Head of Financial Crime

A Head of Financial Crime role has just come to the market for an experienced financial crime professional to join a leading international organisation in a newly created senior leadership role.

Reporting to the Risk & Compliance Partner and acting as Deputy MLRO, you will lead the firm's global financial crime function, shaping strategy and driving best practice across AML, sanctions, anti-bribery & corruption, fraud prevention, and wider financial crime compliance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver the global financial crime strategy across multiple jurisdictions.
• Act as the senior escalation point for AML, sanctions, anti-bribery and corruption, fraud, and other financial crime matters.
• Oversee complex onboarding decisions, including high-risk clients, source of wealth, and source of funds assessments.
• Manage and develop an international team of compliance professionals.
• Design, implement, and enhance financial crime policies, controls, and governance frameworks.
• Support AML governance and suspicious activity reporting obligations.
• Lead regulatory engagement, audits, inspections, and information requests.
• Drive improvements in onboarding processes, screening tools, and compliance technology.
• Design and deliver financial crime training programmes for stakeholders across the business.

About You

• 10+ years' experience in financial crime, AML, and sanctions within a law firm.
• Strong knowledge of UK AML regulations, POCA, sanctions frameworks, and the Bribery Act.
• Proven leadership experience managing and developing high-performing compliance teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to engage effectively with senior leadership.
• Commercially minded with strong judgement and a pragmatic approach to risk management.
• Experience operating across multiple jurisdictions is highly desirable.

This is a rare opportunity to build on an established framework while helping shape the future direction of financial crime compliance within a complex, global organisation.

Interested? Apply now, or reach out directly to Zali Oulton at