Financial Crime Compliance Generalist, Assistant Vice President in London

Company Description

Crown Agents Bank is a vastly growing and regulated UK bank that connects emerging and frontier markets to the rest of the world, using FX and payments technology.

We are transforming the way payments and FX move through emerging markets, reducing friction so that more money gets to those who need it.

Emerging markets payments are usually challenging, expensive, unreliable and opaque.

Our solutions help fix these pain points.

Ultimately, we connect traditionally hard-to-reach regions to global financial infrastructure, giving access to the best prices and the fastest, most reliable settlement.

FX and cross-border payments are often complex and expensive, especially when operating in emerging markets.

Crown Agents Bank (CAB) wraps its deep and trusted relationships and strength of network around innovative digital capabilities, and cross-border transaction banking solutions to enable fintech, corporates, governments, development organisations and banks to move money to, from, and across often hard-to-reach markets.

Job Description

Role Purpose

This position will play a key role as a generalist member of Crown Agents Bank’s (“CAB”) second-line Financial Crime Compliance (“FCC”) team, supporting the delivery of an effective, well-governed and business-facing FCC framework.

The role will contribute across FCC governance, advisory activity, risk oversight, management information, policy standards, international office support and wider team priorities.

The AVP will operate as an experienced FCC generalist and core team player, supporting senior management and colleagues through effective governance forums, high-quality management information, clear policy and procedure standards, and timely, pragmatic and risk-based advice to the business.

The role will require strong capability in the development, management and presentation of FCC management information as part of a broader generalist remit, ensuring that MI is accurate, insightful, well-controlled and capable of supporting effective discussion, escalation and decision-making by senior stakeholders, including the MLRO and relevant governance forums.

The role will require the individual to translate regulatory expectations, internal risk appetite and financial crime typologies into practical guidance, governance outputs and advisory decisions.

The individual will support effective challenge, clear escalation, strong audit trails and consistent standards across the FCC control framework, while flexing across wider FCC team priorities as required.

The role will also provide flexible support to the Financial Intelligence Unit (“FIU”) and other FCC colleagues where required, helping to ensure appropriate coordination, information flow and escalation between FCC advisory, governance activity, investigations and business stakeholders.

• Role Responsibilities
• Support the coordination and continuous improvement of FCC governance forums as part of the wider FCC team, including agenda planning, paper preparation, action tracking and escalation of material matters.
• Develop, manage and present FCC management information as part of a generalist second-line FCC remit, ensuring MI is accurate, insightful, appropriately governed and tailored for senior stakeholders, including the MLRO, committees and other relevant governance forums.
• Provide generalist FCC advisory support to first-line teams and colleagues on AML, sanctions, counter-terrorist financing, anti-bribery and corruption, fraud, client risk, products, payments and higher-risk jurisdictions.
• Provide flexible generalist support to the Financial Intelligence Unit (“FIU”) and wider FCC team where required, including assisting with information collation, governance inputs, escalation tracking and coordination between FIU, FCC advisory and relevant business stakeholders.
• Provide generalist second-line FCC support across CAB’s international offices, helping ensure local activity remains aligned to Group standards, risk appetite, governance expectations and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Support the review and challenge of client risk assessments, enhanced due diligence, periodic reviews, correspondent banking assessments and higher-risk relationship proposals.
• Assist with the development, maintenance and implementation of FCC policies, procedures, standards, guidance notes, templates and advisory frameworks.
• Track financial crime issues, actions, risk acceptances, control enhancements and remediation activity, ensuring clear ownership, timely updates and appropriate escalation.
• Identify themes, trends, emerging risks and control gaps from advisory queries, governance outputs, international office activity, issues, incidents, assurance findings and regulatory developments.
• Support regulatory, audit and assurance activity by providing evidence, drafting responses, coordinating inputs and maintaining clear records of decisions and rationale.
• Promote consistent FCC standards by providing practical guidance, coaching and quality review support to colleagues and business stakeholders.
• Build effective relationships with first-line teams, operations, commercial stakeholders, international office colleagues and senior colleagues, balancing constructive challenge with pragmatic support.
• Support the wider FCC team in delivering governance, advisory, policy, risk assessment, remediation, MI, FIU coordination and control enhancement initiatives.
• Ensure key decisions, advice, approvals, escalations and governance outcomes are clearly documented and capable of audit, assurance or regulatory review.

Qualifications

• Relevant professional qualification, or working towards one, is desirable, such as ICA, ACAMS, sanctions, compliance, risk or equivalent financial crime certification.

Experience

• Minimum 3 to 5 years’ experience in an AML, sanctions, financial crime, compliance, governance, advisory, FIU support or related risk management role, preferably within banking or regulated financial services.
• Strong practical knowledge of UK financial crime requirements, including the Money Laundering Regulations, Proceeds of Crime Act, Terrorism Act, sanctions obligations and relevant JMLSG guidance.
• Experience preparing or supporting governance papers, management information, risk updates, committee materials, policy documents, FIU-related inputs or regulatory/audit responses.
• Experience providing financial crime advisory input on client risk, enhanced due diligence, correspondent banking, payments, products, higher-risk jurisdictions or complex client relationships.
• Experience supporting international offices, branches, subsidiaries or cross-border business activity from a second-line financial crime, compliance or risk perspective is desirable.
• Good understanding of banking products, payments, SWIFT or ISO 20022 messaging, transaction monitoring, screening controls and financial crime control frameworks.
• Experience tracking issues, actions, risk acceptances, control enhancements or remediation activity is desirable.

Skills

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex FCC matters clearly and concisely to a range of stakeholders.
• Ability to produce high-quality committee papers, governance updates, advisory notes, risk summaries and management information.
• Sound judgement and ability to make or recommend proportionate, risk-based and well-documented decisions.
• Strong analytical skills, attention to detail and ability to identify themes, risks, issues and control implications from multiple sources of information.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, coordinate inputs, track actions and deliver governance or advisory outputs to deadline.
• Confidence engaging with senior stakeholders and providing constructive challenge in a pragmatic and collaborative manner.
• Ability to operate across jurisdictions and provide generalist second-line support while recognising local regulatory, operational and cultural context.
• Proactive team-focused mindset with a focus on continuous improvement, control enhancement, knowledge sharing, practical problem-solving and supporting wider FCC priorities.
• Additional Information
• Hybrid working (3 days on-site)
• Contributory personal pension plan: - Minimum: Employee 2% and Employer 7%. Employer matches contributions in 1% increments to a maximum of: Employee 5% and Employer 10%
• Life Assurance – 4 times annual salary
• Group Income Protection
• Private Medical Insurance – this may include cover for partner and or children at company cost. Cover includes Optical, Dental and Audiology
• Discretionary Bonus
• Competitive Annual Leave
• 2 Volunteering Days
• Benefit Hub