Vice President Lead - Customer Due Diligence

Operations Services - Financial Crime Operations department is responsible for ensuring that all financial crime risks in Bank of China (UK) Limited and Bank of China Limited London Branch (jointly referred to as the Bank) are identified, managed or mitigated within the first line of defence (1LoD). A key component of the department’s coverage is responsibility for the Bank’s operational adherence to the UK regulatory requirements, namely with regards to Customer Due Diligence (CDD), Fraud Prevention and Management, Sanctions Screening, Transaction Monitoring and the provision of adequate training and support to the front line business. As a Vice President Lead - Customer Due Diligence, you will lead the day-to-day CDD operations, providing principal operational and technical support to the team. You will oversee delivery, quality and team performance, translate policy into operational decisions, support the team on complex issues, and work closely with Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) department. You will also lead CDD technology initiatives and the development of a sustainable future operating model, including the responsible use of AI and automation. This is a full time permanent position.

Key responsibilities

• Own end-to-end CDD delivery across onboarding, periodic and event driven reviews, remediation and quality control, covering both system-based and approved manual workflows
• Set daily and weekly delivery priorities, allocate and rebalance resources based on risk and demand, and maintain forward-looking oversight of workload, ageing and capacity
• Identify and address outstanding cases and other delivery risks, agreeing recovery actions with relevant stakeholders and escalating unresolved constraints where required
• Act as the senior first-line CDD subject matter expert and escalation point for complex corporate and financial institutions7 relationships, including correspondent banking, ownership and control structures, beneficial ownership, PEPs, adverse information and higher-risk jurisdictions
• Provide clear, documented challenge on customer risk assessments, enhanced due diligence, source of wealth and funds where required, business purpose and expected activity. Ensure conclusions are supported by evidence and proportionate to risk
• Translate FCC policy and guidance into workable procedures, case examples and decision aids. Resolve recurring interpretation issues with FCC and embed agreed standards consistently across production and QC
• Oversee CDD quality controls, including four-eye review, evidence retention and documented sign-offs; analyse QC and assurance findings, identify root causes and ensure corrective actions are implemented and formally closed
• Develop team capability through coaching, calibration and targeted development plans
• Act as the principal day-to-day CDD contact for FCC, business stakeholders and relevant control teams. Coordinate responses to challenge and assurance requests, following issues through to resolution
• Provide the Head of FCO with accurate Management Information (MI), forward-looking risks and decisions required. Represent CDD team at working groups and governance meetings, and deputise on CDD matters as delegated
• Lead the design and implementation of the CDD target operating model, defining how people, processes, technology, data and controls work together and translating strategy into a phased roadmap with clear ownership, capacity requirements and measurable outcomes
• Act as the CDD business owner for technology and change projects. Own business requirements, prioritisation, business cases, delivery dependencies, user acceptance testing, operational readiness and benefits tracking, working with technology teams and vendors
• Lead the controlled adoption of AI and automation across appropriate CDD activities, assessing use cases through pilots and ensuring appropriate human oversight, data protection, traceability, auditability and required governance approvals

Requirements

• Degree educated in Finance, Business, Economics or relevant subjects
• Demonstrated CDD, KYC or Financial Crime experience in banking or consultancy, with exposure to wholesale banking, corporate customers and financial institutions
• Proven experience in financial crime advisory, assurance, or senior first-line roles, with strong policy interpretation, control challenge and operational delivery accountability
• Demonstrated people management and coaching experience, with evidence of developing technical standards, resolving control findings and influencing business and compliance stakeholders
• Experience using MI and data to manage capacity, productivity, quality and operational dependencies
• Proven experience delivering CDD technology or operational change from requirements through implementation, including target operating model design and benefits realization
• Experience in client lifecycle management platforms and screening or research tools
• Sound working knowledge of applicable UK AML and counter-terrorist financing requirements, JMLSG guidance, sanctions obligations and relevant regulatory expectations
• Excellent communication skills
• Demonstrates technical credibility, independent judgement and operational discipline, with the ability to challenge constructively, resolve ambiguity and take ownership of issues through to resolution
• Ability to assess AI and automation use cases including their limitations and the operational controls required for safe, effective adoption, experience implementing these solutions is desirable
• Excellent MS Office skills, particularly in the use of MS Excel

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