AML and Sanctions Compliance Program Advisory - Principal Associate

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* Job Title:

**** AML and Sanctions Compliance Program Advisory - Principal Associate
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* Location:

**** Nottingham - Hybrid
**** Working Pattern:
**** 3 days in-office (Tuesday-Thursday) and 2 days remote.
**** Our Mission
**** We’re on a mission to be a force for good in lending. Throughout our almost 30-year history, we’ve consistently been recognised as a great place to work; in 2026, Capital One was officially ranked 9th in the UK’s Best Workplaces TM list. Hear from our team about what it’s like working at Capital One UK.
**** About the Role
**** An opportunity exists for a seasoned financial crime professional to join the AML and Sanctions Compliance function. Reporting directly to the UK MLRO, this role is critical to ensuring safe business growth by designing, co-ordinating, and implementing a robust AML and Sanctions risk management programme. The successful candidate will take ownership of the end-to-end control environment, ensuring the framework is highly effective from initial onboarding through to ongoing transaction monitoring.
** What You'll Do
** Driving the AML Work Programme
* Build the framework:
Design and implement bespoke, risk-based processes focusing heavily on Customer Due Diligence (CDD), including identifying and verifying legal entities, UBOs, Directors, and PSCs, as well as Sanctions and PEP screening, and Transaction Monitoring (TM).
* Keep the wheels turning:
Ensure key AML projects, system implementations, and compliance reports are delivered accurately and on time.
* Document and define:
Take ownership of writing and updating policies, procedures, and annual training so they remain practical and fit for purpose.
* Raise the bar:
Use Quality Assurance as a coaching tool, providing actionable feedback to improve our overall SAR quality.

Strengthening the Control Environment
* Maintain the standard:
Keep AML and Sanctions requirements, as well as testing plans, strictly aligned with UK regulatory standards and JMLSG guidance.
* Test the defences:
Execute 2nd-line assurance to catch vulnerabilities in screening or TM rules before they become regulatory breaches.
* Fix what’s broken:
Take the lead on resolving risk events, tuning monitoring rules, and making sure audit findings are properly closed out.
* Build trust:
Foster relationships across the business where operational stakeholders proactively reach out when a control isn’t working as intended.
* Look at the big picture:
Dig into first line functions to ensure their frontline AML checks are comprehensive and effective.

Handling Complex Escalations
* The final set of eyes:
Provide credible challenge to first-line CDD processes, performing secondary QA checks to maintain exceptionally high compliance standards.
* Provide clarity:
Step into complex review meetings to help untangle difficult onboarding cases, tricky PEP/Sanctions alerts, or nuanced TM triggers, guiding the business to a confident decision.
** The skills and experience you'll need
*** Know the landscape: A deep, practical understanding of the UK financial crime framework, including the MLRs, JMLSG guidance, POCA, and UK/OFSI sanctions regimes.
* Deliver expertise:
Proven experience conducting end-to-end financial crime reviews in high-volume environments, effectively bridging the gap between first-line operations and second-line compliance.
* Sharpen your edge: A strong appetite for continuous learning and professional development, evidenced by accredited industry qualifications (e.g., ICA, ACAMS).
**** Where and how you'll work
**** This is a permanent position based in our Nottingham office. We embrace a hybrid approach to work. You'll spend three days a week in the office (Tuesday-Thursday), with Monday and Friday being dedicated work-from-home days.

Our…