Financial Crime Specialist (Transaction Monitoring & Mule) in Manchester

Requirements

• Experience in a financial crime, ideally in a transaction monitoring role within the banking or financial services industry (preferred).
• Ideally, experience leveraging AI tools to support financial crime investigations and produce high-quality investigative summaries, while maintaining strong analytical judgement and regulatory awareness.
• Demonstrated ability to critically assess AI-generated case summaries, applying professional judgement to support sound case decisions while ensuring full regulatory and policy compliance.
• Strong knowledge of UK financial crime regulations, including the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), the Money Laundering Regulations (MLR), and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) guidelines.
• Familiarity with transaction monitoring systems.
• Strong analytical and investigative skills with a keen attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to produce clear, concise reports and communicate with stakeholders.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong understanding of banking products and services, including payments, savings, and investment transactions.
• (Desirable) ACAMS (Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists) certification or equivalent ICA qualification.
• (Desirable) A proactive approach to problem-solving and continuous learning.
• (Desirable) Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple high-priority tasks simultaneously.

What the job involves

• This is a hybrid role – the team works in the office 3 days a week.
• Your working week will consist of 7.5 hour shifts between 8 am and 8 pm, Monday to Friday, and you will be required to work one day of the weekend every other week, remotely. If you work a day at the weekend, you will receive a day off during the week.
• The role also requires several bank holidays to be worked a year, with any bank holidays worked given back as time in lieu.
• Transaction Monitoring: Review and analyse customer transactions to identify potentially suspicious activity, including money laundering, fraud, terrorist financing and other typologies.
• Investigate flagged transactions across the Zopa suite of products using transaction monitoring systems and assess their potential risk.
• Investigating Mule alerts that are raised through transaction monitoring.
• Escalate suspicious activity for further investigation, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory obligations.
• Use AI-enabled monitoring tools as part of day-to-day transaction monitoring activity. Review and assess AI-generated alerts and recommendations, applying analyst judgement to support accurate decision-making.
• Use insights from AI outputs to support investigations, identify potential risks or patterns, and escalate findings in line with agreed procedures.
• Share observations to support the ongoing improvement of monitoring tools and controls.

Reporting & Documentation: Prepare detailed investigation reports outlining findings, actions taken, and recommendations. Maintain accurate records of monitored transactions and investigations to support audit requirements and regulatory reviews.

Communication: The successful candidate will be required to handle both inbound and outbound phone-based & chat-based interactions with customers as part of their daily responsibilities. This includes engaging with customers, addressing inquiries, and providing support or assistance to customers contacting regarding suspended accounts. Strong communication skills and the ability to manage phone calls effectively are essential for this role.