Money Mule Analyst

Our Operational team help to prevent and detect the misuse of our accounts for processing the proceeds of crime. Our teams key focus is to ensure we keep our customers money safe and disrupt bad actors such as ‘Money Mules’. If your curious and are interested in helping identify money mules, then this is the role for you!

The working hours will rotate on a four-week pattern, three weeks Monday – Friday 9 – 5 and one week will be Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 9 – 5.

At Nationwide we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.

For this job you'll be located at our nearest regional office or hub. There will be a need to regularly connect with colleagues for collaboration and in some locations you’ll be expected to spend at least two days a week, or if part time you'll spend 40% of your working time, in the office. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works. 

Virgin Money is now part of Nationwide

Nationwide acquired Virgin Money in October 2024. Virgin Money continues to serve customers on the high street, and there will be a phased and considered integration over the coming years.

You’ll be employed by Nationwide from day one, delivering real impact and benefitting from a highly competitive range of benefits. We’re a workplace where you’re rewarded, recognised and celebrated.

Nationwide is committed to the redeployment of our employees impacted by change, as such applications for redeployment candidates will be prioritised in this recruitment process.
 
If you’re a colleague on long-term absence (for example, on parental leave) or a temporary worker, please use your personal email address to submit an application.

What you’ll be doing

In this role, you'll investigate money mule alerts generated by fraud detection systems, carrying out Know Your Customer (KYC), identification and verification checks, and reviewing multiple intelligence sources to assess risk and reach fair, evidence-based outcomes.

You'll engage directly with customers where money mule activity is suspected, ensuring all customer interactions and investigations are completed in line with KYC requirements and customer due diligence standards. You'll also work closely with external partners, including CIFAS and National Hunter, to support fund tracing and indemnification activities.

A key part of the role will involve identifying and analysing indicators of money mule activity, recognising emerging trends, fraud rings and organised crime group activity, and highlighting themes that may help strengthen fraud prevention measures. You'll prepare and submit Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) to the National Crime Agency, including Defence Against Money Laundering (DAML) requests, while maintaining effective relationships with stores and operational stakeholders.

You'll be responsible for delivering excellent customer outcomes by reviewing and resolving false positive alerts efficiently, while ensuring full compliance with policies, procedures and regulatory requirements. You'll also provide support to colleagues on complex investigations and escalated cases, acting as delegate for Money Mule Team Leaders and Senior Analysts when required.
 

About you

• Strong experience in investigation and analysis and the ability to present without prejudice outcomes rationally and consistently to internal stakeholders.

• Logical & rationalised decision-making skills, ability to engage with the wider team and 1LOD Fraud Strategy on identification of mule perpetrators and mule rings.

• Excellent written skills with the ability to document your decision concisely and clearly.

• Empathy and a passion for making customers happier about money by having the ability to provide great customer journeys for genuine customers.

• Excellent time management skills, ensuring that fraud mule cases/alerts are worked effectively and accurately and within relevant time scales. Reporting to agencies, where required, and in turn ensuring the bank remains safe for our customers.

• Be a Subject Matter Expert in Money Mule prevention processes such as understanding key red flags, freezing of funds as well as fund recovery, and representing the department internally and externally, where deemed necessary.

Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together. They are the set of behaviours that every colleague needs to display, in every role:

• Feel what customers feel - We step into our customers’ shoes, using their feedback and insights to empathise with them and to understand their needs, so that every decision we make starts and finishes with our customers in mind

• Say it straight - We are brave in speaking out and saying what we think – we’re honest and direct with good intent, openly sharing diverse perspectives to reach the best conclusions and using language everyone can understand

• Push for better - We don’t settle for mediocrity, we challenge the status quo, taking responsibility for continuous improvement and personal development

• Get it done - We prioritise what will have the greatest impact, we are decisive, and we take accountability for delivering brilliant customer outcomes

You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.

The extras you’ll get

There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:

• 25 days holiday, pro rata

• Private medical insurance

• A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement

• Access to an annual performance-related bonus

• Training and development to help you progress your career

• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme

• Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death

• Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness

• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year

Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society

We forge our own path at Nationwide.

As a mutual, we’re owned by our members - those customers who bank, save or have a mortgage with us. We challenge the financial sector status quo. We don’t see customers as the engine of our own profit. We share our profits with them and put their needs first. Always there when they need us. Supporting them and their lives.

If you’re inspired by fairer finances, passionate about making a meaningful impact, and truly care about our customers, you’re one of us.

At Nationwide, you are challenged to grow and rewarded for doing so. Valued. Recognised. Inspired to be your best. As a community, we want our working lives to count. As a team, we celebrate what we achieve. As a standard-setter, we work for the good of customers, communities, and broader society.

We are purpose-driven. Uncompromisingly customer. Unstoppably Nationwide.

What to do next

If this role is for you, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button. You’ll need to attach your up-to-date CV and answer a few quick questions for us.

Once we’ve received your application successfully, we will invite you to the first stage; our online assessments!

Within a few hours you’ll receive a link to your unique candidate hub – here we’ll ask you to complete some online assessments within 48 hours of applying; these include a situational judgement test, checking and numerical assessments – all focussed around what’s important to us in a member facing role at Nationwide.

In your candidate hub you’ll also be able to get hints and tips and watch videos from our colleagues giving you a really good idea of what it’s like to work here at Nationwide.

We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.

The hiring manager for this role is Tammy Ward, and the main recruitment contact is Jess Heath.