Financial Crime Risk Manager

LHV Bank; London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK-licensed bank is seeking a Financial Crime Risk Manager to oversee and enhance financial crime controls. The role involves conducting risk assessments, collaborating across teams, and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. Candidates should have a deep understanding of AML regulations and experience in risk management. This position offers a competitive salary and a hybrid working model.

Benefits

Competitive salary & progression

Open and inclusive culture

Hybrid working

Vitality Health Plan

Life assurance

28 days holiday plus additional days for key life events

Qualifications

• Strong technical knowledge in financial crime matters.
• Experience in applying a risk-based approach to reviews.
• Solid understanding of UK AML/CTF regulations.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the effectiveness of the bank's financial crime controls.
• Conduct financial crime risk assessments.
• Collaborate with various teams to ensure compliance and controls.

Skills

AML knowledge

Fraud prevention

Regulatory compliance

Team collaboration

Risk assessment

Education

Relevant professional qualifications (e.g., ICA Certificate in AML, ACAMS)

Tools

Transaction monitoring platforms

Data visualisation tools

Job description

LHV Bank Limited is a UK-licensed bank operating across three core business segments: Retail Banking, SME Lending, and Banking Services (BaaS). The bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of LHV Group, a listed financial services provider headquartered in Estonia. LHV Bank operates under a full UK banking licence granted in May 2023.

The Bank supports over 200 fintech clients with embedded financial infrastructure, provides retail savings products via digital channels, and offers SME credit solutions across the UK. In line with its regulatory responsibilities and growth ambitions, LHV Bank is committed to maintaining a robust and proportionate financial crime control environment.

Role Overview

As Financial Crime Risk Manager, you will hold a key Second Line of Defence (2LOD) position, responsible for overseeing and challenging the effectiveness of the bank's financial crime controls across all business lines. You will provide independent assurance, guidance, and oversight on AML/CTF, fraud, and sanctions risks, ensuring LHV Bank operates in line with regulatory expectations, internal policies, and its stated risk appetite.

This role is central to maintaining a proportionate and risk-based Financial Crime Framework across Retail Banking, SME Lending, and Banking Services, while partnering closely with the First Line to ensure controls are well-designed, embedded, and continuously improved.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, maintain, and oversee the bank's Financial Crime Framework, including policies and standards for AML, CTF, fraud prevention, sanctions, PEPs, and high-risk client typologies.
• Conduct and lead enterprise-wide and product-specific financial crime risk assessments (FC RAs) to identify and quantify residual risks across all customer segments.
• Provide effective oversight and challenge of 1LoD transaction monitoring, screening, and fraud operations, and assess the adequacy of alerts, tuning, and case outcomes.
• Collaborate with Product, Risk, Operations, and Technology teams to ensure anti-financial crime (AFC) controls are appropriately embedded in customer journeys and supported by scalable infrastructure.
• Review and support Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) submissions, maintain MI on trends, and liaise with external bodies such as the FCA and NCA as required.
• Track and interpret regulatory developments, guidance (e.g., JMLSG, FATF), and emerging typologies, and ensure that policies and procedures are reviewed and updated accordingly.
• Support the preparation of Board, ExCo, and Risk Committee materials, contributing to governance packs and risk MI relating to financial crime risk posture.
• Promote a culture of risk awareness, delivering training, 1LoD guidance, and supporting the upskilling of teams across the bank on financial crime responsibilities.

Key Capabilities, Skills & Knowledge Requirements:

To succeed in this role, you will need strong technical knowledge, hands-on operational capability, and sound judgment in financial crime matters, particularly across AML, fraud, and sanctions risk.

Regulatory and Technical Knowledge

• Solid understanding of UK AML/CTF regulations, including the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), Money Laundering Regulations 2017, and OFSI sanctions guidance.
• Working knowledge of FCA expectations, especially under SYSC, JMLSG guidance, and relevant sections of the Consumer Duty.
• Awareness of fraud risk typologies, including those specific to SME lending, Retail banking, and BaaS models.
• Understanding of key processes such as customer due diligence (CDD), enhanced due diligence (EDD), sanctions screening, transaction monitoring, and suspicious activity reporting.

Operational Execution and Controls

• Experience in applying a risk-based approach to customer and transaction reviews, including investigating and documenting financial crime alerts.
• Ability to support or conduct risk assessments across products and client types.
• Familiarity with operational controls such as payment screening, sanctions escalations, and 1LoD/2LoD governance interactions.
• Capable of helping to maintain and refine policies, 2LoD Procedures, and review and challenge of 1LoD procedures based on current risk and responding to future regulatory developments.

Technology and System Awareness

• Comfortable using financial crime systems, such as transaction monitoring platforms, screening tools (e.g., Dow Jones, LexisNexis), and case management systems.
• Able to extract and interpret MI/alerts to support decision-making and risk assessments.
• Working knowledge of Excel and/or data visualisation/reporting tools is beneficial.

Cross-Team Collaboration

• Able to work collaboratively with operational, product, and compliance teams to support effective financial crime controls across the customer lifecycle.
• Participates in the development of new strategic product developments, helping to identify and mitigate financial crime risks in launch or change processes.
• Supports embedding of controls in customer onboarding, transaction flows, and account maintenance processes.

Communication and Culture

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, especially in documenting casework, alerts, SARs, and internal memos.
• Proactive in raising concerns or escalating issues appropriately and in a timely manner.
• Supports training and awareness sessions for front-line or operations colleagues to strengthen financial crime awareness.
• Committed to promoting a culture of integrity and compliance across the business.

Desirable (Nice to Have)

• Exposure to working in or with fintech, BaaS, or digital banking environments.
• Experience dealing with regulatory queries or supporting audits/reviews.
• Relevant professional qualifications (e.g., ICA Certificate in AML, ACAMS, or equivalent).

Some of our benefits
• Competitive salary & progression
• Open and inclusive culture
• Hybrid working
• Fantastic offices and great working environment
• Vitality Health Plan (includes private health insurance, travel insurance, gym discounts)
• Medicash health plan (Level 3)
• 5% employer pension contribution
• Life assurance
• Income protection insurance
• 28 days holiday plus 3 additional days, bank holidays & further days for various key life events
• Team socials