EMEA Wholesale Know Your Customer Client Office - Executive Director (KYC Business Lead)

Aumni; Greater London; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

J.P. Morgan is seeking an Executive Director to lead KYC operations across EMEA, driving onboarding and ongoing reviews in a highly regulated environment.

You will partner with client coverage, compliance and control functions to deliver timely, well-controlled execution, strengthen governance, and enable AI-enabled transformation.

This role requires senior leadership, deep knowledge of KYC/AML, and a track record of scaling operations, data-driven improvement, and risk management.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in KYC, client onboarding, financial crime compliance, audit, or operations within a regulated organization.
• Experience leading large operational teams with accountability for service delivery, risk management, and controls.
• Demonstrated ability to build credibility with senior stakeholders and influence prioritization in a matrixed environment.
• Experience managing end-to-end onboarding and periodic review workflows, including capacity planning and escalation management.
• Experience driving operational transformation through process redesign, automation, and technology delivery in a controlled environment.
• Strong understanding of regulatory expectations related to KYC/AML and operational risk management.
• Ability to translate policy and regulatory requirements into practical operating procedures, controls, and measurable outcomes.
• Experience establishing KPI-based performance management, management reporting, and continuous improvement routines.
• Demonstrated people leadership skills, including coaching, talent development, and change adoption.
• Experience partnering with technology, product, and control functions to deliver scalable operational solutions.
• Strong judgment and control mindset, with a track record of sustaining audit readiness and consistent execution.

Responsibilities

• Lead a large-scale KYC operation, ensuring timely onboarding and periodic reviews while maintaining strong risk, control, and compliance standards and a seamless client experience.
• Own end-to-end workflow health, capacity planning, productivity management, escalation governance, and service delivery to support operational resilience and consistent execution.
• Build and sustain trusted partnerships with senior business stakeholders, compliance partners, and other control functions to align operational delivery to business priorities and regulatory expectations.
• Advise senior stakeholders on operating priorities and opportunities to strengthen effectiveness and scalability across the KYC lifecycle.
• Drive continuous improvement through control-gap identification, process simplification, and technology-enabled solutions to improve consistency, audit readiness, and client experience.
• Develop a high-performing team by coaching leaders, strengthening practitioner capability, and building a future-ready organization equipped to adopt emerging technologies.
• Use data and analytics to improve quality, timeliness, productivity, risk management, and client outcomes through root-cause analysis and actionable performance insights.
• Lead change initiatives that integrate technology and AI-enabled solutions into the operating model, establishing appropriate governance, controls, and human review to support responsible deployment.
• Partner with technology, product, controls, and compliance teams to identify, prioritize, and deliver strategic enhancements that improve efficiency, scalability, control effectiveness, and client outcomes.

Skills

KYC

Compliance leadership

Operations management

Regulatory knowledge

Education

MBA or relevant graduate degree

Job description

Make a measurable impact on how clients are onboarded and maintained in a highly regulated environment. In this role, you will lead a large-scale operation, strengthen execution and controls, and help modernize the operating model through process improvement, technology, and responsible AI. You will partner with senior stakeholders to improve outcomes for clients while sustaining high standards of risk management and governance.

As an Executive Director (KYC business lead) in the EMEA Wholesale KYC Client Office, you will lead middle-office teams that deliver Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) lifecycle activities, including onboarding and periodic reviews. You will partner closely with client coverage teams, compliance partners, and control functions to deliver timely, well-controlled execution and a consistent client experience. You will drive operational excellence and transformation by improving processes, strengthening governance, and enabling adoption of technology and responsible AI.

Job responsibilities

• Lead a large-scale KYC operation, ensuring timely onboarding and periodic reviews while maintaining strong risk, control, and compliance standards and a seamless client experience.
• Own end-to-end workflow health, capacity planning, productivity management, escalation governance, and service delivery to support operational resilience and consistent execution.
• Build and sustain trusted partnerships with senior business stakeholders, compliance partners, and other control functions to align operational delivery to business priorities and regulatory expectations.
• Advise senior stakeholders on operating priorities and opportunities to strengthen effectiveness and scalability across the KYC lifecycle.
• Drive continuous improvement through control-gap identification, process simplification, and technology-enabled solutions to improve consistency, audit readiness, and client experience.
• Develop a high-performing team by coaching leaders, strengthening practitioner capability, and building a future-ready organization equipped to adopt emerging technologies.
• Use data and analytics to improve quality, timeliness, productivity, risk management, and client outcomes through root-cause analysis and actionable performance insights.
• Lead change initiatives that integrate technology and AI-enabled solutions into the operating model, establishing appropriate governance, controls, and human review to support responsible deployment.
• Partner with technology, product, controls, and compliance teams to identify, prioritize, and deliver strategic enhancements that improve efficiency, scalability, control effectiveness, and client outcomes.

Required qualifications, capabilities and skills

• Senior leadership experience in KYC, client onboarding, financial crime compliance, audit, or operations within a regulated organization.
• Experience leading large operational teams with accountability for service delivery, risk management, and controls.
• Demonstrated ability to build credibility with senior stakeholders and influence prioritization in a matrixed environment.
• Experience managing end-to-end onboarding and periodic review workflows, including capacity planning and escalation management.
• Experience driving operational transformation through process redesign, automation, and technology delivery in a controlled environment.
• Strong understanding of regulatory expectations related to KYC/AML and operational risk management.
• Ability to translate policy and regulatory requirements into practical operating procedures, controls, and measurable outcomes.
• Experience establishing KPI-based performance management, management reporting, and continuous improvement routines.
• Demonstrated people leadership skills, including coaching, talent development, and change adoption.
• Experience partnering with technology, product, and control functions to deliver scalable operational solutions.
• Strong judgment and control mindset, with a track record of sustaining audit readiness and consistent execution.

Preferred qualifications, capabilities and skills

• Extensive experience in business operations within Corporate & Investment Banking.
• Experience leading technology-enabled transformation initiatives, including workflow digitization, analytics, automation, or AI-enabled operating model enhancements.
• MBA or other relevant graduate degree.

J.P. Morgan is a global leader in financial services, providing strategic advice and products to the world's most prominent corporations, governments, wealthy individuals and institutional investors. Our first-class business in a first-class way approach to serving clients drives everything we do. We strive to build trusted, long-term partnerships to help our clients achieve their business objectives.

We recognize that our people are our strength and the diverse talents they bring to our global workforce are directly linked to our success. We are an equal opportunity employer and place a high value on diversity and inclusion at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute, including race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital or veteran status, pregnancy or disability, or any other basis protected under applicable law. We also make reasonable accommodations for applicants’ and employees’ religious practices and beliefs, as well as mental health or physical disability needs. Visit our FAQs for more information about requesting an accommodation.

J.P. Morgan's Commercial & Investment Bank is a global leader across banking, markets, securities services and payments. Corporations, governments and institutions throughout the world entrust us with their business in more than 100 countries. The Commercial & Investment Bank provides strategic advice, raises capital, manages risk and extends liquidity in markets around the world. Lead EMEA KYC operations to deliver seamless onboarding and renewals, strengthen controls, and modernize with responsible AI.