financial crime analyst jobs

Financial Crime Assurance Project Manager

Contract / Fixed-Term (9 Months) | Flexible Home Working | UK Financial Services

Location: UK – Home-based, with occasional travel to Kettering
Engagement: Fixed-Term Contract
Duration: Approximately 9 months

About the Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Financial Crime Assurance Project Manager to lead a strategic review and enhancement of the Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Counter-Terrorist Financing (CTF) and Fraud Risk Management frameworks across two UK financial services businesses.

Working closely with the Head of UK Regulatory Compliance and senior management, you will take ownership of a comprehensive Financial Crime Controls Review, assessing the design and operational effectiveness of existing controls, identifying weaknesses and leading agreed remediation activities through to completion.

This is a hands-on project leadership role, offering the opportunity to shape and strengthen the organisation's financial crime control environment and provide clear, evidence-based assurance to senior management and the Board.

The review will cover a diverse range of business activities, including UK consumer lending, hire purchase, fixed-sum loans, revolving credit facilities, lease finance and franchise operations.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Crime Risk Assessment

• Lead and deliver comprehensive AML/CTF and Fraud Risk Assessments.
• Assess inherent and residual financial crime risks across customers, products, delivery channels, geographical exposure and business operations.
• Evaluate internal and external fraud threats, including application fraud, identity fraud, first-party fraud, account takeover, payment fraud, supplier fraud and franchise-related risks.

Financial Crime Framework and Control Review

• Review existing financial crime policies, procedures, governance arrangements and control frameworks.
• Assess AML arrangements, including customer due diligence (CDD), enhanced due diligence (EDD), PEPs, sanctions screening, ongoing monitoring, suspicious activity reporting and record keeping.
• Review fraud prevention, detection, investigation and escalation arrangements.
• Assess financial crime risks across the end-to-end customer lifecycle, including onboarding, lending, account management, collections and recoveries.
• Develop a comprehensive Financial Crime Control Inventory and control mapping framework.

Assurance and Control Effectiveness Testing

• Design and undertake risk-based control effectiveness testing.
• Assess both the design and operational effectiveness of key controls.
• Conduct process walkthroughs, sample testing and evidence-based reviews.
• Identify control weaknesses, regulatory gaps and opportunities for improvement.
• Produce clear testing workpapers, findings and formal assurance opinions.

Governance, Training and Reporting

• Review financial crime governance, senior management oversight and the Three Lines of Defence model.
• Assess AML and fraud training, colleague awareness and role-specific competency requirements.
• Review management information (MI), escalation processes and Board reporting.
• Prepare clear, actionable reports and present findings and recommendations to senior management and the Board.

Remediation and Continuous Improvement

• Develop and manage a prioritised Financial Crime Improvement Plan.
• Work with stakeholders to agree actions, responsibilities and delivery deadlines.
• Lead the implementation of agreed policy, procedure and control enhancements.
• Support training improvements and the development of sustainable monitoring arrangements.
• Validate completed remediation actions and provide post-implementation assurance.
• Establish a sustainable financial crime assurance and monitoring framework.

Essential Experience and Skills

• Significant experience in Financial Crime, AML, Fraud Risk, Compliance, Risk or Internal Audit within financial services.
• Strong knowledge of the UK financial crime regulatory and legislative framework.
• Demonstrable experience leading financial crime reviews, assurance programmes or control effectiveness assessments.
• Practical experience conducting AML and Fraud Risk Assessments.
• Strong understanding of AML/CTF controls, CDD, EDD, PEPs, sanctions, transaction monitoring and SAR processes.
• Experience assessing fraud prevention and detection controls.
• Proven ability to identify control weaknesses, develop recommendations and lead remediation programmes through to completion.
• Experience engaging with senior management, Compliance teams and operational stakeholders.
• Excellent analytical, project management, report-writing and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities and deliver complex projects to tight deadlines.

Desirable Experience

• Experience within consumer credit, retail finance, hire purchase, asset finance or lending businesses.
• Experience working in FCA-regulated environments.
• Knowledge of the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, Fraud Act 2006 and Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.
• Familiarity with FCA Financial Crime Guide, JMLSG Guidance and relevant FCA Handbook requirements.
• Experience delivering regulatory remediation or financial crime transformation programmes.
• ICA, ACAMS or equivalent professional qualification.

Project Deliverables

The successful candidate will be responsible for delivering a comprehensive programme of work, including:

• Updated AML/CTF Risk Assessment.
• Comprehensive Fraud Risk Assessment.
• Financial Crime Controls Inventory and Control Mapping Matrix.
• Design and Operational Effectiveness Testing.
• Financial Crime Control Assessment and Assurance Report.
• AML and Fraud Training Needs Assessment.
• Regulatory and Control Gap Analysis.
• Prioritised Management Improvement and Remediation Plan.
• Enhanced Financial Crime Policies, Procedures and Controls.
• Post-Implementation Review and validation of remediation activities.
• Board-level Assurance Report and Residual Risk Assessment.
• Sustainable Financial Crime Monitoring Framework.

Engagement Options

We are open to engaging the successful candidate through either:

Fixed-Term Contract: Approximately 9 months, subject to project requirements.

Location and Working Arrangements

The role offers flexible home working, with occasional attendance at our Kettering office for meetings and stakeholder engagement as required.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Head of UK Regulatory Compliance and senior management across the relevant UK businesses.

Pay: Up to £55,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company events
• Company pension
• Employee discount
• Flexitime
• Health & wellbeing programme
• On-site parking
• Work from home

Application question(s):

• Have you personally led or delivered a Financial Crime, AML or Fraud Risk Assurance Review within a UK financial services organisation?
• Do you have practical experience conducting and documenting both AML/CTF and Fraud Risk Assessments, including assessing inherent and residual risks and evaluating the effectiveness of controls?
• Have you designed and undertaken control effectiveness testing (including design and operational effectiveness testing), identified control weaknesses and managed remediation activities through to completion?
• Do you have strong working knowledge of UK financial crime regulatory requirements, including the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, POCA 2002, FCA Financial Crime Guide and JMLSG Guidance?
• Please briefly describe a Financial Crime or AML assurance project you have personally delivered, outlining your role, the scope of the review, key findings and remediation activities you managed.

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Kettering