Head of KYC & AML Controls

Barclays UK; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global bank in the UK is seeking a strategic leader to define and oversee KYC control strategies and governance frameworks. You will manage multi-jurisdictional control designs, ensuring risk mitigation and regulatory compliance. The ideal candidate should possess substantial experience in stakeholder management and KYC/AML processes. Strong leadership skills and the ability to drive significant projects are essential. Join us to foster a culture of integrity and excellence within the operational framework.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Health insurance

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Proven experience in stakeholder management and governance.
• Expertise in KYC/AML controls and regulatory compliance.
• Leadership skills in managing multi-workstream projects.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the strategy for KYC controls.
• Lead governance forums and escalate risks.
• Oversee KYC controls design across jurisdictions.

Skills

Senior stakeholder and governance forum management

Experience with control design, implementation, and enhancement

Leadership & Delivery of Multi‑Workstream Programs

Experience with KYC/AML policies and processes

Technology Delivery or Product Ownership Experience

Advanced Data/Analytics Familiarity

Regulatory Engagement Experience

Job description

Key Requirements

Strategic Leadership & Governance

• Define and own the strategy and roadmap for KYC controls.
• Serve as global design authority for all control logic.
• Lead governance forums and elevate risks appropriately

Control Design & Delivery

• Oversee the design and enhancement of KYC controls across 14 jurisdictions.
• Manage multiple parallel workstreams.
• Approve business and functional requirements for technology delivery

Testing, Assurance & Quality Frameworks

• Own the testing and QA framework for FO KYC controls.
• Establish methodologies, sampling, and coverage expectations.
• Ensure documentation meets audit‑ready standards

Stakeholder & Regulatory Engagement

• Act as the senior point of contact for regulatory and audit interactions.
• Defend control design and effectiveness.
• Lead remediation programs

Control Monitoring & Maintenance

• Oversee production monitoring, data quality, and metric reviews.
• Drive enhancements, regulatory updates, and continuous improvements

People Leadership

• Lead and develop a team of SMEs

Required skills

• Senior stakeholder and governance forum management
• Experience with control design, implementation, and enhancement
• Leadership & Delivery of Multi‑Workstream Programs

Desirable Skills

• Experience with KYC/AML policies and processes
• Technology Delivery or Product Ownership Experience
• Advanced Data/Analytics Familiarity
• Regulatory Engagement Experience

Purpose of the role

To assess the integrity and effectiveness of the banks internal control framework to support the mitigation of risk and protection of the banks operational, financial, and reputational risk.

Accountabilities

• Knowledge of business areas, products, processes and platforms to be able to assess risk
• Collaboration with various stakeholders across the bank and business units to improve overall control effectiveness through detailed documentation of control assessments, procedures, and findings.
• Identification and investigation of potential weaknesses and issues within internal controls to promote continuous improvement and risk mitigation aligned to the bank’s control framework, prioritised by its severity to disrupt bank operations.
• Development of reports to communicate key findings from risk assessment including control weaknesses and recommendations to control owners, senior management, and other stakeholders.
• Execution of reviews to determine the effectiveness of the bank's internal controls framework aligned to established and evolving policies, regulation, and best practice.
• Implementation of adherence to the Barclays Controls Framework and set appropriate methodology of assessing controls against the Controls Framework.

Director Expectations

• To manage a business function, providing significant input to function wide strategic initiatives. Contribute to and influence policy and procedures for the function and plan, manage and consult on multiple complex and critical strategic projects, which may be business wide..
• They manage the direction of a large team or sub‑function, leading other people managers and embedding a performance culture aligned to the values of the business. Or for an individual contributor, they lead organisation wide projects and act as deep technical expert and thought leader, identifying new ways of working and collaborating cross functionally. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions made outside of own function, offering significant input to function wide strategic initiatives.
• Manage, coordinate and enable resourcing, budgeting and policy creation for a significant sub‑function.
• Escalates breaches of policies / procedure appropriately.
• Foster and guide compliance, ensure regulations are observed that relevant processes in place to facilitate adherence.
• Focus on the external environment, regulators, or advocacy groups to both monitor and influence on behalf of Barclays, when appropriate.
• Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the function integrates with the business division / Group to achieve the overall business objectives.
• Maintain broad and comprehensive knowledge of industry theories and practices within own discipline alongside up-to‑date relevant sector / functional knowledge, and insight into external market developments / initiatives.
• Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in often complex/ sensitive situations.
• Exercise management authority to make significant decisions and certain strategic decisions or recommendations within own area.
• Negotiate and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally.
• Act as principal contact point for key clients and counterparts in other functions/ businesses divisions.
• Mandated as a spokesperson for the function and business division.

All Senior Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.