Financial crime officer

A distinguished global financial institution is seeking a conscientious Financial Crime Officer to join its esteemed Compliance Department in London. This role presents an unparalleled opportunity for you to contribute meaningfully to the preservation of the organisation's integrity, supporting its unwavering commitment to the highest standards of legal, regulatory, and ethical conduct.

What you'll do:

In the capacity of Financial Crime Officer based in London, you will engage fully within a sophisticated compliance environment where your principal focus will be supporting the MLRO across all facets of financial crime prevention. Your remit will encompass providing timely regulatory guidance as well as active participation in client file reviews and policy refinement. You will play a vital role in identifying new risks through systematic assessments whilst ensuring that due diligence processes are executed with precision for both routine clients and complex structures. Your analytical acumen will be essential when reviewing alerts from transaction monitoring systems or investigating potential fraud scenarios. Furthermore, you will make significant contributions to management information reporting and facilitate ongoing training initiatives across various business lines. Success in this appointment requires not only technical competence but also a spirit of collaboration as you work alongside colleagues locally and internationally to uphold a robust compliance culture throughout the institution.

• Provide expert support to the MLRO by offering considered advice on all matters pertaining to anti-money laundering (AML), sanctions, and financial crime across multiple business divisions including Corporate and Institutional Clients, Markets, Transaction Banking Hub, and Asset-Based Finance.
• Undertake meticulous client file reviews as directed by the MLRO, focusing on emerging risks or concerns and preparing detailed written reports accompanied by well-founded recommendations.
• Assist in maintaining robust policies and procedures that ensure full compliance with relevant regulations while effectively mitigating the risk of financial crime within the organisation.
• Contribute substantively to periodic Dashboard and Management Information (MI) reporting by supplying insightful analysis on key metrics related to financial crime issues.
• Diligently identify and assess financial crime risks in accordance with established monitoring plans, remaining abreast of current EU, FCA, DNB, ECB, and AFM AML/Financial Crime regulations.
• Ensure thorough customer due diligence is conducted for both standard and high-risk entity types such as hedge funds, private equity funds, special purpose vehicles, trusts, and foundations.
• Review alerts escalated for client screening-including adverse media, politically exposed persons (PEP), sanctions payment screening-and transaction monitoring escalated by first line teams; escalate or close cases with clear rationale.
• Assist in overseeing trade surveillance operations aimed at detecting market abuse; investigate system-generated alerts and report suspicious transactions or orders (STORs) to external authorities as appropriate.
• Collaborate constructively with stakeholders to review potential fraud cases and manage fraud risk effectively within the organisation.
• Support the delivery of regular training updates on AML and financial crime topics for relevant business lines, ensuring all materials are accurate and effective.

What you bring:

To flourish as a Financial Crime Officer, you will bring considerable experience acquired from positions focused on anti-money laundering or broader financial crime compliance within reputable institutions. Your background should reflect not only technical proficiency but also an empathetic approach when engaging collaboratively with colleagues across departments. You possess advanced analytical capabilities that enable swift interpretation of complex regulatory changes while maintaining meticulous records consistent with best practices. Your interpersonal skills foster constructive relationships with stakeholders at all levels-from local business leaders through to international compliance partners-ensuring open channels for knowledge sharing. A steadfast commitment to continuous professional development ensures you remain abreast of evolving industry standards while actively contributing towards training others. Above all else, your dependability guarantees that critical compliance functions are executed thoroughly on every occasion.

• A minimum of five years' experience specialising in anti-money laundering (AML) and financial crime within a regulated financial services context is requisite for this appointment.
• Professional qualifications such as the CISI Diploma or equivalent are highly desirable; supplementary certifications specific to AML or financial crime would be considered advantageous.
• Demonstrable ability to undertake comprehensive AML & financial crime monitoring activities whilst producing lucid written recommendations for senior stakeholders.
• Proven aptitude for resolving conflict tactfully and constructively when addressing sensitive matters or complex situations within compliance frameworks.
• A collaborative disposition combined with the capacity for independent work when necessary ensures seamless integration into cross-functional teams.
• Meticulous attention to detail coupled with advanced IT literacy enables efficient management of data privacy requirements and reporting obligations.
• Current knowledge of existing and emerging regulatory requirements related to financial crime at both UK and European levels is indispensable for success in this role.
• Excellent command of English-both written and verbal-facilitates effective communication across diverse internal audiences.
• Strong organisational skills paired with self-motivation allow you to manage competing priorities whilst maintaining accuracy under pressure.
• A pragmatic mindset oriented towards process improvement supports ongoing enhancements to compliance systems and controls.

Robert Walters Operations Limited is an employment business and employment agency and welcomes applications from all candidates