Head of Financial Crime

Are you ready to start your career in a rapidly progressing company with service at the heart of everything we do? Then you’ve come to the right place.

We are GC Partners and we are a specialist financial exchange company. We help Private and Corporate clients move their money at the best rate, using our 20 years of experience, our bespoke technology and dedication to customer service. We have 6 offices around the globe including Hong Kong and Dubai, with further expansion in the future.

If you have a collaborative and adaptable work ethic, a drive for success and are looking for your next opportunity then we would like to hear from you.

Job Purpose

We are looking for a self-motivated Head of Financial Crime and Deputy Money Laundering Reporting Officer (DMLRO) who is an expert in their field, ready to contribute their insights and ideas to support the business’s sustainable growth objectives. The ideal candidate will confidently take initiative, with a focus on efficiency and automation at the core of their planning. The perfect addition to our team will possess a strong understanding of the inherent risks associated with financial crime and how these risks may manifest in an operational context. They should be able to communicate these concepts in layman’s terms to the business. A solid grasp of the business model, its clients, and the products and services offered is essential, enabling them to develop tailored solutions that meet the business’s specific needs. 

In this role, you will primarily be responsible for:  

• Design, implement, and oversee a comprehensive financial crime framework, including anti-money laundering (AML), counter-terrorism financing (CTF), sanctions, anti-bribery, corruption, fraud, and cybercrime, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and internal risk appetites. 

• Develop and execute a financial crime prevention strategy, with a specific focus on preventing fraud and cybercrime, integrating advanced detection methods, industry best practices, and regulatory requirements. 

• Maintain the financial crime business-wide risk assessment (BWRA), ensuring frequent risk assessments of fraud, cybercrime, and other financial crime threats across all business lines, customer types, and geographical locations, with effective mitigation controls. 

• Line management of the financial crime team, overseeing day-to-day operations, providing clear direction, and ensuring the team is equipped with the necessary resources, skills, and training. Conduct regular performance reviews, set objectives, and offer mentorship to foster career growth and engagement. 

Duties/Responsibilities

• Lead fraud prevention efforts, ensuring the team is well-versed in fraud detection, prevention strategies, and ongoing fraud risk assessments. Implement fraud monitoring systems and ensure the team efficiently responds to emerging fraud trends.
• Develop and manage training programmes for staff across the organisation, ensuring all employees understand financial crime, fraud, and cyber risks. Provide specialised training for the financial crime team, tailored to specific roles and responsibilities within the department.
• Instruct event-driven reviews, leading the team in analysing and mitigating financial crime, fraud, and cyber risks triggered by incidents, regulatory updates, or suspicious customer activity, ensuring rapid adjustment of controls where necessary.
• Oversee 2nd-line monitoring and assurance activities, ensuring the financial crime team implements effective monitoring of systems and controls to detect weaknesses in financial crime, fraud, and cybercrime defences.
• Provide assurance to senior management that these risks are well managed.
• Supervise the investigation of suspicious activity reports (SARs), fraud incidents, and cyber-related threats, guiding the team in the accurate and timely reporting of suspicious activities to regulatory authorities. Escalate high-risk cases internally as needed.
• Provide oversight of Bank Requests for Information (RFIs) related to financial crime including fraud inquiries, ensuring the team delivers timely, compliant, and thorough responses.
• Maintain strong relationships with banks and external stakeholders to ensure effective communication and collaboration.
• Implement and monitor advanced fraud detection tools and threat monitoring systems, ensuring the financial crime team utilises technology-driven solutions (e.g., machine learning, data analytics) to proactively detect suspicious activity.
• Regularly review and update financial crime policies and testing of the first-line procedures in adherence with the policy, ensuring the financial crime team is aligned with emerging threats and regulatory changes. Encourage a culture of continuous improvement within the team.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (e.g., legal, IT, cyber security, audit) and ensure the financial crime team effectively engages with other departments to adopt a holistic approach to financial crime, fraud, and cyber risk management.
• Reporting of accurate data to senior management. Prepare reports and maintain and enhance dashboards that highlight key risk indicators (KRIs) and ongoing mitigation efforts.
• Engage with regulators and industry bodies, guiding the financial crime team in staying informed on the latest trends in fraud, cyber threats, and financial crime regulations. Proactively adapt the organisation’s financial crime framework in line with these developments.
• Foster a positive team culture, encouraging collaboration, continuous learning, and knowledge-sharing within the financial crime team. Ensure the team remains agile, efficient, and capable of responding to emerging financial crime and fraud challenges.
• Act as the deputy to the Nominated Officer/Money Laundering Reporting Officer where they are unable to undertake their duties which include but are not limited to regulatory reporting to the FCA and HMRC, regulatory liaison, engagement with law enforcement and submission of SARs to the FIU.
• Accountable for understanding Consumer Duty policy and procedures; partnering and collaborating within the team to achieve set standards.
• Exhibit GC values: accountability, passion, integrity, excellence, collaboration and personalisation.

Qualification & Experience

Essential:

• A minimum of 5 years relevant experience within an FCA-regulated financial institution.
• A recent background in dealing with Fraud Risks.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Expert attention to detail.
• Line management experience of financial crime teams.
• Excellent command of both written and spoken English.
• Strong understanding of obligations under the UK regulation, relevant guidance and recommendations from competent bodies.
• Proven track record in developing and maintaining a control framework.
• Preventative and strategic planning.
• Experience in the development of threat response plans.

Desirable:

• 3 years experience in an Authorised Payments Institution or Electronic Money Institution.
• 1-2 years experience in a Money Service Business (MSB) offering Money Remittance and Foreign Exchange.
• Understanding of the National Risk Assessment.
• Demonstrated understanding of the unique risks posed to MSBs from a money laundering perspective.
• Experience in Jira Workflow Management and wider Atlassian Suite or similar ticketing system.

Benefits of working at GC Partners

• Workplace pension – employer contributions
• 25 days of holiday per year, plus bank holidays
• Employee assistance programme
• A truly global business with opportunities for growth
• Plus additional benefits

Equal Opportunities

At GC Partners, we value diversity and inclusivity. We believe in celebrating our differences, no matter what that looks like. Join us in creating a workplace where everyone can thrive.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and each applicant is given fair consideration throughout the recruitment process.

If you’re interested in joining the GC team, please apply below.

Click here to apply

Please be aware that due to the volume of applicants, we may not be able to respond to all applications.