Head of Financial Crime Operations
Challenger Bank – London (Hybrid)
We’re hiring an experienced Financial Crime leader who still operates as a true SME, someone who has built controls, handled escalations, and understands exactly how financial crime risk plays out in real time across payments, onboarding and monitoring.
The Role
You’ll operate as a senior 1st Line leader across financial crime operations, working across:
* Client onboarding, KYC, CDD & EDD
* Transaction monitoring (including rules, tuning & escalations)
* Screening (name and payments)
* Fraud exposure, including APP and payments risk
You’ll be hands-on where it matters. Reviewing complex cases, challenging decisions, and supporting the build and refinement of controls across a growing, evolving environment.
This is:
* A true 1LoD leadership role, close to operations
* A role where you’ll own escalations and decisioning, not just review policy
* A position working with complex client types i.e. payment firms and higher-risk segments
* A fast-paced environment where structure is evolving
Apply if you have:
* Strong first line financial crime operations experience within a regulated banking environment
* Deep, practical understanding of transaction monitoring, including rules, scenarios/client behaviour
* Broad capability across KYC, EDD, screening & fraud (not just one pillar)
* Experience dealing with high-risk clients and complex structures
* Comfortable operating in a hands-on, delivery-focused role
* Able to balance detail and leadership in a small, high-performing team
* Exposure to payments, fintech / embedded banking environments is highly relevant, particularly where combined with banking-level controls and regulatory expectations.
Interested?
If you’re currently operating in a hands-on 1LoD role and want a position where you can genuinely shape and influence how financial crime is run, get in touch. Send your CV to or apply below 👇