Head of Compliance & Financial Crime (Onsite)

An exceptional opportunity has arisen for an experienced compliance leader to join one of the UK’s most established digital businesses operating within the high-value transactions sector.

This is a Board-facing leadership role, with responsibility for developing, enhancing and overseeing the organisation’s compliance, financial crime, governance and enterprise risk framework. Acting as the appointed Head of Compliance and Money Laundering Reporting Officer, you will ensure the business continues to operate to high regulatory standards while supporting continued commercial growth across UK and international markets. Alongside ownership of the financial crime framework, you will also oversee data protection governance, enterprise risk and wider regulatory compliance, helping shape the organisation’s long-term control environment. This role offers genuine strategic influence, working closely with the Board and executive leadership team to ensure robust governance supports a fast-paced, technology-led business.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and continually enhance the firm’s compliance strategy, governance framework and risk management programme. Working closely with the Board and executive leadership team, provide practical regulatory guidance, strategic advice and commercially balanced challenge.
• Promote a strong culture of integrity, accountability and risk awareness across the organisation, ensuring regulatory obligations are translated into practical business processes and embedded across all departments.
• Produce meaningful Board reporting, management information and regulatory updates, ensuring senior stakeholders have clear visibility of key compliance matters, emerging risks and required actions.
• Design, maintain and develop an enterprise-wide risk management framework covering operational, regulatory, financial crime and emerging business risk.
• Develop risk appetite statements, key risk indicators and ongoing monitoring processes. Conduct enterprise risk assessments and compliance reviews, recommending pragmatic improvements where required.
• Horizon scan for legislative and regulatory developments, ensuring the business remains ahead of changing requirements while driving continuous improvement across governance, controls and internal assurance activities.
• As the appointed MLRO, hold overall responsibility for the organisation’s financial crime framework, including ownership of AML, KYC, CDD, sanctions and financial crime policy.
• Oversee customer due diligence and enhanced due diligence activity, including higher-risk and cross-border relationships. Manage suspicious activity reporting and engage with relevant authorities where appropriate.
• Monitor the effectiveness of financial crime controls, transaction monitoring and fraud prevention measures, while leading complex investigations and advising senior stakeholders on financial crime risks.

Data Protection & Information Governance

• Act as the organisation’s Data Protection Officer, maintaining compliance with UK GDPR and associated privacy legislation.
• Oversee data protection governance, breach management, DPIAs and subject access request processes. Provide practical guidance to the business on privacy‑by‑design principles and liaise with regulators where required on data protection matters.

Governance & Control Framework

• Develop and maintain policies, procedures and internal control documentation, ensuring appropriate monitoring and testing programmes are in place across key compliance controls.
• Support information security governance, working closely with technology teams on recognised standards such as ISO27001 and related control frameworks.
• Deliver regular assurance reporting, identify control gaps and recommend clear, practical improvements.

Leadership

• Lead, mentor and develop the Compliance and Risk team, establishing clear objectives, accountability and performance standards.
• Deliver engaging compliance training programmes covering AML, financial crime, conduct risk, data protection and wider regulatory obligations.
• Build strong relationships across all business functions, ensuring compliance is embedded as a trusted business partner rather than operating purely as a control function.

About You

• Experienced compliance professional combining strong technical knowledge with commercial awareness, sound judgement and excellent leadership capability.
• Significant experience leading Compliance, Financial Crime or Enterprise Risk within financial services, payments, fintech, e‑commerce or another regulated environment. Previous experience acting as an MLRO, Deputy MLRO or senior Financial Crime leader highly relevant.
• Strong understanding of AML, KYC, sanctions, fraud prevention and wider financial crime regulation. Experience developing enterprise risk frameworks, producing Board-level governance reporting and advising senior executives on regulatory and risk matters.
• Strong working knowledge of UK regulatory expectations and data protection legislation, confidence to challenge constructively when required.
• Pragmatic, solutions-focused and commercially aware, with ability to support business growth while maintaining a robust and proportionate control environment.
• Compliance qualification such as ICA, ACAMS or equivalent advantageous, as well as a data protection qualification.
• Exposure to international regulatory environments beneficial.
• Experience within high-value online trading, digital financial services, payments, investment platforms, luxury goods, precious metals or regulated e-commerce particularly relevant.
• Knowledge of information security frameworks, including ISO27001 or PCI standards, also useful.

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