UK AML & Financial Crime Program Lead

Global Payments Inc.; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Global Payments Inc. seeks a Head of Fraud Operations to lead the UK AML and Financial Crime program, providing independent challenge and governance across sanctions, ABC, and related controls.

You will partner with executives to ensure regulator-ready risk management and scalable processes within a Second Line of Defense framework. The role requires senior leadership experience in financial crime, strong knowledge of UK regulations, and a track record of engaging with regulators and governance

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Significant experience in AML, Financial Crime Compliance, Compliance, Risk Management, or related disciplines within financial services, payments, fintech, banking, or regulated industries.
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing complex AML and financial crime programs within a regulated environment.
• Strong knowledge of UK AML regulations, sanctions requirements, and financial crime risk management practices.
• Experience operating within a Second Line of Defense framework and providing effective independent challenge.
• Proven track record engaging with regulators, executive leadership teams, and governance committees.
• Relevant professional certifications such as CAMS, CFCS, ICA Diploma, or equivalent (preferred).

Responsibilities

• Lead and maintain the UK AML and Financial Crime Compliance framework.
• Provide independent second-line oversight and challenge of AML, sanctions, anti-bribery and corruption (ABC), fraud, and broader financial crime controls.
• Act as the UK senior financial crime subject matter expert and trusted advisor to executive management and business leadership.
• Drive continuous enhancement of the UK Financial Crime Program, ensuring it remains risk-based, scalable, and regulator-ready.
• Support governance forums and executive committees by providing insightful reporting on financial crime risks, emerging threats, and control effectiveness.
• Oversee enterprise and business-level AML and financial crime risk assessments.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of customer, product, channel, geographic, and transaction-related risk controls.
• Ensure material financial crime risks are identified, escalated, and remediated through appropriate governance channels.
• Provide credible challenge to First Line activities, decisions, risk assessments, and control environments.
• Monitor emerging financial crime typologies, regulatory developments, and industry trends to inform risk management strategies.
• Develop, maintain, and enhance financial crime policies, standards, procedures, and guidance.
• Provide oversight of customer due diligence (CDD), enhanced due diligence (EDD), transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, suspicious activity reporting, and financial crime investigations.
• Review and challenge key financial crime control processes and associated performance metrics.
• Oversee the development and monitoring of KRIs, KPIs, and management information reporting.
• Collaborate with business leaders, operations, legal, data, technology, internal audit, and risk partners to strengthen financial crime controls.
• Build strong partnerships across regional and global teams to ensure consistent application of financial crime standards.
• Influence senior stakeholders and drive accountability for risk management and remediation actions.
• Support strategic initiatives, product launches, acquisitions, and business changes from a financial crime risk perspective.
• Lead and develop a team of financial crime professionals, fostering a culture of risk awareness, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Promote strong regulatory compliance and ethical conduct throughout the organization.
• Contribute as a member of the Global Financial Crime leadership team, supporting enterprise-wide priorities and transformation initiatives.
• Champion talent development, succession planning, and organizational effectiveness within the Financial Crime function.

Skills

Leadership

Regulatory knowledge

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree

CAMS/CFCS/ICA Diploma

Job description

Global Payments Inc. seeks a Head of Fraud Operations to lead the UK AML and Financial Crime program, providing independent challenge and governance across sanctions, ABC, and related controls.

You will partner with executives to ensure regulator-ready risk management and scalable processes within a Second Line of Defense framework. The role requires senior leadership experience in financial crime, strong knowledge of UK regulations, and a track record of engaging with regulators and governance