AML/KYC Officer – Financial Crime & Compliance in London

Location: London

Working Pattern: Full-time | Hybrid

Salary: £38,000 – £45,000 per annum + benefits

Experience Level: Entry to Early Career

The Opportunity

We are seeking an analytical and detail-focused AML/KYC Officer to join a growing Financial Crime and Compliance function. This position offers an opportunity to build hands-on experience across Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Know Your Customer (KYC), customer due diligence and financial crime risk. You will work alongside experienced compliance professionals, helping ensure that customers and business relationships are appropriately assessed, documented and monitored throughout their lifecycle. The role would suit a graduate, junior compliance professional or someone with transferable experience who wants to develop a long-term career within AML, KYC, financial crime or regulatory compliance.

What You'll Be Doing

• Conducting KYC checks on new and existing customers
• Completing Customer Due Diligence (CDD) and supporting Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) reviews
• Reviewing identification, corporate and supporting documentation
• Identifying beneficial ownership and understanding company ownership structures
• Conducting sanctions, PEP and adverse-media screening
• Reviewing customer risk factors and assisting with risk classifications
• Investigating discrepancies or missing information identified during onboarding
• Supporting periodic and event-driven KYC reviews
• Reviewing customer profiles for unusual or higher-risk characteristics
• Escalating potential AML or financial crime concerns through internal procedures
• Maintaining accurate and comprehensive compliance records
• Assisting with remediation exercises and KYC file reviews
• Working with internal teams to obtain outstanding information and documentation
• Supporting internal compliance monitoring and audit preparation
• Keeping up to date with developments affecting AML, KYC and financial crime controls

As your experience develops, you may gain exposure to more complex corporate structures, higher-risk customers, transaction monitoring, financial crime investigations and enhanced due diligence cases.

What We're Looking For

We're interested in candidates who demonstrate strong judgement, curiosity and attention to detail. You may have:

• A degree in Finance, Economics, Accounting, Law, Business, Criminology or another relevant discipline
• Previous exposure to AML, KYC, compliance, banking or financial services, although this is not essential for suitable entry-level candidates
• An understanding of the purpose of AML and KYC controls
• Strong research and analytical abilities
• Excellent written communication skills
• Confidence reviewing detailed documentation
• The ability to identify inconsistencies and ask appropriate questions
• Good organisational and time-management skills
• A professional approach to confidential and sensitive information

Professional development or certification relating to AML, financial crime, compliance, KYC or UK financial regulation would also be advantageous.

What You'll Develop

This isn't intended to be a purely administrative onboarding role. You'll have the opportunity to develop practical knowledge across:

• AML & Financial Crime: Understanding financial crime risks, escalation procedures and preventative controls.
• KYC & Due Diligence: Building experience in CDD, EDD, beneficial ownership and customer risk assessment.
• Sanctions & PEP Screening: Understanding screening results, potential matches and appropriate escalation.
• Corporate Structures: Learning how to analyse companies, ownership chains and ultimate beneficial owners.
• Risk-Based Decision Making: Developing the ability to distinguish routine cases from relationships requiring further investigation.

Career Progression

The position can provide a foundation for progression into areas such as:

• AML Analyst
• Senior AML Analyst
• Financial Crime Investigator
• Financial Crime Manager or KYC Officer
• Senior KYC Officer
• Compliance Analyst
• Compliance Manager

Development will depend on individual performance, experience and available opportunities within the organisation.

Package & Benefits

The successful candidate will receive a competitive package which may include:

• £38,000 – £45,000 starting salary, depending on experience
• Performance-related annual bonus
• Hybrid working arrangements
• Employer pension contribution
• Private healthcare options
• Professional training and development support
• Support towards relevant compliance qualifications
• Paid professional development opportunities
• Enhanced annual leave
• Structured performance and salary reviews
• Internal career progression opportunities

Who This Role Could Suit

This opportunity could be particularly relevant for candidates considering careers in AML, KYC, financial crime prevention, compliance, due diligence, risk or financial intelligence. You don't need to arrive knowing everything. What matters is that you can analyse information carefully, recognise when something doesn't look right and communicate your findings clearly. If you're looking to establish yourself within financial crime and compliance and want a role where your responsibilities can develop alongside your knowledge, we'd like to hear from you.