Global Head of Sanctions & Compliance Strategy

Alexander Barnes Ltd; Greater London; On-site; GBP 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Alexander Barnes Ltd. is seeking a Global Head of Sanctions to define and execute the group’s sanctions strategy across all markets. The role requires senior leadership to build a scalable sanctions framework that aligns regulatory precision with product speed.

You’ll shape how sanctions controls support growth, working across policy, risk, product, and operations to translate regulatory expectations into practical, data‑driven execution.

Qualifications

• 6+ years leading sanctions and financial crime programs within fintech, payments, or digital banking.
• Strong technical understanding of sanctions regimes and screening systems.
• Experience in risk assessment, control testing, and assurance across multi-market environments.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain the global sanctions framework, ensuring consistency across markets.
• Lead sanctions risk identification, assessment, and mitigation across products, geographies, and partners.
• Oversee screening model validation, tuning, and reporting to management and the Board.
• Embed sanctions compliance in new product design through partnership with Product, Engineering, and Operations.
• Act as the senior escalation point for complex sanctions matters and regulatory engagement.
• Monitor global regulatory developments (OFAC, EU, UK, UN and others) and drive implementation of required changes.
• Promote automation, data accuracy, and continuous improvement across sanctions operations.

Skills

Sanctions leadership

Regulatory frameworks

Cross-functional collaboration

Automation of controls

Job description

Alexander Barnes Ltd. is seeking a Global Head of Sanctions to define and execute the group’s sanctions strategy across all markets. The role requires senior leadership to build a scalable sanctions framework that aligns regulatory precision with product speed.

You’ll shape how sanctions controls support growth, working across policy, risk, product, and operations to translate regulatory expectations into practical, data‑driven execution.