Head of Financial Crime Advisory (Deputy MLRO)

Location: Edinburgh/London

Full-time In office 4 days/week

Do you have a strong background in financial crime threat prevention and advisory with experience of operating as a Deputy MLRO? Can you operate in a fast-paced environment – supporting the business to grow in a safe and sustainable way? Have you the ambition to hit the ground running in this role, with the opportunity to move into the full MLRO position as well as Head of Risk & Compliance for our UK business? If so, we would love to hear from you!

Who We Are

Our vision is a world where all businesses are powered by embedded payments. Modulr enables businesses, from SMEs to Enterprise, to grow their revenue, drive efficiencies and deliver fantastic customer experiences, by embedding payments into their products and operating systems. We do this by providing products and services which allow our clients to efficiently collect, reconcile and disburse funds instantly via a range of payment schemes, accounts, and card products, fully controllable via API.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain a strong understanding of the external environment to identify best practice and changes in regulatory focus, ensuring our systems and controls remain proportionate and effective.
• Actively engage and participate across the industry to ensure Modulr is a trusted partner with key stakeholders (including regulators and law enforcement).
• Work with colleagues in Operations, Technology & product to ensure they are executing to the required standards in terms of quality and outcomes and provide insight and advice on opportunities to enhance and improve process, systems and controls.
• Ensure Policies remain up to date, clear and have appropriate assurance to ensure there is a strong compliance position, and where not, there is appropriate risk acceptance and mitigation plans.
• Design targeted and general training and awareness to colleagues across the business to ensure a strong culture is in place to tackle financial crime risks and that more specific targeted training and accreditation strategies are in place to evidence competence in core operational teams.
• Own, enhance and monitor a suite of KPIs and KRIs to identify areas of strength and areas that require improvement – which align with our BWRA.
• Contribute to key framework items including the annual MLRO report, AML risk assessments and align with colleagues in product to support the relevant product risk assessments and Go To Market strategies.

Who You Are

What you’ll need:

• Strong experience in financial crime compliance with exposure to AML, CTF, fraud, and sanctions – ideally having worked as a Deputy MLRO before.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver assurance and advisory services in a regulated environment.
• Interest and aptitude for broader risk frameworks beyond financial crime.
• Skilled in stakeholder engagement and influencing at senior levels.
• Analytical mindset with experience in risk metrics and reporting.
• Collaborative and proactive approach to problem-solving.
• A curious mindset and drive to explore how AI can make a real difference.

Nice to haves:

• Operated in the Payments or E-money sector previously with an understanding of key areas of regulatory focus.
• Experience of working in a Risk & Compliance role outside of Financial Crime.

What We Offer You

• Share Options – We offer a Company Share Option Plan (CSOP), giving you the opportunity to benefit from any increase in share value in the event of a sale, merger, or flotation.
• Bonus – Our annual discretionary bonus, paid in May for the previous year, is based on both company and individual performance.
• Flexible benefits – £1000 to spend on benefits to suit you, including private medical insurance, gym membership, dental etc.
• Wellbeing app – confidential, on-demand access to therapy, coaching, counselling, management training or mindfulness sessions with accredited professionals, with company-funded hours and top-up options available.
• Holidays - 33 days annual leave (including bank holidays) plus your birthday off. In the UK, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day are fixed holidays. You can choose the remaining days to suit your personal schedule.
• Learning opportunities - Our two-day onboarding program, ModStart, helps equip you for success. Learning doesn’t stop there; we’ll continue to support your development through various channels.
• Company-Wide Events - Participate in collaborative and engaging events with colleagues across the business.
• Bike to work / E-bike scheme.

ModInclusion

At Modulr, we’re committed to building a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture where everyone feels they belong and can bring their whole self to work. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds as we believe it’s the right thing for our people, our business, and the community we operate in.