Financial Crime Specialist

Zopa Bank; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A modern banking institution in Manchester is seeking a Financial Crime Specialist to join their operations team. The role involves monitoring transactions for suspicious activities, preparing compliance reports, and conducting due diligence on high-risk customers. Ideal candidates will have strong analytical skills, knowledge of financial crime regulations, and be adept at communication and report writing. This hybrid position includes both office and remote working.

Qualifications

• Experience in a financial crime, fraud, or transaction monitoring role.
• Strong knowledge of the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) and Money Laundering Regulations (MLR).
• Familiarity with transaction monitoring systems.

Responsibilities

• Monitor customer transactions for suspicious activity.
• Prepare Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs).
• Conduct Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) for high-risk customers.

Skills

Analytical skills

Knowledge of UK financial crime regulations

Transaction monitoring experience

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Education

ACAMS certification or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Our Story

Hello there. We’re Zopa. We started our journey back in 2005, building the first ever peer-to-peer lending company. Fast forward to 2020 and we launched Zopa Bank. A bank that listens to what our customers don’t like about finance and does the opposite. We’re redefining what it feels like to work in finance. Our vision for a new era of banking puts people front and centre — we’ve built a business that empowers everyone to aim high, every day, to move finance forward.

We’re incredibly proud of our achievements and none of it would be possible without the amazing team here. It’s not just industry awards we’re winning, we’ve also been named in the top three UK’s Most Loved Workplaces.

If you embrace unconventional challenges, are unafraid to think differently and are driven to make an outsized impact, you’ll thrive here at Zopa, so join us, and make it count.

We are seeking a detail-oriented and highly motivated Financial Crime Specialist to join our Financial Crime Operations team. The successful candidate will be responsible for monitoring and analysing financial transactions to detect and prevent suspicious activity related to money laundering, fraud, and other financial crimes, performing customer risk assessments, triage and in-depth enhanced due diligence (EDD) reviews.

This role requires a strong understanding of financial regulations, excellent analytical skills, and the ability to work effectively within a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.

Working Pattern

This is a hybrid role, with the team working in the office three days a week. Your working week will consist of 7.5 hour shifts scheduled between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm, Monday to Friday. You will also be required to work one day of the weekend every other week, from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, which will be worked remotely. If you work a weekend day, you will receive a day off during the week in lieu.

A Day In The Life

• Transaction Monitoring: Review and analyse customer transactions to identify potentially suspicious activity, including money laundering, fraud, terrorist financing and other typologies.
• SAR’s: Prepare, complete, and submit Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) in a timely and accurate manner.
• Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD): Conduct in-depth investigations into high-risk customers, ensuring all critical due diligence information is collected.
• Customer Risk Assessment Cases and Reviews: Conduct EDD for SIP's, PEP's, High Net Worth Individuals, and customers flagged due to a court order or external law enforcement enquiry.
• Phone-Based Interaction Requirement: The successful candidate will be required to handle phone-based interactions with customers as part of their daily responsibilities.

About You

• Previous experience in a financial crime, fraud, or transaction monitoring role within the banking or financial services industry.
• Strong knowledge of UK financial crime regulations, including the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), the Money Laundering Regulations (MLR), and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) guidelines.
• Familiarity with transaction monitoring systems.
• Strong analytical and investigative skills with 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.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook) and related tools.
• Highly organised and methodical with the ability to handle complex investigations.
• Strong decision-making ability and confidence in escalating issues when necessary.
• Desirable: ACAMS (Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists) certification or equivalent ICA qualification, and experience in a similar role within a regulated UK financial institution.

At Zopa we value flexible ways of working.

We value face-to-face collaboration and a good work-life balance. This hybrid role requires you to come to our Manchester office 2-3 days a week.

Zopa is proud to offer a workplace free from discrimination. Diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds leads to better products for our customers and a unique company culture for our people.