Junior Financial Crime Operations Officer (6 months temp)

THE COMPANY: Our client is a multinational Corporate banking company, with branches worldwide.

THE RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Payment Screening and Transaction Monitoring: To provide sound Level 1 and Level 2 (Level 2 – reviewing role) support for both the Fircosoft payment screening system and FICO transaction monitoring system. The timely review of all alerts ensuring a clear and concise rationale included to support the decision to either close the case or to escalate to Compliance. The proactive mitigation of any identified red flags by use of trade and financial sanctions screening, open source searches, adverse media screening and RFI’s. Completion of an internal SAR for escalation to Compliance for generated potential ‘hits’. Case management handling and supervision, to action and chase RFI requests generated by our agent banks and to utilise information the Branch may have already requested. Manage, update and produce purposed standard templates for cross-team usage for regular alerts (including appropriate wording and evidence required for potential matches in order to close alerts). Timely update to RFI templates as appropriate, clearly detailing the required information. The requested information should cover both payment screening and transaction monitoring requests. Proactive daily management of the sanctions list download activity to the payment screening application, to ensure the system downloads the correct files.
• AML and Sanction screening on Trade Finance activity: Liaise with the Operations department to ensure all Trade Finance transactions are screened correctly and documentation is properly collated.
• General: Responsibility for the day-to-day identification, ownership and management of conduct risk and controls through the continuing development and implementation of the Bank’s conduct risk framework processes. This includes the internal control processes designed to identify, assess and manage conduct risk, the execution of activities as intended and the identification, reporting and escalation/remediation of inadequate processes and control breaks. On a proactive basis, liaise with and seek guidance from the Second Line of Defence for policy and process queries. Complete all training provided by Compliance, Risk and IT and other departments as necessary in a timely manner. Read and understand the Risk Management & Compliance framework (and the policies referenced therein) and the UK Staff Handbook; Identify, report and escalate material risk events, including conduct risk events and conflicts of interest, or losses to the Head of Department; Proper use of the Bank’s IT systems and data, particularly personal data, in accordance with the IT Security Policy and the Data Protection Policy and any applicable departmental procedures; Complete ad-hoc requests from the line manager, Head or Deputy Head of Operations or DGM. Adherence to staff handbook, company policies, rules and regulations as changed from time to time and to the core values, behaviours (e.g., Code of Conduct) at all times.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

• Must be able to work 5 days in the office.
• Experience of working at similar levels and with automated Financial Crime monitoring solutions and investigating system generated alerts.
• Proven ability to review and make judgements on the first level investigation or alerts in line with Financial Crime Risk and provision of support and guidance to other members of the team.
• Relevant product knowledge (correspondent banking and trade finance) is required.
• A good knowledge and up-to-date understanding of the UK regulatory requirements relating to Financial Crime.
• Good working knowledge of the Fourth and Fifth Money Laundering Directive, Money Laundering Regulations 2019 and the Wire Transfer Regulations.
• Ability to produce relevant and quality metrics/MI dataset to support weekly and monthly evaluations.
• Must be competent in MS Office suite of products.