff follow the firm's approved client onboarding and ongoing administration procedures.
- Coordinate with Compliance regarding new client acceptance, changes in ownership or control, unusual transactions and other matters requiring compliance review.
- Ensure Corporate Services promptly provides Compliance with corporate information, supporting documentation and client updates required for regulatory purposes.
- Assist Compliance with obtaining outstanding information or documentation from clients where appropriate.
- Ensure changes to directors, shareholders, beneficial owners, business activities and other relevant corporate information are communicated internally as required.
- Coordinate with Compliance in relation to Economic Substance matters where corporate or client information is required for filings or assessments.
- Support regulatory inspections, internal reviews and remediation exercises from a Corporate Services perspective.
- Escalate potential compliance concerns to the Compliance Officer rather than attempting to independently determine or resolve compliance matters.
Qualifications and Experience
The successful candidate should ideally possess:
- A minimum of 5–7 years of relevant experience in corporate services, fiduciary services, a BVI law firm, trust company, registered agent or similar professional-services environment.
- Significant hands-on experience administering BVI business companies.
- Previous supervisory or management experience, preferably within a corporate-services or registered-agent environment.
- Strong working knowledge of the BVI Business Companies Act, related regulations and BVI corporate administration practices.
- Strong practical experience using VIRRGIN and dealing with the BVI Registry of Corporate Affairs.
- Strong understanding of statutory registers, beneficial ownership requirements and corporate filing obligations applicable to BVI entities.
- Demonstrated ability to independently handle complex corporate transactions and technical queries.
- Experience preparing and reviewing corporate resolutions, minutes, statutory registers, certificates and other corporate documentation.
- Experience reviewing and supervising the work of junior and intermediate Corporate Services staff.
- A university degree in Law, Business, Finance, Accounting or a related discipline and/or a relevant professional qualification such as CGI/ICSA, STEP or equivalent would be advantageous.
Skills and Competencies
The successful candidate will demonstrate:
- Strong technical knowledge of BVI corporate administration.
- Ability to act as a credible senior technical resource for staff and clients.
- Strong leadership and people-management capabilities.
- Ability to delegate effectively while maintaining appropriate oversight and accountability.
- Excellent organisational and time-management skills.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
- Sound judgement and the ability to distinguish routine matters from issues requiring escalation.
- Ability to manage complex matters independently from initiation through completion.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong client-service orientation and commercial awareness.
- Ability to manage competing priorities in a high-volume professional-services environment.
- Ability to operate effectively within an international organisation and collaborate with colleagues across jurisdictions.
- Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office and corporate administration/database systems.
- A practical interest in technology, automation and process improvement.
Role Expectations
The Corporate Manager is expected to take ownership of the BVI Corporate Services function and operate with an appropriate degree of autonomy.
The position should be capable of ensuring that:
- The Corporate Services team knows what needs to be done and by when.
- Client requests and transactions are appropriately managed.
- Technical questions are resolved accurately and efficiently.
- Staff work is appropriately reviewed.
- Corporate records and filings are accurate and current.
- Operational issues are identified and escalated before they become significant problems.
- Clients receive consistently professional and responsive service.
- The Head of American Region has appropriate visibility over material client, operational and staffing matters without needing to manage the team’s routine day-to-day activities.
What We Offer
ICS provides an opportunity to join a growing international corporate and fiduciary services group and play a significant role in the continued development of its BVI operations. The Corporate Manager will have meaningful responsibility for the operation and development of the BVI Corporate Services function and will work closely with senior management, international colleagues and clients across multiple jurisdictions. A competitive compensation and benefits package will be offered commensurate with the successful candidate’s experience and qualifications.