Senior Onboarding Specialist (Private Markets)

Steward; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Office in Paddington, London

Macs and AI tools

Job summary

Steward is transforming AML/KYC in private markets. As a senior steward, you will own the quality of investor files end to end, sign off on high-risk cases, and guide onboarding workflows for leading fund managers and administrators.

You will translate regulatory requirements into product logic, collaborate with Product and Engineering, and define test cases for next features. A startup environment demands hands-on leadership and mentoring.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years in KYC/AML or onboarding roles.
• Experience with complex structures and UBO identification.
• Strong knowledge of UK/EU AML regulations and FATF standards.
• Excellent written communication and ability to defend conclusions.
• Experience coaching analysts.
• Curiosity about AI enhancing compliance.
• Ability to work in a startup with changing processes.

Responsibilities

• Own QA of AI-assisted KYC and KYB analysis, setting the review standard.
• Lead on complex structures—trusts, partnerships, funds, offshore SPVs.
• Make and document final calls on PEP, sanctions and adverse media matches.
• Lead EDD on higher-risk investors, including source of wealth/funds.
• Identify recurring errors and work with Product/Engineering on fixes.
• Act as go-to compliance contact for fund managers/administrators.
• Design and run periodic reviews, ongoing monitoring and remediation exercises.
• Review and mentor KYC Analysts, build playbooks and training.

Skills

KYC

AML

Investor onboarding

CDD/EDD

UK AML law

Policy writing

Education

ICA Diploma in AML

Job description

Steward is fundamentally changing the way that AML/KYC works in private markets. What was once a 3+ month process to close an investor onboarding can now be done in clicks. Steward’s AI-first product automates away the numerous email chains, manual document reviews and disconnected systems, into one contextualised operating system.

Steward was founded by Arik Oslerne and Moshe Lieberman and was recently backed with a $5M round led by Motive Partners and Outward VC, with participation from Cooley and prominent angels. Our clients include £100bn+ asset managers, global fund administrators, broker dealers and banks.

• Impact the product. The edge cases you find and the ideas you bring will shape what we build.
• Close to the founders. Work hand-in-hand with exceptional, exited founders.
• Inside the AI shift. Leverage AI to change compliance first-hand, not from the sidelines.
• Every case is unique: Trusts, family offices, feeder funds and offshore vehicles.

The role

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to be the senior steward of our clients. You will own the quality of investor files end to end: setting the review standard, signing off complex and high-risk cases, and making sure outputs meet each client's acceptance criteria.

You will be a trusted adviser to leading fund managers, administrators and other clients, guiding them through complex onboardings, escalated risk decisions and the design of new onboarding workflows.

You will partner closely with Product and Engineering, translating regulatory requirements into product logic, defining test cases and helping decide what we build next.

This is a senior, hands-on role for someone who leads by example, enjoys developing others and likes getting things done!

What you'll do

• Own quality assurance of AI-assisted KYC and KYB analysis, setting the review standard across ownership, document requirements, screening and risk
• Lead on the most complex structures, including trusts, limited partnerships, foundations, family office vehicles, feeder funds and offshore SPVs, to identify beneficial owners and controllers
• Make and document final calls on PEP, sanctions and adverse media matches, challenging AI-reviewed recommendations where needed
• Lead EDD on higher-risk investors, including source of wealth and source of funds, and prepare clear escalations for client MLROs
• Spot recurring errors and edge cases, and work with Product and Engineering to define requirements, test cases and fixes
• Act as the go-to compliance contact for fund managers and administrators, explaining what a file needs and why
• Design and run periodic reviews, ongoing monitoring and remediation exercises
• Review and mentor the work of KYC Analysts, and build the playbooks, procedures and training that help the team scale
• Track global AML, sanctions and beneficial ownership developments and turn them into product and policy updates

What you bring

• 5+ years in KYC, AML or investor onboarding, ideally at a fund administrator, PE, Regtech or Private Bank, including time in a senior or team lead role
• Deep expertise in complex structures, no matter how many layers, and the confidence to defend your conclusions
• Extensive CDD and EDD experience, including UBO identification, screening review and risk rating sign-off
• Strong knowledge of UK and EU AML regulation (MLRs, JMLSG guidance, AMLDs) and FATF standards
• Sound risk judgement - you can make the call on grey-area cases and back it with evidence
• Excellent writing - your rationale would stand up to a client, an MLRO, an auditor or a regulator
• Experience reviewing, coaching or mentoring other analysts
• Curiosity about AI and how it can reshape compliance operations
• Comfortable building process in a startup where things are constantly changing

Nice to have

• Onboarding LPs into closed-ended funds, co-investments or fund launches
• Channel Islands, Luxembourg, Cayman or US experience
• ICA Diploma in AML, CAMS or an equivalent advanced qualification
• Leading remediation or look-back projects
• Writing or owning KYC policies and procedures, or working closely with an MLRO
• Startup or scale-up experience

What you get

• Influence: Work directly with the CEO & founding team and help shape how the compliance function scales (operator-led, high tempo, high ownership).
• Comp: Competitive base + equity (we want builders, not passengers).
• Office: 5 days in the office in Paddington, London. We believe the best companies are built in the room.
• Access to great tech (AI models) and equipment (Macs)

We welcome applications from everyone and will make reasonable adjustments at any stage. You must have the right to work in the UK.