Senior Financial Crime Investigator – Merchant Acquiring

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United Kingdom.

📋 Description

• Performing thorough KYB evaluations on both new and existing clients to ensure compliance with regulatory standards and internal protocols.

• Analyzing client documentation, which includes merchant applications, financial records, legal contracts, and information regarding beneficial ownership.

• Assessing the adequacy and precision of information provided by customers and conducting risk evaluations based on predefined criteria.

• Investigating and addressing any red flags, discrepancies, or suspicious activities that arise during the customer due diligence process.

• Working closely with cross-functional teams, such as Compliance, Legal, and Risk, when necessary, to gather additional information or resolve inconsistencies.

• Keeping abreast of changing local and payment industry regulations, card scheme guidelines, and best practices to maintain compliance with relevant standards.

• Ensuring the maintenance of precise and current records of customer due diligence efforts, including audit trails, risk assessments, and relevant documentation.

• Contributing to the formulation and refinement of KYB policies, procedures, and tools tailored to the payments sector to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

• Offering training and support to team members regarding KYB processes, industry standards, and emerging trends.

• Reporting any potential incidents of money laundering, fraud, or suspicious activities to the Financial Crime Risk Team and appropriate authorities.

⛳️ Requirements

• Expertise in Merchant Acquiring/Payment merchant services or substantial knowledge of card scheme regulations and onboarding processes.

• Demonstrated experience in a KYC/B, AML, or compliance-focused role within the payments industry or financial services sector.

• Excellent analytical and investigative abilities, with a knack for identifying risks, analyzing complex data, and making informed decisions.

• Significant experience in performing end-to-end due diligence (KYB) and investigations on businesses (SMEs, Corporates, etc.) within a regulated environment for financial crime.

• Proven capability to conduct thorough, high-quality open-source research and analysis to validate customer profiles and transaction activities.

• Strong foundational and applied knowledge of Financial Crime, with extensive experience in Know Your Business (KYB) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) principles.

• Deep understanding of current UK and international financial crime trends and acquiring typologies, particularly those affecting acquiring (e.g., Structuring, shell merchants, Abuse of Merchant facilities, etc.).

• Comprehensive knowledge of the UK Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) framework, including consent requirements and the relevant legislative context (POCA).

🏝️ Benefits

• An annual £1,000 learning budget for books, training courses, and conferences.

• Provision of Macbooks for all employees working from home, with additional support for remote workers to enhance their home office setup.