Merchant Acquiring Financial Crime Oversight Lead - VP

We're seeking an experienced Financial Crime professional with deep Merchant Acquiring expertise to lead Financial Crime Oversight activities for the Payments Acquiring business.

This is a senior Second Line of Defence role responsible for leading the independent oversight and assessment of the Merchant Acquiring Financial Crime Control Framework. Working closely with senior stakeholders across the business, you will provide objective challenge and assurance over the effectiveness of Financial Crime controls, helping ensure risks are identified, managed and mitigated in line with regulatory requirements and Barclays risk appetite.

As the Financial Crime Oversight Lead, you will own the oversight strategy across Merchant Acquiring, delivering risk‑based monitoring, thematic reviews, control assessments and issue oversight. You will provide critical insight to senior leadership and the MLRO on the effectiveness of the Financial Crime Framework and emerging Financial Crime risks impacting the business.

This role requires a strong understanding of Merchant Acquiring and the associated Financial Crime risks, including customer onboarding, KYC and due diligence processes, payment facilitators, marketplaces, high‑risk merchant segments, sanctions risk, transaction monitoring and evolving regulatory expectations.

This is a unique opportunity to lead Financial Crime Oversight within a complex and rapidly evolving Merchant Acquiring business. You'll play a critical role in providing independent assurance over the effectiveness of the Financial Crime Control Framework, influencing strategic risk decisions and helping shape the future oversight agenda for Barclays Payments.

Working directly with senior leadership and the MLRO, you'll provide independent insight, challenge and assurance, helping ensure the business remains resilient to evolving Financial Crime threats whilst supporting sustainable growth.

• Lead independent assessments of the Merchant Acquiring Financial Crime Control Framework, evaluating both control design and operational effectiveness.
• Own and deliver the Financial Crime Monitoring Plan, ensuring oversight activities are aligned to the evolving risk profile of the business and emerging Financial Crime threats.
• Lead thematic reviews and deep‑dived assessments in response to Financial Crime intelligence, incidents, emerging risks, regulatory developments and control weaknesses.
• Provide robust oversight and challenge of Financial Crime controls across the merchant lifecycle, identifying opportunities to strengthen the control environment.
• Oversee Financial Crime issue and event management, including root cause analysis, action tracking, remediation validation and review of closure packs.
• Analyse Financial Crime metrics, monitoring outcomes, incidents and management information to identify trends, emerging risks and systemic control weaknesses.
• Prepare and deliver reporting to the MLRO, senior management and governance forums on the effectiveness of the Financial Crime Framework.
• Provide oversight of audit, regulatory and remediation activities, ensuring sustainable and effective outcomes are delivered.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement through constructive challenge, insight‑driven oversight and engagement with key stakeholders.

To be successful as a Merchant Acquiring Financial Crime Oversight Lead VP, you should have:

• Significant Financial Crime experience within banking, payments or financial services.
• Deep Merchant Acquiring experience is essential, including knowledge of merchant onboarding, customer risk assessment, card acquiring, payment acceptance and associated Financial Crime risks.
• Extensive knowledge of AML, Sanctions, Anti‑Bribery & Corruption and wider Financial Crime regulatory requirements.
• Strong experience within a Second Line Financial Crime Oversight, Assurance, Compliance, Risk or Audit function.
• Experience leading monitoring, assurance, quality assurance or thematic review activity.
• Strong understanding of Financial Crime control frameworks, governance and issue management practices.
• Experience providing independent challenge and influencing senior…