Capital.com

Head of Financial Crime Compliance

Capital.com

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Hybrid

Location: London • United Kingdom

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Job Level

Lead

About the role

  • Lead the design, implementation, and continuous enhancement of the Group Financial Crime Framework, including policies, standards, governance structures, and risk appetite.
  • Own and develop the annual enterprise-wide Financial Crime Risk Assessment (FCRA), ensuring it drives meaningful risk insights and informs mitigation strategies and control evolution.
  • Introduce, communicate, and enforce minimum financial crime compliance standards across regions and business units to ensure consistency of practice and regulatory alignment.
  • Establish and drive strong financial crime risk management practices, embedding financial crime principles into enterprise risk frameworks.
  • Design, stand up, and temporarily incubate new operational financial crime functions (e.g., new jurisdictional AML procedures, new product control requirements, onboarding/KYC models, sanctions processes) where required due to regulatory change, product launches, or organisational restructuring.
  • Define the required processes, competencies, tooling, and KPIs for such functions to make them operationally effective.
  • Oversee early-stage execution to validate design assumptions and ensure alignment with risk appetite and regulatory expectations.
  • Manage the structured transition of these incubated functions into the First Line of Defence, ensuring they are fully capable and sustainably embedded.
  • Develop and execute a group-wide 2LOD monitoring and assurance programme to test and challenge the effectiveness of 1LOD financial crime controls.
  • Perform thematic reviews, deep dives, and targeted assessments to ensure operational adherence to minimum standards and regulatory obligations.
  • Track, challenge, and report on remediation actions, escalating deficiencies to senior management where required.
  • Provide expert 2LOD guidance and challenge to the First Line on new products, markets, technologies, and operational processes.
  • Ensure that new business initiatives incorporate effective financial crime controls from the design stage through to deployment.
  • Review and challenge risk assessments, model design, rule sets, and operational procedures to ensure they are robust, scalable, and compliant.
  • Maintain awareness of emerging global AML/CTF, sanctions, fraud, and ABC regulatory developments, and assess their impact on the group.
  • Lead regulatory change projects within the financial crime domain, ensuring frameworks and standards are updated accordingly.
  • Prepare and deliver clear MI, risk dashboards, and assurance reporting to the Executive, Board committees, and regulators.
  • Partner with Product & Technology to ensure financial crime tooling aligns with regulatory expectations, risk appetite, and minimum standards.
  • Collaborate with regional and functional leaders to embed strong financial crime governance and drive consistency across jurisdictions.
  • Contribute to building a proactive risk culture, strengthening organisational awareness and accountability for financial crime risk.
  • Build and lead a high-performing 2LOD financial crime compliance team, focused on oversight, assurance, advisory, and framework design.
  • Provide coaching, training, and development to uplift financial crime expertise across both 2LOD and 1LOD teams.
  • Champion a culture of continuous improvement, risk ownership, and regulatory excellence.

Requirements

  • 7+ years’ experience in financial crime compliance, AML advisory, risk oversight, or similar roles within financial services or fintech.
  • Proven experience designing risk management frameworks, conducting FCRAs, and establishing minimum standards.
  • Experience setting up or remediating financial crime operational functions.
  • Deep understanding of AML/CTF, sanctions, ABC, and fraud regulatory requirements.
  • Strong knowledge of financial crime systems, model design, and data-driven control performance assessment.
  • Ability to interpret regulatory expectations and translate them into scalable frameworks and standards.
  • Strong leadership and collaboration skills with the ability to influence at all levels.
  • Excellent communication and stakeholder management, with a clear, structured approach to challenge.
  • Strategic thinker with strong analytical capability and attention to detail.
  • Comfortable navigating ambiguity and driving structure in high-growth or evolving environments.
Benefits
  • Competitive Salary: We believe great work deserves great pay! Your skills and talents will be rewarded with a salary that makes you feel valued and motivated.
  • Work-Life Harmony: Join a company that genuinely cares about you - because your life outside of work matters just as much as your time on the clock. #LI-Hybrid
  • Annual Performance Bonus: Your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed! Celebrate your achievements with a well-deserved annual bonus tied to your performance.
  • Generous Time Off: Need a breather? Our annual leave policy lets you recharge and enjoy life outside of work without a worry.
  • Employee Referral Program: Love working here? Share the love! Bring your talented friends on board and get rewarded for growing our awesome team.
  • Comprehensive Health & Pension Benefits: From medical insurance to pension plans, we’ve got your back. Plus, location-specific benefits and perks!
  • Workation Wonderland: Live your digital nomad dreams with 30 extra days to work remotely from anywhere in the world (some restrictions apply). Adventure awaits!
  • Volunteer Days: Make a difference! Take two additional paid days each year to support causes you care about and give back to the community.

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard skills
financial crime complianceAML advisoryrisk oversightrisk management frameworksfinancial crime operational functionsFCRAmodel designdata-driven control performance assessmentregulatory expectations interpretationfinancial crime tooling
Soft skills
leadershipcollaborationinfluencecommunicationstakeholder managementanalytical capabilityattention to detailstrategic thinkingnavigating ambiguitycontinuous improvement