Group Head of Sanctions & AML in Slough

Howden is a collective – a group of talented and passionate people all around the world. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mind-set, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 24,000 employees spanning over 100 countries.

Our people are our biggest asset as well as our largest shareholder group and are everything that makes us unique; our inclusive culture, the quality service we offer our clients, and our continued growth, all come from our people-first approach. There’s no such thing as individual success. We all need to play our part, contributing our skills and experience to make a true difference.

The Group Head of AML & Sanctions is responsible for the strategic leadership and oversight of the AML and sanctions frameworks and controls across the Howden Group. The role holder will be responsible for ensuring the Group’s sanctions and AML frameworks are fit for purpose, meeting all legal requirements and following best practices; ensuring that the frameworks and associated controls are implemented consistently across the Group through direct liaison and support for divisions globally. This is a senior role, suited to someone with a strong subject matter expertise of AML and sanctions controls in financial services, ideally within an insurance intermediary business model, a thorough understanding of relevant AML and sanctions legislation and experience of working to the standards required of a UK and US public listed entity.

What will you be doing?

• Enhance and implement a robust but proportionate Group sanctions and AML framework.
• Support divisions and entities with the local roll out of sanctions and AML standards.
• Continue to oversee the sanctions and AML frameworks to ensure they remain fit for purpose in line with all relevant legislation, guidance and industry best practice and standards.
• Oversee and support businesses to enhance their sanctions and AML control environments in line with the standards required of a UK and/or US public listed entity.

People Management/Personal Development:

• Support the Group Head of Financial Crime to foster a culture of employee engagement and role modelling, encouraging and rewarding essential behaviours and maintaining a high level of personal and professional confidence.
• Support with the development of the Group Financial Crime Team to ensure the required standards of performance are met across the team, and that the professional and personal development of team members reporting into the Group Financial Crime Senior Manager/Director increases their capability and effectiveness.
• Ensure there are effective succession plans in place and actively develops team members to provide future successors.
• Actively undertakes personal development to ensure up to date knowledge and understanding of best practice.

Governance, Monitoring & Reporting:

• Represent sanctions and money laundering risks effectively at appropriate Governance Committees, including applicable reporting requirements.
• Oversee the ongoing enhancement and implementation of Global Sanctions and AML/Counter-Terrorist Financing Minimum Standards and communicate changes, and potential impacts, effectively.
• Provide oversight, guidance and support to divisions in respect of sanctions and AML issues and controls.
• Act as the main escalation point for divisional financial crime officers for any sanctions and AML matters.
• Perform horizon scanning for any sanctions and AML related matters.

Key Regulatory Responsibilities:

• Work with the divisions to implement sanctions and AML risk assessments and collate the outputs into a Group focused report.
• Play a leading role in any sanctions or AML related projects for the Group.
• When required liaise with regulators concerning sanctions and AML matters.
• Support the divisions with investigating any live issues related to sanctions, money laundering and/or counter-terrorist financing.

Technical Knowledge:

• Deep understanding of relevant legislation including UK, US, EU and UN sanctions laws, the UK Money Laundering Regulations and the UK Proceeds of Crime Act.
• An understanding of other relevant legislation, such as the US Bank Secrecy Act, would be an advantage.
• Understanding of best practices within insurance for sanctions and AML processes and controls.

What are we looking for?

• Experience of leading an AML framework for a large, multinational organisation.
• Minimum 12 years experience in financial crime roles, with a focus on 2nd line advisory.
• Direct experience of leading a sanctions framework for a large, multinational organisation.
• Experience in performing enterprise-wide financial crime risk assessments.
• Deep understanding of insurance business models (retail/wholesale/reinsurance etc.).
• Ideally has experience of sanctions and AML controls in a UK and/or US listed environment.
• Able to think strategically and show leadership as a senior member of the Group Financial Crime Team.
• Cross-cultural leadership and collaboration skills.
• Strong ethical compass and ability to drive ‘tone from the top’.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Actively listens to the views of colleagues/business leaders/key stakeholders and building effective relationships but also has the strength of character to challenge where required to ensure operational excellence.
• Ability to diagnose problems quickly and have foresight into potential issues.
• A team player, able to contribute significantly to the successful functioning of the Group Financial Crime Team.
• High level of emotional intelligence.
• High degree of resilience and tenacity.

What do we offer in return?

A career that you define. Our business succeeds by allowing our people to make a mark in the areas they care about most: personal development, volunteering, and fundraising for charity, or creating new insurance products that address society’s greatest challenges. And we know that separate home and work lives don’t really exist. If you’re happy and healthy at home, you’re more likely to be happy and fulfilled at work – and vice versa. That’s why we do our best to support our people in every aspect of their lives.

Diversity and Inclusion

At Howden we value diversity - there is no one Howden ‘personality type’. Instead, we’re looking for individuals who share the same values as us: Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new. We support each other, in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges. We are determined to make a positive difference, at work and beyond. We consider our people our chief competitive advantage and as such we treat colleagues, candidates, clients, and business partners with equality, fairness, and respect – regardless of age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or family circumstances.

Our sustainability promise

We’re on a life-long journey to become an ever-more sustainable group. It’s a commitment to taking care of our people and the world we live in, to doing good business, and to making a positive impact wherever we can. Our governance processes, company policies, and review systems are all geared towards our goal of making a positive impact in the world.