Head of compliance and MLRO in Manchester

FINASDDEE Payment Services Ltd is a UK-based payment institution focused on online, cross-border money remittances. We are seeking a permanent Head of Compliance & Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) to lead the firm’s regulatory, AML/CTF, and financial crime framework as we prepare to apply for registration as a Small Payment Institution (SPI) with the FCA and to register with HMRC as a Money Services Business (MSB). This is a senior, permanent appointment with full responsibility for designing, owning, and operating the firm’s compliance framework in an online remittance environment from FCA and HMRC registration through to live operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Pre-Approval & Registration Readiness: Take ownership of the firm’s pre-registration compliance programme ahead of submission of the FCA SPI application. Conduct a comprehensive review of all policies and procedures, with particular focus on AML/CTF, financial crime, complaints handling, and incident reporting. Upgrade, rewrite, and tailor policies to ensure they are fully aligned with the firm’s online-only remittance model, geographic corridors (particularly UK–Sub-Saharan Africa), and operational processes and flow of funds. Ensure all compliance documentation is firm-specific, internally consistent, and regulator-ready before submission. Work closely with senior management to ensure that the application narrative, business plan, and compliance framework are fully aligned. Lead preparation for and successfully navigate regulatory interviews.
• Regulatory Leadership: Act as the firm’s Head of Compliance and MLRO on a permanent basis. Own and manage the firm’s regulatory relationship with the FCA and HMRC, including all regulatory correspondence and engagement. Advise the Board and senior management on regulatory obligations, risk appetite, and compliance strategy. Ensure the firm is fully operationally ready to meet regulatory requirements from day one of authorisation. Design, implement, and maintain a bespoke AML/CTF framework tailored to an online, cross-border remittance business. Own and maintain the Firm-Wide Financial Crime Risk Assessment, with specific focus on corridor risk (particularly UK–Sub-Saharan Africa), customer risk, product and transaction risk. Oversee CDD, EDD, sanctions screening, transaction monitoring, and SAR decision-making. Act as the primary decision-maker for suspicious activity reporting and escalation. Ensure strong governance and controls around any exceptional or alternative verification processes.
• Operational Compliance: Embed compliance into digital customer journeys, onboarding processes, and transaction flows. Define and monitor compliance with MI, KRIs, and escalation triggers. Own complaints handling procedures, regulatory reporting, and major incident reporting. Lead compliance training and awareness across the organisation.
• Build, Embed, and Scale: Lead the firm through regulatory authorisation and into steady-state operations. Work closely with product, technology, and operations teams to ensure compliance-by-design. Prepare the firm for ongoing FCA and HMRC supervision, audits, and potential HMRC visits.

Essential Experience & Skills

• Regulatory & Sector Experience: Significant experience in online or digital money remittance, ideally within an FCA-regulated payments environment. Demonstrable experience with cross-border remittance corridors, particularly UK – Sub-Saharan Africa (core), and USA, Canada, or Europe to Sub-Saharan Africa (future). Proven experience acting as MLRO or senior compliance lead for a payments or remittance business. Strong working knowledge of Payment Services Regulations 2017, Money Laundering Regulations 2017, and FCA expectations for SPIs and payment institutions. Experience engaging directly with regulators (FCA and/or HMRC). Proven experience in conducting and maintaining Firm-Wide Risk Assessments. Experience in submitting Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) to the National Crime Agency (NCA) and managing NCA engagement.
• Practical, Hands-On Capability: Demonstrated ability to design and operate practical, firm-specific AML and compliance controls for online remittance models, including end-to-end digital customer journeys, flow of funds across remittance corridors, transaction monitoring logic and typologies relevant to Sub-Saharan Africa corridors, complaints handling, and major incident reporting. Able to clearly articulate why controls exist and how they mitigate corridor-specific risks.
• Personal Attributes: Confident, credible communicator with regulators and senior stakeholders. Detail-oriented, pragmatic, and commercially aware. Willing to challenge the business where necessary. Comfortable taking accountability for regulatory outcomes.
• Professional Certifications: Essential: Holding a relevant professional qualification such as CAMS or ICA Diploma in AML.

Role Requirements (Important)

• This is a permanent, office-based role in Manchester, UK. The successful candidate is expected to be fully in post before the firm applies for registration with the FCA and HMRC. The role requires a meaningful, ongoing time commitment and is subject to FCA and HMRC Approval. Willingness to be interviewed by regulators as part of the FCA and HMRC Registration processes; Right to work in the UK. Experience with online-only or digital-first remittance platforms. Deep familiarity with financial crime risks in Sub-Saharan Africa corridors. Experience supporting firms through initial FCA authorisation or re-application. Familiarity with transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, or ID&V platforms used in remittance businesses.

Base salary: up to £75,000 per annum, depending on experience; Annual discretionary performance bonus: 10% of annual basic salary, linked to delivery of regulatory and compliance objectives; Place of Work: The firm’s head office in Manchester, England. Hours of Work: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday; Holiday Entitlement: 25 days + bank holidays in a complete holiday year; Sick Leave: 20 days of paid sick leave; Statutory Pension: 3% of annual salary; Private healthcare: medical cover in line with the firm’s existing benefits package; Paid Annual CPDs and other specialised training.

Application Note: Candidates should be comfortable discussing their experience with regulators and explaining how they have implemented AML/CTF controls in online cross-border remittance environments, particularly those involving Sub-Saharan Africa corridors.