Want to know if this job is worth applying to?
Greater London, England, United Kingdom
Hybrid
Act as alternate nominated officer, deciding on SARs and DAML requests when the MLRO is unavailable, under documented delegated authority.
Attend the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee and the Group Financial Crime Committee in the MLRO's absence.
Maintain a complete, contemporaneous audit trail of all decisions taken under deputised authority, distinct from decisions taken by the MLRO.
Maintain deputisation readiness: current knowledge of the MLRO's live case load, open regulator correspondence and outstanding remediation, so cover can be provided at short notice.
Oversee escalations from transaction monitoring and name screening (PEP, sanctions, adverse media), setting investigation quality and disposition standards.
Oversee sanctions screening escalations and prepare OFSI reports for MLRO sign off.
Maintain the Business Wide Risk Assessment (BWRA), proliferation financing risk assessment, AML, CTF and CPF policies and the customer risk assessment methodology, and propose changes to the MLRO for approval.
Escalate material gaps or emerging typologies to the MLRO.
Lead root cause analysis on control failures or thematic issues and track remediation actions to closure.
Prepare financial crime MI for senior management and governance committees, and draft sections of the annual MLRO Report.
Support responses to FCA information requests and assist with skilled person reviews (s.166 FSMA 2000) or supervisory visits as directed by the MLRO.
Track the AML control framework against FCA Handbook updates, JMLSG guidance revisions and OFSI and HMT sanctions notices.
Line manage members of the UK Financial Crime team, setting quality standards, coaching and development plans.
Act as the escalation point for complex or ambiguous cases referred by Level 1 and Level 2 analysts and more junior members of the UK Financial Crime team.
Build the knowledge and judgement needed to step up to SMF1
Deep working knowledge of UK AML and CTF regulation: MLR 2017, POCA 2002, TA 2000, FCA SYSC 6.3 and JMLSG Guidance.
Sound judgement under pressure. Comfortable taking disposition decisions on live SARs without the MLRO present.
Strong report writing and Board level communication skills.
People leadership experience, or clearly demonstrated readiness to lead a team.
Ability to manage regulator facing deliverables to deadline.
5+ years in AML and financial crime compliance within a regulated firm (CFD or brokerage, banking, payments or crypto), or equivalent regulatory exposure, including direct SAR investigation and disposition experience.
Prior deputy or MLRO experience is preferred but not required.
Experience preparing MI for Boards or Risk Committees.
Familiarity with CFDs, spread betting and margin trading behaviours.
Awareness of how FCA Consumer Duty intersects with financial crime risk (for example, vulnerable customer considerations in AML decisioning).
ICA Diploma or Advanced Certificate in AML, ACAMS or equivalent.
Direct exposure to FCA supervisory engagement
Existing line management experience.
