About the Role

[Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] is one of only six UK clearing banks with direct access to the country's payment systems. Built on modern, cloud-native technology, we provide businesses with secure, API-driven banking that's fast, compliant, and built for growth. We are seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Financial Crime Operations leader to support our First Line of Defence (1LoD) Financial Crime Operations teams. This role will play a critical part in overseeing the Bank's end-to-end financial crime controls across client onboarding, ongoing due diligence, transaction monitoring, and screening, and will act as a key deputy to the Director of Financial Crime Operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the Director of Financial Crime Operations in overseeing the Bank’s 1LoD Financial Crime Operations departments, ensuring alignment to internal risk appetite, regulatory obligations, and customer outcomes.
• Provide oversight of operational workflows, SLAs, controls, QA expectations, and case escalations across Client Onboarding and Customer Due Diligence (CDD), Ongoing Monitoring and Periodic Reviews, and Transaction Monitoring and Screening (name and payment screening).
• Build and maintain effective control frameworks that support scalable onboarding and monitoring of higher-risk products including segregated and virtual account structures, embedded banking and platform or API-based client flows, and cross-jurisdictional payment corridors.
• Drive continuous improvement through process optimisation, tooling enhancements, automation opportunities, and MI improvements.
• Maintain full auditability and regulatory defensibility of operational activity, decisioning, and controls.
• Represent Financial Crime Operations in governance forums, internal and external audits, and regulatory engagements as required.
• Partner closely with Risk, Compliance, Legal, Product, and Technology to ensure financial crime operational frameworks remain effective and fit for scale.

Key Requirements

• Proven track record in leading financial crime operations functions within a regulated banking or financial services environment.
• Deep understanding of UK AML/CTF, sanctions, and regulatory expectations (FCA, PRA, JMLSG).
• Experience managing financial crime controls for high-risk client segments (e.g. NBFIs, MSBs, FX brokers, crypto firms).
• Strong understanding of the three lines of defence model and effective 1LoD ownership.
• Expertise in transaction monitoring, name screening, onboarding/KYC, and ongoing monitoring from both an operational execution and control design perspective.
• Strategic and analytical thinker with strong judgement and risk awareness.
• Demonstrable experience implementing change (e.g., tooling migrations, process optimisation, TOM builds).
• Excellent leadership, stakeholder management, and influencing skills at senior levels.
• Strong communication and documentation skills.
• Experience leading teams across multiple locations.
• Payments experience.

Benefits

• Competitive salary package
• 25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Holiday allowance that increases with length of service
• Enhanced company pension offering (up to 20% salary sacrifice)
• Competitive sick pay
• Life Assurance - 4x annual salary
• Private Medical Insurance with comprehensive cover for you and your family
• 24/7 GP service and private prescription ordering
• Virtual physiotherapy
• Digital counselling and mental health support
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Digital gym and guided meditation classes
• Discounted gym memberships
• Annual eye care test and contributions toward glasses
• Market-leading parental leave
• Neonatal support
• Partner support for antenatal appointments
• KIT days and structured support when returning to work
• Flexible working (subject to agreement)
• Fresh daily fruit and snacks
• Bi-weekly office breakfasts
• Peer-to-peer recognition programme
• Clear goals and performance development framework

Diversity

[Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] is an equal opportunity employer committed to inclusion, diversity and belonging. All qualified applicants are welcome and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, age, disability, religion or religious expression, sex, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity and expression, transgender, national origin, or military veteran status.