Head of Risk and Financial Crime

Succession Wealth, part of the Aviva Group, is a leading wealth management business dedicated to helping clients achieve financial wellbeing and peace of mind. Our people are at the heart of our success, working together to deliver expert advice, strong client outcomes and a supportive, inclusive culture.

We are looking for an experienced and credible individual to join us as Head of Risk and Financial Crime. This is a key leadership role with responsibility for shaping and strengthening Risk and Financial Crime frameworks across Succession Wealth’s advice and investment businesses. Working closely with the Chief Risk Officer, you’ll help ensure our regulated entities operate within risk appetite, meet evolving regulatory requirements and continue to deliver outstanding outcomes for clients.

You’ll provide expert oversight, challenge and guidance, fostering a strong risk culture while ensuring risks are managed in a proportionate, commercial and client-focused way.

• Leading the second-line Risk and Financial Crime frameworks, setting standards and providing independent oversight and challenge while reinforcing clear first-line ownership of risk and controls.
• Providing independent oversight and constructive challenge across material risks, controls, financial crime activity and business decisions.
• Advising the Chief Risk Officer, Executive Committee and Boards through clear, forward-looking risk reporting and insight.
• Overseeing financial crime arrangements, including AML, sanctions, fraud, bribery and corruption, customer due diligence and monitoring.
• Ensuring emerging risks, incidents and control weaknesses are identified, escalated and addressed through effective, sustainable remediation.
• Providing second-line oversight of strategic transformation, major change programmes and third-party or outsourcing risks.
• Acting as a credible deputy to the Chief Risk Officer at Executive, Board and senior governance forums, bringing an enterprise-wide perspective and sound judgement to complex business decisions.
• Leading and developing a high-performing Risk and Financial Crime team, building capability, accountability and effective succession.
• Strengthening risk culture across the business and promoting informed, commercially balanced and client-focused decision-making.
• Simplifying and enhancing risk governance and reporting through effective use of data, technology, automation and AI.

You’ll be an experienced risk and/or financial crime leader who thrives on making a real difference in a complex, regulated environment. Bringing sound judgement, commercial awareness and an independent perspective, you’ll build trusted relationships, influence at the highest levels and help the business make confident, well-informed decisions.

• A strong track record in senior risk and/or financial crime leadership within wealth management, financial advice or a similarly regulated financial services business.
• Broad expertise across enterprise risk, operational risk, controls, assurance and financial crime frameworks.
• A strong understanding of FCA expectations, including Consumer Duty, SM&CR, operational resilience and financial crime requirements.
• The credibility and confidence to advise and constructively challenge Executive teams, Boards and senior stakeholders.
• Experience leading and developing specialist teams, creating an environment where people can grow, take ownership and perform at their best.
• A collaborative, commercially minded approach, underpinned by integrity, sound judgement and a clear focus on good client outcomes.

We offer a competitive salary, annual pay…