Head of Compliance and MLRO

Compliance Professionals; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading finance institution is seeking a seasoned compliance professional to take on the Senior Manager function (SMF16/SMF17) in London. The role involves ensuring compliance with UK regulations, leading interactions with regulatory bodies like the FCA, and developing policies to align with compliance objectives. Candidates must have over 10 years of experience in banking compliance, ideally within Private Banking or wealth management, and a strong background with AML and financial crime management. This position offers a pivotal role in maintaining regulatory integrity and governance.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in UK Banking compliance, ideally in Private Banking or wealth management.
• Familiarity with FCA and PRA regulations is essential.
• Experience in a senior compliance role is required.

Responsibilities

• Act as SMF16 and SMF17 under the FCA Senior Managers Regime.
• Lead engagement with UK regulators and law enforcement.
• Oversee compliance and financial crime frameworks across the UK and Group entities.
• Conduct assurance reviews and provide guidance on regulatory compliance.

Skills

UK Banking compliance

Regulatory engagement

Risk assessment

AML knowledge

Financial crime management

Training and compliance culture promotion

Experience with FCA and PRA

Job description

THE COMPANY:

We have been instructed by an international Private, corporate & specialist finance bank who has their European hub in London. They provide a range of corporate banking, Private banking and real estate services.

THE RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Act as SMF16 (Compliance Oversight) and SMF17 (MLRO) under the FCA Senior Managers Regime.
• Lead engagement with UK regulators and law enforcement.
• Maintain governance structures, SMCR obligations including Statement of Responsibilities, and Management Responsibilities Map.
• Ensure readiness for audits, reviews, and regulatory inspections.
• Develop and maintain a UK Shariah-compliant compliance framework, policies, and monitoring plans.
• Conduct assurance reviews and risk assessments, report regularly to Board and Senior Management.
• Oversee Certification Regime and fitness & propriety assessments.
• Maintain AML and financial crime frameworks, including policies and controls.
• Review suspicious activity reports (SARs) and submit to NCA where appropriate.
• Provide guidance and advice on AML, CTF, sanctions, fraud, and anti-bribery.
• Ensure compliance with UK legislation (POCA, MLR, sanctions, anti-bribery).
• Act as UK liaison for Group compliance and financial crime management.
• Ensure consistency of compliance and financial crime frameworks across both the UK and Group entities.
• Align frameworks and contribute to Group policy development and reporting.
• Prepare compliance and financial crime reports for Board and internal committees.
• Maintain registers, policies, and MI dashboards for oversight.
• Oversee the preparation, accuracy, and timely submission of all regulatory returns and reports to relevant authorities, ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and internal governance standards.
• Implement compliance and conduct training; promote strong compliance culture, aligning to the conduct rules and embedding the code of conduct.
• Ensure understanding of and adherence to FCA Conduct Rules across the bank.
• Review and update policies in line with regulatory and business changes.
• Support audits and regulatory reviews, ensuring timely closure of findings

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

• Significant experience in UK Banking/financial services compliance (10+ years). Ideally Private banking/wealth management or foreign banking background
• Experience in a small to medium-size foreign bank would be advantageous
• Experience dealing directly with the FCA and PRA.
• Experience in a dual-function SMF role or a senior role under SM&CR.
• Experience working in a Group environment is desirable, with shared oversight across multiple jurisdictions (preferably including the Middle East).

For further information, please contact Hannah Tabatabai