Head of Risk and Financial Crime

Succession Wealth; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days' holiday

Generous pension contribution

Private Medical Insurance

Annual pay reviews

Job summary

Succession Wealth, part of the Aviva Group, is seeking an experienced Head of Risk and Financial Crime to lead second-line risk frameworks across its advice and investment businesses. Working with the Chief Risk Officer, you will shape risk and compliance, provide oversight, and drive a strong risk culture.

This role requires credibility with boards, deep regulatory experience in financial services, and a proven ability to lead teams, manage regulatory expectations (FCA/SM&CR), and deliver

Qualifications

• A strong track record in senior risk and/or financial crime leadership within regulated financial services.
• Broad expertise across enterprise risk, operational risk, controls and financial crime frameworks.
• Strong understanding of FCA expectations including Consumer Duty, SM&CR and operational resilience.

Responsibilities

• Lead second-line Risk and Financial Crime frameworks with independent oversight.
• Provide oversight across material risks, controls, financial crime activity and business decisions.
• Advise the Chief Risk Officer, Executive Committee and Boards with clear risk reporting and insight.
• Oversee financial crime arrangements including AML, sanctions, fraud and CDD.

Skills

Risk leadership

Financial crime

Stakeholder mgmt

Regulatory compliance

Team development

Job description

Head of Risk and Financial Crime

Hybrid from one of our UK offices

Succession Wealth, part of the Aviva Group, is a leading wealth management business dedicated to helping clients achieve financial wellbeing and peace of mind. Our people are at the heart of our success, working together to deliver expert advice, strong client outcomes and a supportive, inclusive culture.

The role…

We are looking for an experienced and credible individual to join us as Head of Risk and Financial Crime. This is a key leadership role with responsibility for shaping and strengthening Risk and Financial Crime frameworks across Succession Wealth’s advice and investment businesses. Working closely with the Chief Risk Officer, you’ll help ensure our regulated entities operate within risk appetite, meet evolving regulatory requirements and continue to deliver outstanding outcomes for clients. You’ll provide expert oversight, challenge and guidance, fostering a strong risk culture while ensuring risks are managed in a proportionate, commercial and client-focused way.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading the second-line Risk and Financial Crime frameworks, setting standards and providing independent oversight and challenge while reinforcing clear first-line ownership of risk and controls.
• Providing independent oversight and constructive challenge across material risks, controls, financial crime activity and business decisions.
• Advising the Chief Risk Officer, Executive Committee and Boards through clear, forward-looking risk reporting and insight.
• Overseeing financial crime arrangements, including AML, sanctions, fraud, bribery and corruption, customer due diligence and monitoring.
• Ensuring emerging risks, incidents and control weaknesses are identified, escalated and addressed through effective, sustainable remediation.
• Providing second-line oversight of strategic transformation, major change programmes and third-party or outsourcing risks.
• Acting as a credible deputy to the Chief Risk Officer at Executive, Board and senior governance forums, bringing an enterprise-wide perspective and sound judgement to complex business decisions.
• Leading and developing a high-performing Risk and Financial Crime team, building capability, accountability and effective succession.
• Strengthening risk culture across the business and promoting informed, commercially balanced and client-focused decision-making.
• Simplifying and enhancing risk governance and reporting through effective use of data, technology, automation and AI.

What you’ll bring…

You’ll be an experienced risk and/or financial crime leader who thrives on making a real difference in a complex, regulated environment. Bringing sound judgement, commercial awareness and an independent perspective, you’ll build trusted relationships, influence at the highest levels and help the business make confident, well-informed decisions.

• A strong track record in senior risk and/or financial crime leadership within wealth management, financial advice or a similarly regulated financial services business.
• Broad expertise across enterprise risk, operational risk, controls, assurance and financial crime frameworks.
• A strong understanding of FCA expectations, including Consumer Duty, SM&CR, operational resilience and financial crime requirements.
• The credibility and confidence to advise and constructively challenge Executive teams, Boards and senior stakeholders.
• Experience leading and developing specialist teams, creating an environment where people can grow, take ownership and perform at their best.
• A collaborative, commercially minded approach, underpinned by integrity, sound judgement and a clear focus on good client outcomes.

What you can expect from us…

We offer a competitive salary, annual pay reviews and performance-related increases, alongside a comprehensive benefits package including:

• 25 days' holiday (increasing with service), plus bank holidays and Christmas closure
• Generous pension contribution
• Private Medical Insurance
• Agile and family-friendly working arrangements
• Enhanced family leave and company sick pay
• Up to 40% discount on selected Aviva products
• £465 home office allowance
• Life assurance at 8x salary
• Health and wellbeing support, including Digital GP, EAP and annual health screening
• Retail, travel and leisure discounts through our Benefits Hub
• Flexible benefits options, including dental, critical illness and healthcare plans
• Support for professional qualifications and study leave
• Paid charity days

Succession is committed to building and preserving a culture of inclusion and diversity. With a diverse team of employees we are able to grow, innovate and deliver excellent client care to help us reach our goals as a business. Our diverse teams help us reflect and understand the communities in which we operate and the subjects we cover in our everyday work.

In recruiting for Succession, we welcome the unique contributions all candidates can bring regardless of their background and strive to ensure that every candidate is given the best chance of success through fair recruitment practice.

We do not accept unsolicited cv submissions from agencies, any such will be accepted as a direct application from the candidate.