Senior Compliance Specialist in City of London

On behalf of our client, a UK FCA regulated EMI, we’re on the hunt for a compliance professional to lead and strengthen the firm’s AML / financial crime framework. We are looking for a practical, commercially aware, and proactive compliance professional to take ownership of the financial crime and AML framework for our clients' EMI. This role may suit either an experienced MLRO or a strong Compliance, Risk, Financial Crime, or Regulatory Compliance professional who is ready to take the next step into an MLRO position. The key requirement is not simply the title previously held, but genuine hands-on experience, sound judgement, ownership, and the ability to operate effectively within a regulated financial services environment. The successful candidate will play an important role in protecting the company’s licence, reputation, and operational resilience, while ensuring compliance supports the business in a structured, risk-based, and commercially practical manner. This is a hands-on role requiring a strong understanding of AML/CTF controls, regulatory expectations, transaction monitoring, governance, documentation, and cross-functional collaboration.

Key Responsibilities

• Regulatory Oversight & Financial Crime Framework
  • Support and oversee the company’s AML/CTF and financial crime compliance framework in line with UK regulatory requirements and FCA expectations.
  • Maintain, develop, and improve AML/CTF policies, procedures, controls, and governance processes.
  • Act as a key point of contact for AML and financial crime matters internally and, where applicable, with external advisers, auditors, and regulatory stakeholders.
  • Ensure regulatory developments are monitored, understood, and translated into practical internal actions.
  • Support the business in maintaining a strong compliance culture without creating unnecessary operational blockers.
• SARs, Escalations & Investigations
  • Manage internal suspicious activity escalation processes.
  • Review, assess, and document financial crime concerns, red flags, and unusual activity.
  • Prepare and submit Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) to the National Crime Agency where required.
  • Ensure clear records are maintained for all decisions, escalations, investigations, and outcomes.
  • Work closely with relevant teams to ensure issues are handled efficiently, appropriately, and with the correct level of judgement.
• Risk Management & Controls
  • Support business-wide financial crime risk assessments, including customer, product, transaction, jurisdictional, and delivery channel risks.
  • Help define and improve the company’s risk-based approach to onboarding, monitoring, and ongoing client reviews.
  • Identify gaps in controls, processes, or documentation and drive practical improvements.
  • Support change initiatives connected to AML, onboarding, monitoring, governance, and regulatory readiness.
  • Ensure controls are not only documented in policies but are also properly understood and followed across the business.
• Transaction Monitoring & Operational Oversight
  • Oversee the effectiveness of transaction monitoring processes, alerts, thresholds, and typologies.
  • Work closely with Operations, Compliance, Risk, Product, and Technology teams to improve monitoring logic and escalation flows.
  • Review complex or high-risk cases and ensure appropriate documentation and decision-making.
  • Support improvements in systems, reporting, dashboards, and management information.
  • Ensure monitoring remains proportionate, effective, and aligned with the company’s actual risk profile.
• Business Support & Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Advise the business on client onboarding, product development, new jurisdictions, process changes, and operational risks.
  • Work closely with senior management and operational teams to ensure compliance is embedded early within business decisions.
  • Partner with Group Compliance and other group entities where relevant to ensure consistency, alignment, and shared standards.
  • Support internal governance forums and provide clear reporting on AML and financial crime risks, actions, and open items.
  • Bring a solution-oriented mindset by identifying risks, explaining them clearly, and helping the business find compliant and practical solutions.
• Training, Culture & Awareness
  • Deliver practical AML/CTF and financial crime training to relevant teams.
  • Prepare annual training plans and knowledge assessments where appropriate.
  • Ensure employees understand escalation routes, red flags, and their responsibilities.
  • Promote a culture where financial crime risks are taken seriously and addressed proactively.
  • Support managers in building responsible, compliant, and commercially aware teams.
• Governance, Documentation & Reporting
  • Maintain accurate records of AML/CTF activities, risk assessments, decisions, escalations, and reports.
  • Prepare clear management information for senior management and governance meetings.
  • Support regulatory, audit, and internal review readiness.
  • Ensure policies, procedures, and registers are kept up to date and accurately reflect how the business operates in practice.
  • Help create structure, visibility, and accountability across AML and financial crime processes.

Skills & Experience

• 10+ years of experience within Compliance, Risk, Financial Crime, AML, Regulatory Compliance, or a related function within financial services.
• Experience within an EMI, PI, fintech, payments, banking, crypto/payment-related, or other regulated financial services environment is highly preferred.
• Previous MLRO experience is advantageous but not essential.
• Strong practical understanding of AML/CTF controls, customer due diligence (CDD), enhanced due diligence (EDD), transaction monitoring, suspicious activity escalation, and regulatory governance.
• Familiarity with UK FCA expectations and UK financial crime requirements is strongly preferred.
• Ability to assess risk in a practical and commercially sensible way, not purely theoretically.
• Strong documentation, investigation, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to work effectively with senior management, operational teams, compliance functions, and external stakeholders.
• Comfortable improving processes, driving change, and creating structure within a growing regulated business.
• High levels of ownership, integrity, judgement, and accountability.

Profile We Are Looking For

We are looking for someone who is ready to grow into a highly responsible role. This person does not necessarily need to have previously held the MLRO title, but they must possess sufficient practical compliance, risk, or financial crime experience to understand what effective controls look like, how regulated businesses operate, and how to make compliance work effectively in practice. The ideal candidate will be hands-on, structured, calm under pressure, commercially aware, and confident enough to challenge when necessary. They should be capable of working with the business, not against it, while continuing to protect the company, its licence, and its reputation.

Please apply directly via LinkedIn, or if you prefer to have a confidential discussion please email emma@huntstart.com