Money Laundering Officer (MLRO)

📋 Description

• • Serve as the registered Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) with full accountability for suspicious activity reporting (SAR) submissions and direct engagement with the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
• • Own and evolve the group’s risk framework, including the risk register, risk appetite statements, and implementation of the three-lines-of-defence model across the organisation.
• • Lead all aspects of AML and financial crime compliance, ensuring adherence to the Proceeds of Crime Act, Money Laundering Regulations, and GDPR across all business operations.
• • Oversee KYC controls, sanctions screening, and SAR reporting processes, continuously optimising systems to manage high volumes of customer onboarding and transactional activity.
• • Conduct regulatory horizon scanning to monitor evolving regulatory requirements and translate findings into actionable compliance plans for senior leadership.
• • Maintain and enhance control effectiveness by overseeing first-line self-assessments and second-line assurance activities, ensuring audit findings are resolved within agreed SLAs.
• • Partner with commercial teams, product developers, and business leaders to embed compliance into operational workflows and product design, enabling growth within defined risk appetite.
• • Manage relationships with external regulators, auditors, and third-party providers with professionalism and regulatory precision.
• • Oversee the selection, implementation, and optimisation of compliance technologies, including AML monitoring systems and case management platforms.
• • Monitor, measure, and report on compliance KPIs and risk posture through regular updates to the COO, CEO, and senior leadership.
• • Manage and develop a compliance team, including line management of junior staff, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and regulatory excellence.
• • Act as the primary point of contact for all regulatory inquiries and inspections, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant responses.
• • Translate complex regulatory obligations into practical, business-enabling policies and procedures that support scalable growth without compromising compliance standards.
• • Ensure all compliance activities align with the company’s status as a certified B Corp and Carbon Neutral Business, reinforcing ethical and sustainable operational practices.
• • Drive continuous improvement in compliance processes through data-driven analysis, identifying trends, gaps, and opportunities for automation or systemic enhancement.
• • Support the company’s expansion into new payments and financial services markets by proactively assessing regulatory implications and designing scalable compliance frameworks.
• • Collaborate with finance, operations, and technology teams to ensure compliance requirements are integrated into platform development and customer-facing workflows.
• • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of UK and international AML standards, including updates from the FCA, PRA, and HMRC, and ensure internal policies reflect current regulatory expectations.
• • Deliver clear, concise, and strategic briefings to non-compliance stakeholders, translating regulatory jargon into business-relevant insights.
• • Ensure all compliance documentation is accurate, auditable, and maintained in accordance with statutory retention requirements.