Nominated Officer Consultant in Cheltenham

Are you passionate about protecting our members and the Society from the threat of Economic Crime? Do you have a curious mindset, strong investigative skills, and experience making risk-based decisions within a Financial Crime operational environment? We have a unique opportunity within the Nominated Officer Function (NOF) for a talented individual to play a critical role in supporting the Group Nominated Officer to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) and Terrorism Act (TACT).

This role sits within a business function with a critical control agenda and broad impact across Nationwide. It offers the opportunity to work with a wide variety of stakeholders, influence operational standards, and provide assurance over one of the Society's most important financial crime controls. Fundamentally, you will support first line business teams in identifying and responding to money laundering and terrorist financing risks, helping to protect our members, colleagues and the wider UK financial system.

By joining the team, you'll have the opportunity to make a real difference, ensuring suspicious activity is identified, investigated and reported appropriately, while contributing to the continuous improvement of Financial Crime controls and colleague capability across the Society.

We are happy to consider flexible working approaches to help you perform at your best. At Nationwide we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.

For this job you'll spend at least two days per week, or if part time you'll spend 40% of your working time, based at either our Swindon or Northampton office. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works.

The extras you’ll get include:

• 25 days holiday, pro rata
• Private medical insurance
• A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement
• Access to an annual performance-related bonus
• Training and development to help you progress your career
• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme
• Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death
• Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness
• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year

As a mutual, we’re owned by our members - those customers who bank, save or have a mortgage with us. We challenge the financial sector status quo. We don’t see customers as the engine of our own profit. We share our profits with them and put their needs first. Always there when they need us. Supporting them and their lives.

If you’re inspired by fairer finances, passionate about making a meaningful impact, and truly care about our customers, you’re one of us. At Nationwide, you are challenged to grow and rewarded for doing so. Valued. Recognised. Inspired to be your best.

What you’ll be doing:

• You'll work closely with the Senior Manager, Deputy Nominated Officers and fellow Consultants within the Nominated Officer Function to provide assurance over suspicious activity reporting decisions across Economic Crime Operations.
• Using your Financial Crime experience, you'll assess whether appropriate decisions have been made, identify control weaknesses, and ensure outcomes are supported by clear and robust rationale.
• A key part of the role will involve undertaking quality assurance reviews of investigations and suspicious activity reporting decisions, identifying themes, trends and opportunities to improve investigation quality and reporting standards across the Society.
• Drawing experience, you'll provide constructive feedback to operational teams and support continuous improvement activity.
• You'll produce management information and quality monitoring reports for Economic Crime Operations leadership, the MLRO, Group Nominated Officer and other stakeholders.
• This will include identifying emerging risks, highlighting areas requiring remediation, and providing insights that strengthen controls and colleague capability.
• You'll also act as a subject matter expert for suspicious activity reporting requirements, supporting stakeholders with queries relating to POCA, TACT, internal escalation processes and suspicious activity reporting obligations.
• This requires building effective relationships across a range of business areas, providing challenge where required and delivering practical guidance grounded in operational experience.
• In addition, you'll support the review and approval of training content, procedures, guidance documents and process changes relating to suspicious activity reporting.

This is an excellent opportunity for an operational Financial Crime professional looking to broaden their experience, influence standards across the Society, and play a key role in ensuring Nationwide continues to meet its legal and regulatory obligations while protecting members and the organisation from Economic Crime.

About you:

• A strong understanding of Financial Crime legislation and regulatory requirements, particularly POCA and TACT.
• Direct recent experience investigating, reviewing or making decisions on Financial Crime cases.
• Experience identifying, evidencing and articulating suspicion, including documenting clear rationales and making risk-based decisions in line with policies and regulatory requirements.
• A keen interest in Financial Crime and a strong understanding of the Suspicious Activity Reporting regime.
• Either hold, or be willing to work towards, a recognised external Financial Crime qualification.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• The ability to manage competing priorities and work effectively within a deadline-driven environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience producing, interpreting and presenting management information, trends and insights.
• Knowledge of Nationwide systems including FCRM, SAMM or similar Financial Crime case management systems.

Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together. They are the set of behaviours that every colleague needs to display, in every role:

• Feel what customers feel
• Say it straight
• Push for better
• Get it done

You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.