Financial Crime Policy - OPBAS Policy Senior Associate (24 Month Contract)

Financial Conduct Authority; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading regulatory body in the UK seeks a Senior Associate for a 24-month contract in Leeds to enhance compliance with financial crime regulations. The role involves developing policies, analysing AML effectiveness, and managing stakeholder relationships to improve financial system integrity. Ideal candidates will have experience in AML, regulation, and the financial services industry. The position offers a salary range of £52,400 to £61,800 and includes a hybrid working model with extensive benefits.

Benefits

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Hybrid model with up to 60% remote work

Non-contributory pension

Private healthcare

Income protection

Paid volunteering opportunities

Flexible benefits scheme

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years experience in AML and policy setting.
• Experience in stakeholder management and regulatory environments.
• Expertise in collaborating within financial services frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Develop compliance policies for the financial system.
• Analyse supervisory findings to improve AML oversight.
• Build stakeholder relationships for regulatory outcomes.
• Contribute to OPBAS projects and initiatives.
• Coach team members for collaborative growth.

Skills

Prior experience of dealing with AML and regulation

Proven experience in the financial services industry

Complex stakeholder management

Strong analytical skills

Risk-based approach to supervision

Tenacity and flexibility

Managing multiple priorities

Collaborative team player

Job description

Job title: Financial Crime Policy - OPBAS Policy Senior Associate (24 Month Contract)

Division: Supervision, Policy and Competition

Department: OPBAS & Fraud & Financial Crime (O&FFC)

Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging £52,400 to £61,800 and London from £57,700 to £68,000 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)

This role is graded as: Senior Associate, Regulatory

Your recruitment contact is Shafika via [e-mail]. Applications must be submitted through our online portal. Applications sent via social media or email will not be accepted.

About the FCA and team

We regulate financial services firms in the UK, to keep financial markets fair, thriving and effective. By joining us, you’ll play a key part in protecting consumers, driving economic growth, and shaping the future of UK finance services.

SPC oversees firms and individuals (supervision), creates and reviews the rules by which they operate (policy) and identifies and remedies ineffective competition in markets (competition).Sitting in Specialist Directorate, the O&FFC department (Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision & Fraud & Financial Crime ) works to reduce money laundering and terrorist financing by ensuring high standards of AML/CTF supervision and fostering collaboration across professional bodies, supervisors, and law enforcement.

It is an exciting time to join this team as the UK is preparing for it’s next Mutual Evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force in 2027. At the same time OPBAS is supporting the Government’s stated intention to transfer AML supervision of 60,000 professional service firms to the FCA.

Role responsibilities

• Develop and implement key policies to strengthen compliance with MLRs and OPBAS regulations, ensuring robust standards that protect the integrity of the financial system
• Analyse supervisory findings to assess AML effectiveness, influencing decisions that enhance oversight and reduce financial crime risks
• Critically evaluate information to measure progress against AML and CTF standards, driving improvements that maintain trust in the sector
• Build and maintain strong stakeholder relationships to foster collaboration and deliver impactful regulatory outcomes
• Contribute to high-profile OPBAS projects such as Professional Body Supervisor assessments and themed initiatives, expanding your expertise and industry influence
• Coach and support team members to encourage knowledge sharing and professional growth, creating a high-performing, collaborative environment

Skills required

Minimum:

• Prior experience of dealing with AML and regulation involved in a policy setting
• Proven experience working within the financial services industry, or similar
• Demonstratable experience of complex stakeholder management

Essential:

• Strong analytical skills with a sense of judgement and personal accountability
• Ability to apply a risk based approach to supervision and an understanding of key regulatory risks
• Ability to demonstrate tenacity and flexibility
• Connect the dots across workstreams, aligning activities to support and deliver on strategic organisational objectives
• Manage multiple priorities effectively, balancing competing tasks and issues, while escalating matters appropriately when required
• Working collaboratively as part of a team, valuing different perspectives and backgrounds, and working with others collaboratively, minimising silos

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Hybrid model with up to 60% remote work
• Non-contributory pension (8–12% depending on age) and life assurance at eight times your salary
• Private healthcare with Bupa, income protection, and 24/7 Employee Assistance
• 35 hours of paid volunteering annually
• A flexible benefits scheme designed around your lifestyle
• For a full list of our benefits, and our recruitment process as a whole visit our benefits page.

Our colleagues are the key to our success as a regulator. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture: one that’s free from discrimination and bias, celebrates difference, and supports colleagues to deliver at their best. We believe that our differences and similarities enable us to be a better organisation – one that makes better decisions, drives innovation, and delivers better regulation.

If you require any adjustments due to a disability or condition, your recruiter is here to help - reach out for tailored support.

We welcome diverse working styles and aim to find flexible solutions that suit both the role and individual needs, including options like part-time and job sharing where applicable.

Disability Confident: our hiring approach

We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, and therefore, people or individuals with disabilities and long-term conditions who best meet the minimum criteria for a role will go through to the next stage of the recruitment process. In cases of high application volumes, we may progress applicants whose experience most closely matches the role’s key requirements.

Useful information and timeline

• Job advert close: 28th December 2025
• CV Review/Shortlist: 30th December 2025
• First Interview: w/c 5th January 2026
• Your Recruiter will discuss the process in detail with you during screening for the role, therefore, please make them aware if you are going to be unavailable for any date during this time.

SC Clearance is required for this role (SC Guidance) - you will hold or will be required to obtain Security Check (SC) level vetting