Sanctions Compliance Senior Manager

Wise is a global technology company, building the best way to move and manage the world’s money.

Min fees. Max ease. Full speed.

Whether people and businesses are sending money to another country, spending abroad, or making and receiving international payments, Wise is on a mission to make their lives easier and save them money.

As part of our team, you will be helping us create an entirely new network for the world's money.

For everyone, everywhere.

More about our mission and what we offer.

As a Sanctions Compliance Manager at Wise, you will be responsible for handling and providing expert guidance on complex sanctions cases impacting our Wise UK entities, and supporting the UK’s financial crime strategy. This role is pivotal in ensuring the company's compliance with UK sanctions regulations and maintaining the integrity of our operations. You will be the final escalation point for UK sanctions matters and work closely with internal teams, external partners, and regulators to manage risks and ensure compliance.

Key Responsibilities

Compliance & Reporting:

• Escalate sanctions breaches to the appropriate global/regional Compliance Oversight teams.
• Review and assess sanctions risks related to business development, joint ventures, and mergers/acquisitions. 
• Support the UK Financial Crime team in ensuring customers are compliant with sanctions, including evaluating their sanctions controls. 
• Review UK screening scope changes as escalated by the list management function.

Risk Assessment & Business Support:

• Support the execution of Wise’s Global Sanctions Strategy, providing advice to embed the Sanctions Policy in business and operational processes.
• Participate in sanctions risk assessments associated with new business activities. 
• Assist in reviewing UK Fincrime Operations procedures to ensure adherence to best practices.
• Support the broader Sanctions Compliance Oversight function, including annual financial crime compliance risk assessments and horizon scanning. 

Training & Mentoring: 

• Provide targeted training to enhance the sanctions screening and handling capabilities of the team.
• Work with the group Sanctions team to ensure that fincrime training is up to date for all employees.
• Governance & MI Reporting:
• Build and deliver monthly management information (MI) reports related to sanctions escalations and risk mitigation.
• Refine internal systems such as Jira to streamline work requests, define SLAs, and monitor performance metrics. 
• Ensure governance of the sanctions escalation process, including record-keeping and procedure documentation. 

Incident & Issue Management: 

• Align with the Compliance Management Team (CMT) on incident validation standards and methodologies. 
• Participate in relevant forums for incident management, ensuring oversight of financial crime issues and sanctions risks.

Sanctions Remediation & Project Support:

• Lead on ad-hoc sanctions projects and contribute to the sanctions remediation program. 
• Drive improvements in Wise’s Know Your Customer (KYC)/Customer Due Diligence (CDD) processes applicable to Wike UK, screening capabilities, and alert handling.

Advisory 

• Support in the determination and investigation of complex sanctions cases. 
• Support the Global Sanctions Lead in activities leading to internal and external regulatory engagement.

• Extensive experience in financial crime compliance, with a strong focus on sanctions regulations.
• Proven ability to handle complex sanctions escalations and deliver strategic guidance on risk management. 
• Strong knowledge of global sanctions laws and regulations, and experience working with regulators and authorities. 
• Ability to mentor and train junior staff on sanctions compliance. 
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across various business functions. 
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to assess risks and develop compliance strategies.

• 🚀 Starting salary: £85,000 - £115,000 + RSU's in a growing company 

• 💪 An annual self-development budget

• ❤️ Statutory maternity leave, with a perk of 18 fully paid weeks of parental leave for birth or adoption

• ❤️ Paternity leave for 18 weeks at full pay

• 🌿 3 fully paid ‘me days’ per year to help you manage life

• 🏝️ A paid 6-week sabbatical leave after four years 

• Find out more about our benefits in our London office.

For everyone, everywhere. We're people building money without borders  — without judgement or prejudice, too. We believe teams are strongest when they are diverse, equitable and inclusive.

We're proud to have a truly international team, and we celebrate our differences.

Inclusive teams help us live our values and make sure every Wiser feels respected, empowered to contribute towards our mission and able to progress in their careers.

If you want to find out more about what it's like to work at Wise visit Wise.Jobs.

Keep up to date with life at Wise by following us on LinkedIn and Instagram.