Head of Financial Crime and MLRO, YouLend

• A minimum of 8 years experience in preventing financial crime within the financial services industry, ideally in a payment institution, electronic money institution or a similar regulated entity
• Substantial experience as an MLRO for a regulated financial services institution
• Demonstrable experience in designing, implementing and managing financial crime focussed compliance frameworks within FCA-regulated entities
• Experience with assessment of strategic risk and working with stakeholders to assess and manage business-wide risk in the context of dynamic and growing operational presence
• Experience in designing transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, KYC and wider CDD processes and controls in the context of dynamic operational teams
• Experience leading regulatory reporting processes and acting as a liaison with regulators such as the FCA and NCA
• Deep familiarity with UK and EU regulatory regime for financial crime, particularly the MLRs, MLD4/5 and prominent guidance
• Experience working in B2B financing or corporate lending is desirable
• Strong knowledge of financial crime regulatory requirements, including the FCA Handbook and Payment Services Regulations (PSRs)
• Proven ability to design and assess systems and controls in response to and anticipation of regulatory risks
• Proven ability to assess and manage regulatory risks, with experience in conducting extensive and in depth compliance monitoring to identify and remediate deficiencies in ongoing controls
• Expertise in key financial crime themes such as money laundering, CDD, terrorist financing, fraud, and in depth understanding of risk mitigation frameworks
• Exceptional analytical skills, including conducting gap analyses to address new risks and regulatory developments
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience preparing high-quality reviews, assessments, and reports for senior stakeholders and regulators

• The Head of Financial Crime and MLRO will be responsible for leading and implementing a robust anti-financial crime framework, ensuring YouLend remains fully compliant with UK, EU and US financial crime regulations
• You will oversee financial crime risk assessments, transaction monitoring, KYC/AML processes, sanctions screening and fraud prevention while leveraging technology to create scalable and efficient solutions
• You will work closely with the Head of Regulatory Compliance, legal, operations, data, product, and engineering teams to develop technology-driven compliance solutions that align with YouLend’s business model
• You will also engage with regulatory bodies, external advisors, and internal stakeholders to drive compliance excellence while maintaining a pragmatic and business-friendly approach
• Develop and implement enhancements of YouLend’s financial crime framework, ensuring compliance with UK, EU, and US AML/CTF regulations
• Own and continuously enhance risk assessments and controls related to financial crime, including Business Wide AML Risk Assessments, Customer Risk Assessment, Country Risk Assessments and more
• Act as a trusted advisor and owner of financial crime expertise supporting the business in the development and execution of strategies to combat money laundering, fraud, terrorist financing, bribery and corruption and more, whilst ensuring a close alignment with YouLend’s commercial objectives and risk tolerances
• Lead the design and execution of transaction monitoring controls, ensuring they are risk-based and scalable
• Oversee all aspects of sanctions screening, fraud prevention, and AML/CTF compliance
• Manage the review of YouLend’s CDD systems and controls across UK and EU production lines, including on an ongoing basis to ensure best-in-class due diligence standards that are scalable and facilitate the expansion of YouLend’s products, operations and jurisdictional expansion
• Design, implement, and maintain robust financial crime policies, procedures and frameworks to ensure compliance with UK regulatory requirements and best industry standards (including FCA, JMLSG and jurisdiction-specific guidance)
• Lead the review and enhancement of transaction monitoring, working closely with operations, product, and data teams
• Establish escalation and investigative procedures for screening flags, SAR filings, and high-risk customer management
• Work closely with other teams including Product and Transformation, Credit Risk, Regulatory Compliance, Legal and Operations to ensure a cohesive approach to financial crime risk management
• Work with product and engineering to develop automated financial crime controls integrated into YouLend’s workflows
• Develop and deliver training programs on financial crime for employees, promoting awareness and understanding of financial crime risks and controls throughout the organisation
• Manage the investigation and operational resolution of financial crime flags escalated by first line of defence, including fraud and SARs
• Developing and implementing a comprehensive financial crime compliance monitoring plan to assess the adequacy of systems and controls, and acting to remediate any deficiencies
• Act as MLRO and primary point of contact for FCA and relevant regulatory bodies on financial crime matters
• Lead the development of MLRO reporting, internal MI and dashboards to track financial crime risks
• Oversee financial crime policy and procedure updates, ensuring compliance with evolving regulations
• Implement a training program to ensure first- and second-line teams are equipped to identify and mitigate financial crime risks
• Provide regular updates and reports on financial crime risk management activities, including key metrics and risk indicators, and present findings from investigations and risk assessments for use by senior management

• Stock Options
• Private Medical insurance via Vitality
• EAP with Health Assured
• Enhanced Maternity and Paternity Leave
• Modern and sophisticated office space in Central London
• Free Gym in office building in Holborn
• Subsidised Lunch via Feedr
• Deliveroo Allowance if working late in office
• Monthly in office Masseuse
• Team and Company Socials
• Football Power League / Squash Club

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