AML and Sanctions Compliance Program Advisory - Principal Associate

Job Title:

AML and Sanctions Compliance Program Advisory
- Principal Associate

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™ list. Hear from our team about what it’s like working at Capital One UK.

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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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).

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 offices are designed to inspire and support you. At our Nottingham head office, you'll find an on-site…