Financial Crime Manager

Overview

An opportunity has arisen for an experienced financial crime professional to oversee the design, effectiveness and continuous enhancement of transaction monitoring, sanctions screening and trade finance controls within a UK regulated banking environment.

This role will play a key part in ensuring financial crime frameworks remain aligned with UK regulatory expectations including FCA requirements, the Money Laundering Regulations (MLR 2017), and JMLSG guidance. The position requires strong technical knowledge of AML systems, governance over system changes, and oversight of financial crime risks across payments, trade finance and customer activity.

The successful candidate will work closely with business, operations and compliance teams to ensure robust systems and controls are in place while supporting regulatory reporting and senior management oversight.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee the effectiveness of transaction monitoring systems, including scenario calibration, thresholds and segmentation.

• Conduct periodic effectiveness reviews including back-testing and false-positive analysis.

• Lead governance of sanctions screening across payments, trade finance and customer screening systems.

• Ensure compliance with UK sanctions regimes including OFSI and OTSI frameworks.

• Review and approve system parameter changes with appropriate governance documentation.

• Lead and support User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for system upgrades, regulatory changes and system enhancements.

• Act as an escalation point for complex trade finance transactions including Letters of Credit, Standby Letters of Credit, Guarantees and Documentary Collections.

• Provide advisory support on sanctions exposure, dual-use goods, high-risk jurisdictions and unusual transactions.

• Support the development and enhancement of trade-based money laundering (TBML) controls, red flags and escalation procedures.

• Draft and update AML/CTF and sanctions policies and procedures.

• Provide subject matter expertise for Business Wide Risk Assessments (BWRA) and AML framework reviews.

• Conduct gap assessments and effectiveness reviews across the financial crime framework.

• Support regulatory reporting obligations including REP-CRIM submissions.

• Prepare management information and reporting for senior management and board committees.

• Conduct compliance monitoring reviews across financial crime areas and oversee remediation of control weaknesses.

Skills & Experience

• Strong practical experience with transaction monitoring systems, sanctions screening platforms and AML systems governance.

• Experience developing meaningful management information to monitor financial crime risks including trade-based money laundering.

• Proven ability to prioritise workloads and deliver within deadlines.

• Significant experience within a Second Line of Defence financial crime compliance function within a UK bank.

• Experience leading or supporting User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and system change governance.

• Strong knowledge of UK Money Laundering Regulations (MLR 2017), FCA Financial Crime Guide and JMLSG guidance.

• Knowledge of trade finance compliance and trade-based money laundering risks.

• Strong analytical, communication and stakeholder management skills, including working with sales and operations teams.

Desirable

• Professional qualification such as ICA Diploma in Financial Crime, Sanctions or Trade Finance.

• Experience conducting assurance or thematic reviews.

• Experience drafting AML policies and contributing to regulatory reporting such as REP-CRIM.

We seek individuals from a diverse talent pool and encourage applicants from underrepresented groups to apply to our vacancies. Our commitment to fair recruitment processes means that we welcome applicants from all backgrounds, regardless of their lived experience or personal characteristics. We also invite applicants who meet most of the listed requirements, even if not all, to apply. If you require any adjustments to the application process, please let us know.

Barclay Simpson acts as an Employment Agency for permanent positions and an Employment Business for temporary/contract engagements.