Senior Financial Crime Analyst - AJ Bell

The Senior Financial Crime Analyst is a subject matter expert and escalation point within the Financial Crime team. Supporting the Financial Crime Manager and wider business, you will identify, investigate and mitigate financial crime risks, with a focus on money laundering and sanctions breaches.

The role ensures compliance with regulatory obligations and internal policies, helping to protect AJ Bell and its clients from financial crime. The role also involves oversight of complex cases, mentoring junior analysts and contributing to the continuous improvement of controls and processes.

What does the job involve?:

• Lead on the identification, monitoring, and escalation of high-risk customers and transactions. This includes ownership of Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD), Customer Due Diligence (CDD), and Exit-Driven Reviews.
• Complete own investigations as well as completing reviews and sign off on complex investigations, ensuring appropriate rationale and documentation.
• Act as a second-line reviewer for Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) and other regulatory submissions.
• Prepare and submit reports to the National Crime Agency (NCA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and other relevant authorities, as directed by the Financial Crime Manager or MLRO.
• Drive enhancements to financial crime processes, including the development of workflows, process maps, and control reviews.
• Support the development of junior analysts through coaching, shadowing, and knowledge sharing. Provide feedback and contribute to training plans and competency frameworks.
• Support the Financial Crime Manager in collating and interpreting management information (MI) and produce reports to send on to higher management.
• Work closely with Operations, Risk, Legal, and Technology teams to ensure a joined-up approach to financial crime prevention. Participate in cross-functional initiatives and workshops.
• Contribute to the delivery of financial crime training and awareness initiatives across the business.
• Respond to requests from law enforcement and regulatory bodies, ensuring timely and accurate information sharing.
• Ensuring all duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, including consumer duty.

What we're looking for:

• Extensive experience in financial crime investigation/analysis.
• Proven ability to manage complex cases and make risk-based decisions.
• Experience of CDD, EDD, sanctions screening, and transaction monitoring.
• Strong working knowledge of UK regulatory requirements (e.g., POCA, MLRs, FCA Handbook).
• Experience in mentoring or coaching junior team members.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and report-writing skills.
• Ability to prioritise and manage multiple tasks under pressure
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience with regulatory reporting and liaising with external authorities is desirable.
• Familiarity with case management systems and data tools (e.g., Comply Advantage, internal UIs).

About us:

AJ Bell is one of the fastest-growing investment platform businesses in the UK offering an award-winning range of solutions that caters for everyone, from professional financial advisers, to DIY investors with little to no experience. We have over 620,000 customers using our award-winning platform propositions to manage assets totalling more than £96.1 billion. Our customers trust us with their investments, and by continuously striving to make investing easier, we aim to help even more people take control of their financial futures.

Having listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange in December 2018, AJ Bell is now a FTSE 250 company.

Headquartered in Manchester with offices in central London and Bristol, we now have over 1,500 employees and have been named one of the UK's 'Best 100 Companies to Work For' for six consecutive years and in 2024 named a Great Place to Work®.

At AJ Bell you can expect a friendly working environment with a strong sense of teamwork, we have a great sense of pride in what we do, and this is reflected in our guiding principles.

What we offer:

• Competitive starting salary
• Starting holiday entitlement of 25, increasing up to 31 days with length of service and a holiday buy and sell scheme
• A choice of pension schemes with matched contributions up to 6%
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• Annual free share awards scheme
• Buy As You Earn (BAYE) Scheme
• Health Cash Plan – provided by SimplyHealth
• Discounted private healthcare scheme and dental plan
• Free onsite gym
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Bike loan scheme
• Sick pay+ pledge
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave
• Loans for travel season tickets
• Death in service scheme
• Paid time off for volunteer work
• Charitable giving opportunities through salary sacrifice
• Calendar of social events, including monthly payday drinks, annual Christmas party, summer party and much more
• Personal development programmes built around you and your career goals, including access to personal skills workshops
• Ongoing technical training
• Professional qualification support
• Talent development programmes
• Peer recognition scheme, with rewards including restaurant and shopping vouchers or time off
• Monthly leadership breakfasts and lunches
• Casual dress code
• Access to a range of benefits from our sponsorship deals

Hybrid working:

At AJ Bell, our people are the heart of our culture. We believe in building strong connections by working together. That's why we offer a hybrid working model, where you'll spend a minimum of 50% of your working time per month in the office. For new team members, an initial period will be full-time in the office to help you immerse yourself in our business and build valuable relationships with your colleagues.

AJ Bell is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and all employees are empowered to bring their whole self to work.

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, religion, physical and mental disability, marital status and any other characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010. All decisions to hire are based on qualifications, merit and business need.

If you like the sound of the above, or just want to know more about the company and the role, we'd love to speak to you.