Legal & Compliance - AML, Associate

Blackstone; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Blackstone in London seeks a Financial Crime professional to strengthen AML standards within a highly visible, second-line role. You will collaborate with the Global Head of Financial Crime to govern risks and ensure regulatory compliance across the organization.

You will advise business units on financial crime issues, support investor onboarding, and perform extensive KYC/AML reviews across EMEA, contributing to policy development and risk monitoring.

Qualifications

• A strong educational background, preferably with a university degree or equivalent experience.
• 4 to 6 years of experience in the financial crime compliance field within financial services, particularly within asset management.
• Solid technical expertise across key financial crime issues, with broad capabilities across the full range of financial crime disciplines.
• The ability to support the team lead in stakeholder engagement and substitute on advisory matters when required.
• The ability to independently and constructively challenge stakeholders to drive engagement on projects and support implementation.
• Strong communication skills, both oral and written, with the ability to engage effectively across all levels of the organization.
• Demonstrated project management skills, with accountability for delivery.
• Excellent judgment in determining when to act autonomously to resolve issues and when to elevate matters appropriately.
• Highly organized, goal-oriented, and solutions-focused.
• Strong interpersonal skills and a collaborative team player
• Exceptional attention to detail and the ability to multitask effectively.

Responsibilities

• Serving as a point of escalation for all financial crime-related matters, including AML, CTF, sanctions, ABC, and anti-tax evasion.
• Providing expert advice to various Blackstone business units on financial crime compliance-related issues.
• Supporting the global investor onboarding process, including conducting high-risk reviews for new and existing investors.
• Performing Know Your Counterparty and Asset reviews on transactions originating across EMEA. This includes providing KYC and AML support for asset transactions, conducting due diligence, screening counterparties, and evaluating high-risk red flags.
• Assisting with the investor re-identification process in collaboration with the transfer agent across EMEA.
• Assessing escalations from regional compliance teams or fund transfer agents related to negative news, PEP, sanctions alerts, or customer due diligence requirements.
• Contributing to the development, implementation, and review of policies, procedures, monitoring frameworks, and risk assessments to ensure compliance with applicable regulatory developments, including AML-related requirements at both organizational and fund levels.
• Reviewing and escalating material risk alerts to senior management within EMEA and business unit leadership.
• Assisting with the preparation of management information and updates for governance committees, including senior management, and presenting key financial crime topics to compliance and business unit stakeholders during regular meetings.
• Supporting financial crime testing activities, internal audits, and regulatory requests with an EMEA nexus.

Skills

Financial crime expertise

Stakeholder engagement

Project management

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Attention to detail

Education

University degree

Job description

Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. Blackstone seeks to deliver compelling returns for institutional and individual investors by strengthening the companies in which the firm invests. Blackstone’s over $1.3 trillion in assets under management include global investment strategies focused on real estate, private equity, credit, infrastructure, life sciences, growth equity, secondaries and hedge funds. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow @blackstone on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Instagram.

Responsibilities:

This position is part of a small, highly specialized, Financial Crime Second Line function, focused on establishing exemplary AML standards. The role benefits from full support from the business, and the selected candidate will have access to all necessary tools and resources to succeed.

The candidate will enjoy significant visibility within the business and will work closely with the team lead and the Global Head of Financial Crime to manage key financial crime risks in accordance with relevant legislation. Key responsibilities include:

• Serving as a point of escalation for all financial crime-related matters, including AML, CTF, sanctions, ABC, and anti-tax evasion.
• Providing expert advice to various Blackstone business units on financial crime compliance-related issues.
• Supporting the global investor onboarding process, including conducting high-risk reviews for new and existing investors.
• Performing Know Your Counterparty and Asset reviews on transactions originating across EMEA. This includes providing KYC and AML support for asset transactions, conducting due diligence, screening counterparties, and evaluating high-risk red flags.
• Assisting with the investor re-identification process in collaboration with the transfer agent across EMEA.
• Assessing escalations from regional compliance teams or fund transfer agents related to negative news, PEP, sanctions alerts, or customer due diligence requirements.
• Contributing to the development, implementation, and review of policies, procedures, monitoring frameworks, and risk assessments to ensure compliance with applicable regulatory developments, including AML-related requirements at both organizational and fund levels.
• Reviewing and escalating material risk alerts to senior management within EMEA and business unit leadership.
• Assisting with the preparation of management information and updates for governance committees, including senior management, and presenting key financial crime topics to compliance and business unit stakeholders during regular meetings.
• Supporting financial crime testing activities, internal audits, and regulatory requests with an EMEA nexus.

Experience

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications and skills:

• A strong educational background, preferably with a university degree or equivalent experience.
• 4 to 6 years of experience in the financial crime compliance field within financial services, particularly within asset management.
• Solid technical expertise across key financial crime issues, with broad capabilities across the full range of financial crime disciplines.
• The ability to support the team lead in stakeholder engagement and substitute on advisory matters when required.
• The ability to independently and constructively challenge stakeholders to drive engagement on projects and support implementation.
• Strong communication skills, both oral and written, with the ability to engage effectively across all levels of the organization.
• Demonstrated project management skills, with accountability for delivery.
• Excellent judgment in determining when to act autonomously to resolve issues and when to elevate matters appropriately.
• Highly organized, goal-oriented, and solutions-focused.
• Strong interpersonal skills and a collaborative team player
• Exceptional attention to detail and the ability to multitask effectively.

The duties and responsibilities described here are not exhaustive and additional assignments, duties, or responsibilities may be required of this position. Assignments, duties, and responsibilities may be changed at any time, with or without notice, by Blackstone in its sole discretion.

Blackstone is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, marital or partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic predisposition, veteran or military status, status as a victim of domestic violence, a sex offense or stalking, or any other class or status in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to hiring, placement, promotion, termination, transfer, leave of absence, compensation, and training. All Blackstone employees, including but not limited to recruiting personnel and hiring managers, are required to abide by this policy.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to complete your application, please contact Human Resources at 212-583-5000 (US), [phone] (EMEA) or [phone] (APAC).

Depending on the position, you may be required to obtain certain securities licenses if you are in a client facing role and/or if you are engaged in the following:

• Attending client meetings where you are discussing Blackstone products and/or client questions;
• Marketing Blackstone funds to new or existing clients;
• Supervising or training securities licensed employees;
• Structuring or creating Blackstone funds/products; and
• Advising on marketing plans prepared by a sales team or developing and/or contributing information for marketing materials.

Note: The above list is not the exhaustive list of activities requiring securities licenses and there may be roles that require review on a case-by-case basis. Please speak with your Blackstone Recruiting contact with any questions.