Manager, Transaction Monitoring (AML Compliance) in London

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The Transaction Monitoring (TM) Compliance Manager is a specialized financial crime risk and regulatory oversight role within the Second Line of Defence (2LoD) Financial Crime Compliance department. The successful candidate is responsible for providing independent oversight, objective evaluation, and compliance challenges regarding the efficacy of the firm's Transaction Monitoring framework. Acting as a Second Line Subject Matter Expert (SME), the individual defines the regulatory envelope, assesses TM risk coverage, and reviews the governance, methodologies, and documentation underpinning detection mechanisms. This role does not own control execution or technical solution design; instead, it provides independent assurance to ensure that the firm’s monitoring practices remain aligned with defined risk appetite, internal policies, and global regulatory expectations (AML/CTF/CPF).

Key Responsibilities:

• Compliance Oversight in Risk Assessment & Horizon Scanning
• Independent Review: Lead the ongoing 2LoD evaluation and challenge of the Compliance Risk Assessments (including EWRA and Product Risk Assessments) to ensure they accurately reflect current transaction data, typologies, and product utilization trends.
• Regulatory Surveying & Horizon Scanning: Proactively monitor, survey, and analyze shifts in the global regulatory landscape, financial crime trends, and regulatory enforcement actions to ensure the firm's TM Compliance risk assessment framework remains comprehensive and defensible.
• Gap Assurance: Evaluate the mapping of financial crime typologies against active transaction monitoring coverage to independently identify and escalate potential tracking gaps to senior management.
• Independent Compliance Challenge & Assurance Framework
• Segmentation & Calibration Challenge: Provide independent, 2LoD challenge to data-driven customer segmentation methodologies executed by the First Line (1LoD), verifying alignment with merchant risk profiles.
• Compliance Oversight in Tuning & Optimization: Review and evaluate the methodologies, statistical testing parameters, and documentation for periodic "Below-the-Line" (BTL) and "Above-the-Line" (ATL) testing performed by the First Line to ensure robust governance.
• Residual Risk Opining: Formulate independent compliance opinions regarding residual risk acceptance, providing formal advisory input to governance forums and the Global MLROs.
• Governance, Risk, & Reporting
• Model Risk Governance: Participate in the compliance review of TM systems and model validation exercises, independently assessing the transparency, logic, and regulatory defensibility of detection models against applicable guidance (e.g., FCA guidance on model risk management).
• Strategic Alignment: Provide regulatory compliance support to the Head of TM to assist in aligning roadmap initiatives with the compliance maturity framework.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Engage with cross-functional stakeholders across lines of defense to communicate compliance requirements and support the adherence to established TM standards.
• Governance & Escalation Paths: Support the enhancement of the TM compliance governance framework to facilitate the structured, independent escalation of risk metrics to senior management.
• Metrics & KRI Oversight: Assist in the production of 2LoD Management Information (MI) and Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) to track the effectiveness of the compliance oversight posture for the Head of TM and Global MLRO.
• Data Integrity & Alert Lifecycle Assurance
• Data Lineage Assurance: Review documentation regarding data lineage, integrity, and completeness for feeds ingested into the monitoring architecture to ensure compliance with regulatory standards.
• Lifecycle Evaluation: Evaluate the end-to-end alert workflow governance, risk scoring frameworks, and prioritization mechanics to ensure high-risk alerts adhere to compliant escalation paths.
• Feedback Loops: Analyze high-level alert outcomes and disposition trends to provide compliance feedback loops to technical teams, supporting iterative improvements in the quality of Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs).

Qualifications & Experience

• Experience: Typically 5+ years of experience within Financial Crime Compliance, with a specific focus on the independent oversight, assurance, or evaluation of Transaction Monitoring frameworks within a regulated PSP, FinTech, or financial institution.
• 2LoD Competency: Proven experience operating within a Second Line of Defence capacity, demonstrating the ability to independently challenge technical teams, data models, and threshold tuning documentation objectively.
• Regulatory Knowledge: Deep understanding of the UK Money Laundering Regulations (MLRs), JMLSG Guidance, and international FATF standards.
• Systems & Data Literacy: Familiarity with data analysis methodologies, data visualization tools (e.g., Looker, Tableau), or basic query languages (e.g., SQL) sufficient to independently evaluate data testing outputs, methodologies, and audit trails.
• Education & Professional Certifications: A Bachelor’s degree in Law, Finance, Criminology, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience. Professional certifications from recognized bodies (e.g., ICA International Diploma in AML, ACAMS) are highly regarded.

Additional Information

We create the conditions for high performers to thrive, through real ownership, fewer blockers, and work that makes a difference from day one. Here, you’ll move fast, take on meaningful challenges, and be recognized for the impact you deliver. It’s a place where ambition gets met with opportunity, and where your growth is in your hands. We work as one team, and we back each other to succeed. So whatever your background or identity, if you’re ready to grow and make a difference, you’ll be right at home here. It’s important we set you up for success and make our process as accessible as possible. So let us know in your application, or tell your recruiter directly, if you need anything to make your experience or working environment more comfortable.

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