Financial Crime Business Performance Manager in Newcastle upon Tyne

Reporting to the Head of Financial Crime Unit (FCU), this role is central to driving performance, embedding regulatory compliance, and enhancing client confidence through expert leadership and insight. Leading a team of highly skilled financial crime professionals focused on delivering excellence across financial crime risk management, regulatory change, client engagement, and analytical capability.

Responsibilities

• You will lead a team that will use internal data and external insight to uncover emerging threats and drive continuous improvement, identify enhancement opportunities and share this insight with key stakeholders to feed into product roadmaps and into prioritization decisions.
• You will create and develop strong relationships with clients and provide updates on the progression of financial crime control enhancements and ongoing performance of the department.
• Championing industry collaboration, building and maintaining strong networks and relationships to keep at the forefront of fraud and financial crime prevention and detection activities whilst supporting the Head of FCU in their desire to develop, maintain and review controls that enable the organisation to identify, assess, monitor and manage financial crime risks which are proportionate to the nature, scale and complexity of its activities.
• You will be expected to embed clear Financial Crime Policies and Standards that are updated on an annual basis, supporting the production of governance and committee packs.
• Providing direction and support to Financial Crime Analytics colleagues in the production of new internal financial crime management information packs and controls, whilst also supporting FCU colleagues with the oversight of regulatory report production.
• The role will also include management of third‑party supplier relationships and contracts, with the support of direct reporting.

Qualifications

• Experienced of working within a Financial Crime environment and processing financial crime alerts, along with dealing with complex investigations, you will have experience of supporting Senior Financial Crime colleagues and working collaboratively with a focus on good customer outcomes.
• You are expected to have extensive experience in fraud and financial crime prevention and investigation, preferably within the insurance industry.
• It is important to have proven and demonstrable success in developing financial crime compliance frameworks with an in‑depth knowledge of relevant regulations and industry standards.
• To be successful in the role, you should bring a sound knowledge of the Anti‑Money Laundering regulations and Joint Money Laundering Steering Committee Guidance with knowledge of products and services available within the Financial Services Industry.
• Knowledge of the application of customer due diligence and customer risk assessments in practice AML and/or CDD Qualification equivalent to ICA Advanced Certificate or similar.

About Us

The Newcastle Building Society Group comprises Newcastle Building Society, Manchester Building Society, Newcastle Financial Advisers and Newcastle Strategic Solutions. Our purpose, connecting our communities with a better financial future, inspires and directs our activities. The Group provides traditional financial services, helping people own their own home, plan and manage their finances and operate a 32‑branch network across the North‑East, North‑West, Cumbria and Yorkshire. Our Strategic Solutions subsidiary owns the UK’s leading savings management platform and provides managed technology services to new challenger banks and other established providers.

As an inclusive employer and member‑owned mutual, we aim to reflect the diverse communities we serve and encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds. We believe everyone should feel valued, respected, and celebrated for who they are, we want colleagues to feel this is a place they belong – a place to be you.

Benefits

• Financial Corporate bonus scheme (on target 10%, up to a maximum 15%)
• Pension scheme (up to 9% employer contribution)
• Annual performance related pay scheme
• Electric car salary sacrifice scheme
• Life assurance (4× salary) and income protection
• Access to our financial advisers
• Access to a range of high‑street and online services
• Life Balance initiatives
• A 35‑hour weekly contract – flexible working and welcome discussions
• 30 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays
• Option to buy/sell up to 5 days’ holiday
• Hybrid working (typically 3 days home‑based)
• Above statutory family leave entitlement – 3 months full pay, 3 months half pay regardless of gender or route to parenthood
• Health and wellbeing support
• Private medical insurance
• Access to a health cash plan through Medicash scheme
• Access to an employee assistance programme
• Free onsite gym at our Cobalt head office and access to discounted gyms
• Two paid volunteering days each year
• Cycle to work scheme

Recognising there’s no one‑size‑fits‑all approach to recruitment, we’re committed to ensuring every candidate has the opportunity to showcase their full potential throughout the recruitment process. We strive to make our processes as accessible as possible; if there are any ways in which we can provide support or make adjustments, we would love to discuss this with you. You can contact your Recruiter for this vacancy at kate.wilkinson@newcastle.co.uk.