Job Title
Senior Manager, KYC Risk & Assurance
Job Description
Senior Manager, KYC Risk & Assurance
KYC & Client Onboarding | Permanent, Full-time | London (UK)
Who are we?
IG is a FTSE 100 fintech operating across five continents, serving over 1.4m customers and handling billions of dollars in transactions – built on scale, trust, and proof. We didn't pivot to innovation; it's how we've always operated. What that means for the people who work here is real: genuinely complex problems to solve, the technology and resources to tackle them properly, and the kind of scope that's rare in established businesses. The bar is high – bring a curious and forward-thinking mindset and we'll give you the platform to define what comes next. Join us at IG – the future gets built here.
What's the role?
This is a senior leadership role within KYC and Client Onboarding, reporting to the Head of KYC. You will lead our new KYC Risk & Assurance function, the pillar that gives first line real depth of financial crime expertise, quality oversight and risk decisioning.
Grounded in strong financial crime and compliance knowledge but operational and strategic in outlook, you will lead a team of three: two Enhanced Due Diligence Specialists who handle the most complex institutional and high-risk cases, and a KYC Excellence Manager responsible for process excellence and governance. Through them you will own first-line quality assurance over onboarding, the leadership of EDD and escalation decisioning, and continuous improvement across the KYC lifecycle.
As IG grows its institutional business and continues to uplift its financial crime framework, this role exists to build genuine financial crime capability within first line: making confident, well-reasoned risk decisions at pace, providing credible assurance to senior management on the quality of onboarding, and operationalising the standards and methodologies set by second-line Compliance. You will work in close partnership with, but independently of, second-line Compliance and Financial Crime, keeping the roles of the two lines clear.
What will you do?
Quality oversight and assurance
- Design, own and run a risk-based quality assurance framework over onboarding and EDD, assessing the quality and accuracy of risk assessments and decisions rather than only the completeness of files.
- Provide credible, independent first-line assurance to the Head of KYC and senior management on how effectively onboarding controls are operating.
- Own AML-focused management information and quality reporting into governance committees, giving senior management a clear, evidenced view of financial crime risk and control effectiveness.
EDD leadership and risk decisioning
- Lead the two EDD Specialists in delivering holistic due diligence and approvals on Prime and other high-risk clients to a consistently high standard.
- Act as the empowered senior first-line decision-maker on complex, novel or borderline cases, making well-documented risk decisions at pace and escalating to second line only where genuinely warranted.
- Own clear escalation pathways and turnaround standards for complex onboarding queries, so that decisions are timely and the client experience is protected.
Framework operationalisation
- Translate the KYC Standards and CRA methodology set by second-line Compliance into effective first-line procedures, checklists, training and business-as-usual practice.
- Lead the rollout and embedding of the KYC refresh process, covering both periodic and event-driven reviews.
- Oversee the risk-based remediation of the existing high-risk client population, prioritising the highest-risk clients first.
Process excellence and governance
- Own KYC process excellence and governance across the onboarding lifecycle, supported by the KYC Excellence Manager, driving efficiency and consistency alongside quality.
- Maintain strong standards for document and control governance, record keeping, and the minuting of key forums and committees, so that a clear and auditable trail of decisions is kept.
- Identify and lead improvements to onboarding processes, systems and controls as the business grows and regulation evolves.
Leadership and stakeholder management
- Lead, develop and grow a high-performing team of three across the UK and Poland.
- Build strong, collaborative relationships with the institutional onboarding team, Prime sales, second-line Compliance and Financial Crime, and senior stakeholders across the business.
- Partner with second-line Compliance on the design of KYC Standards and CRA methodology, contributing first-line operational insight while keeping ownership of the standards with second line.
What will you need for this role?
To succeed in this role, we think you'll need:
Experience & Education
- 10 or more years of financial crime and AML experience in financial services, with deep expertise across KYC, CDD and EDD and strong knowledge of the UK MLRs and JMLSG Guidance.
- Proven leadership of financial crime operations, KYC, or quality and assurance teams, including developing people and building capability.
- Demonstrable experience designing and running quality assurance or assurance frameworks over KYC and onboarding.
- Experience operationalising KYC standards, CRA methodologies and refresh processes into day-to-day practice.
- A track record of building AML management information and engaging governance committees and senior stakeholders.
- Good working understanding of the FCA regulatory environment. Bachelor's degree in Law, Business, Finance, Economics or a related field, and a recognised AML qualification (for example the ICA Diploma or ACAMS) is desirable.
Personal Attributes
- Acts with integrity and consistently demonstrates high professional and ethical standards.
- Combines operational delivery with strategic thinking, and is pragmatic and commercial in how they enable growth while protecting the firm.
- Exercises senior judgement with credibility and gravitas, and provides confident, effective challenge.
- A strong people leader who builds, develops and motivates high-performing teams.
- Communicates clearly and influences effectively at senior levels.
- Comfortable operating across the first and second line boundary while keeping the roles distinct.
- Demonstrates resilience and a strong sense of delivery and accountability.
- Comfortable working from IG's London office a minimum of three days per week.
We believe that diversity is vital to success, it fuels creativity, drives innovation and sets us up for global success. We're committed to building teams with a variety of perspectives and skills to help us realise our vision and strategy, that's why we encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds and experiences to join us on this journey. Learn more about our D&I approach here.
The Perks:
This role will bring with it a range of development and growth opportunities which we hope are motivating for someone who wants to Raise the Bar.
We focus on outcomes, not activity. Your success is measured by:
- Robust, risk-based quality assurance over onboarding that gives senior management genuine confidence in control effectiveness.
- Complex EDD and escalations decisioned confidently and at pace in first line, with reduced routine reliance on second line.
- KYC Standards, CRA methodology and the refresh process operationalised and embedded in day-to-day practice.
- High-risk client remediation delivered on a clear, risk-based basis.
- Clear, decision-useful AML MI and governance reporting.
- A capable, well-developed and high-performing KYC Risk & Assurance team.
Number of openings
1
