At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the strategy to detect and prevent financial crime using data-driven insights.
- Company: Join Morse, a cutting-edge fintech backed by top VCs, revolutionising money transfers globally.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic work environment in either London or Amsterdam with excellent career advancement potential.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in the fight against financial crime while working with innovative technology.
- Qualifications: Strong analytical skills, experience in financial crime, and ability to collaborate across teams.
The predicted salary is between 75600 - 92400 £ per year.
Our mission is to make sending and receiving money effortless, borderless, and instantaneous. Morse lets you pay anyone, anywhere, by name alone – no more worrying about IBANs, account numbers, or sort codes. Leveraging blockchain technology to settle transfers, we are currently available in over 150 countries.
About the Role
As Financial Crime Strategy and Product Lead, you'll own the roadmap for how we detect and prevent financial crime — fraud, money laundering, and sanctions risk — across our markets. You'll set the strategy and standard for our fraud investigations, work with product/engineering to build tooling, and work closely with compliance to ensure that we’re managing activity across our platform. This is a role for a data-driven operator who can move fluently between deep-dive analysis into emerging threats and the strategic, cross-functional work of turning those insights into a scalable detection system.
Location: We are open to hiring for this role in either London or Amsterdam.
What you will do:
- Own the financial crime roadmap. Set and drive the strategy for how we detect and prevent fraud, money laundering, and sanctions risk — translating regulatory obligations and emerging threats into a prioritised, buildable plan.
- Manage controls with data, not instinct. Take ownership of our financial crime rulesets and controls, using data to decide what to ship, tune, or retire. Measure control performance (detection rates, false positives, precision) and continuously improve the balance between risk coverage and customer experience.
- Build the detection platform. Define the requirements for our fraud and AML detection systems and work hand-in-hand with engineering to build tooling that catches financial crime effectively and efficiently, without creating unnecessary friction for legitimate users.
- Run deep-dive investigations. Lead detailed analysis into suspected fraud and financial crime — identifying typologies, quantifying exposure, and turning what you find into new detection logic and controls.
- Turn threats into countermeasures. Stay ahead of evolving fraud and money laundering typologies across our markets, and design the rules, models, and workflows to counter them before they scale.
- Work across the company. Partner closely with product, engineering, data, operations, and compliance to make sure financial crime controls are built into the product — and communicate risk, trade-offs, and priorities clearly to both technical and senior audiences.
- Measure and report on what matters. Define the metrics that show whether our financial crime programme is working, and build the reporting that gives the business and leadership a clear view of risk and performance.
Who you are:
- A strong data and analytics background. You're a genuinely data-driven decision-maker — comfortable getting into the numbers yourself (SQL or similar), interrogating data to find patterns, and using evidence rather than instinct to decide what to build, tune, or retire.
- Deep investigative instinct. You can lead detailed analysis into suspected fraud and financial crime, quantify exposure, and translate what you find into concrete detection logic. You have a strong working knowledge of financial crime and fraud typologies and evolving threat patterns.
- Hands-on financial crime experience. You've managed a fraud or financial crime ruleset before, and you understand what it takes to move from individual rules to a proper detection platform. You know the difference between catching crime and creating noise.
- Financial crime product exposure. You've built or shaped financial crime and fraud capabilities — whether as a product manager for a fraud/fincrime product, or by collaborating closely with a product team to deliver detection tooling and controls. Ideally, you will have worked in payments, fintech, or crypto and are familiar with financial crime risks in these sectors.
- Strategic and project ownership. You can think strategically and own delivery — setting a roadmap, prioritising ruthlessly, and driving work through to completion across multiple teams.
- Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration. You can work effectively across product, engineering, data, operations, and compliance, and communicate risk and trade-offs clearly to both technical teams and senior stakeholders.
- Familiarity with regulatory environments. Specifically for the US, EU, and/or UK.
Nice to haves:
- Familiarity with transaction monitoring and financial crime tooling such as Sardine, Orca, Chainalysis, or similar.
- Experience in the LATAM payments market, or broader global/emerging-markets exposure.
- Understanding of AML and sanctions obligations and how they translate into operational controls.
Financial Crime Strategy Lead - Amsterdam / London employer: Morse
Morse is an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture, where your contributions directly impact the fight against financial crime. Located in a vibrant market, we offer competitive benefits, continuous professional development opportunities, and a commitment to employee growth, ensuring you thrive in your role as a FinCrime Strategy & Detection Lead. Join us to be part of a mission-driven team dedicated to creating safer financial environments.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Financial Crime Strategy Lead - Amsterdam / London
✨Tap into Campus Networks
If you're still in uni, don’t forget to engage with your campus's career services and attend finance-related events. Banks often do presentations and recruitment drives on campus, so put yourself out there and make use of these opportunities to show off your passion for the field.
✨Get Certified
Consider pursuing relevant certifications like the CFA or ACCA while you’re job hunting. They not only beef up your CV but also connect you with professional bodies which can lead to networking opportunities and even job openings in banking and financial services.
✨Connect on Professional Platforms
Join finance-focused groups on platforms like LinkedIn and engage in discussions. This can really help you stand out from the crowd, allowing potential employers to see your knowledge and interest in industry trends. Plus, you might stumble upon job postings shared exclusively within the group.
✨Apply Directly and Be Proactive
Don’t shy away from reaching out directly to firms like Morse. Use their websites and apply through them, but also consider following up with a polite email to express your enthusiasm. Being proactive can make a huge difference in getting noticed in the competitive financial services sector.
We think you need these skills to ace Financial Crime Strategy Lead - Amsterdam / London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Numbers!:In the banking and financial services world, quantifiable achievements are key. Make sure your CV highlights your grades in relevant subjects, any financial certifications you hold, and specific projects where you've delivered measurable results. Employers love to see how your skills translate into real-world success.
Tailor Your Cover Letter to the Role:When applying for a full-time position, your cover letter should make a direct connection between your experience and the job description. Don't just state your enthusiasm for finance—dive into how your background in banking or financial analysis sets you apart. Let your passion shine through while being specific about what you can bring to Morse.
Include Relevant Financial Software Experience:If you've worked with financial modelling tools or software like Excel, SAP, or specific analytical tools during your studies or internships, bring that up! Highlighting your proficiency can really make your application pop and show you're ready to hit the ground running in a full-time role.
Research and Reflect:Before hitting that 'apply' button on Morse's website, do a little digging. Look up their recent projects, values, and culture. Reflecting their ethos in your application can make a huge difference and show you’re genuinely interested in being part of the team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Morse
✨Brush Up on Financial Analysis Skills
Make sure you're well-versed in financial concepts and analytical techniques relevant to banking and financial services. Get comfortable with tools like Excel for modelling or financial forecasting, as technical questions in this area are common during interviews with Morse.
✨Prepare for Case Studies
Expect to tackle case studies that demonstrate your problem-solving skills in real-world banking scenarios. Familiarise yourself with the types of problems you might face—think risk assessments or investment evaluations—and be ready to articulate your thought process clearly.
✨Show Your Passion for Finance
Since this is a full-time position, employers at Morse will be keen to see your genuine interest in finance. Be prepared to discuss recent industry trends or news articles that excite you, showcasing your enthusiasm and engagement with the field.
✨Network with Industry Professionals
Before your interview, reach out to current or former Morse employees on platforms like LinkedIn. They'll offer unique insights into the company's culture and the interview process, which can give us a delightful edge in showcasing a good fit for the team.
