Senior AML/CFT Investigator

Please note this position is fully office based in Milton Keynes. At Viva.com, you’ll join a business at the forefront of payments innovation while helping protect the integrity of a fast-growing, regulated financial ecosystem. As an AML/CFT Senior Investigator, you’ll have the opportunity to make a real impact — combining sharp investigative expertise with cutting‑edge AI‑assisted tools to uncover risk, strengthen controls, and support safer payment journeys for businesses across Europe. If you’re looking for a role where your experience is valued, your curiosity is encouraged, and your work directly shapes the future of financial crime prevention, this is a fantastic opportunity to grow with a collaborative, forward‑thinking team.

Viva.com is Europe’s first acquirer powering merchant payments acceptance across 24 countries and over 1,215 devices. In the UK, Viva.com operates as an E‑Money Institution authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), offering an omnichannel payments platform that empowers businesses of all sizes to accept and manage payments — in‑store, online, or on the go. Viva.com leads in Tap on Any Device technology, offers a high‑conversion Smart Checkout for online payments, and provides a robust marketplace solution, enabling flexible, scalable, and future‑proof payment journeys tailored to every business model. All technology is built in‑house on Microsoft Azure, ensuring speed, security, and innovation at scale. Through its direct connections to local payment schemes and alternative payment methods, Viva.com supports 40+ payment options. Key features include Real‑Time Settlement, Offline Payments, acceptance fees as low as 0% with the use of Viva.com’s business debit card, and Merchant Advance. With a growing ecosystem of 450+ tech partner‑innovators, Viva.com is leading the shift to All‑in‑One business solutions, empowering merchants to adopt cutting‑edge technology seamlessly and scale their business with ease.

The Role: Viva.com is strengthening its Anti‑Financial Crime Unit and is looking for an AML/CFT Senior Investigator to support ongoing efforts to enhance our control environment. The role combines traditional investigative work with the use of AI‑assisted analytical tools and is fully on‑site to enable close collaboration with AFC, Data and Technology teams.

• High‑quality AML/CFT investigations across transaction monitoring alerts, sanctions/PEP hits, high‑risk customer activity and complex behavioural patterns.
• Perform deep‑dive analysis and draw defensible, well‑supported conclusions aligned with regulatory expectations and internal policies.
• Provide second level (L2) review and quality assurance on investigations conducted by junior analysts.
• Draft clear, accurate and well‑structured investigation narratives and SAR reports, utilising AI‑supported drafting tools where appropriate.
• Use AI‑powered tools — including large language models (LLMs), anomaly detection engines, clustering tools and graph analytics — to enhance investigative workflows and identify hidden patterns or risk indicators.
• Support internal training, provide guidance to analysts and foster a high‑quality, learning‑oriented investigative culture.
• Contribute structured insights to refine detection rules, risk scoring models and automated triage processes.
• Collaborate with Data and Technology teams to improve alert relevance, reduce false positives and uplift overall detection quality.
• Work closely with AFC, Product, Data Engineering and Technology teams through daily on‑site collaboration to strengthen investigative quality and knowledge‑sharing.

Qualifications:

• Minimum 4 years of experience in AML/CFT investigations, transaction monitoring, or other AFC roles within fintech, payments, banking, or other regulated financial services.
• Strong working knowledge of UK Money Laundering Regulations 2017 (as amended), FCA Handbook expectations (e.g., SYSC, Financial Crime Guide), and relevant JMLSG guidance.
• Willingness to work with AI‑assisted investigation tools; prior exposure is a plus but not required.
• Strong analytical and critical‑thinking skills, with the ability to interpret complex information and identify meaningful patterns.
• Excellent written communication skills and ability to draft clear, structured investigation narratives.
• Collaborative and curious mindset, comfortable working in a cross‑functional environment.
• Readiness to work full‑time on‑site and contribute actively to a high‑quality, learning‑oriented investigative culture.
• Additional experience with graph analytics, QA/QC, CAMS/ICA certifications or basic SQL/Python knowledge is considered beneficial.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary
• Private medical health insurance
• Pension
• 25 days holiday
• Office gym (Milton Keynes office only)
• We work in an open, transparent working environment that actively promotes ingenuity and teamwork
• You will be fully trained and continuously supported
• Working in an international fin‑tech company with a large cultural diversity
• A fast paced and high energy environment
• Work with the latest in payments acquiring technology
• Opportunity to grow progressively in your domain