Job Description

aberdeen plc is one of Europe’s largest investment companies, and we are built on a long-standing culture of caring about the future and making a positive impact.

Together we invest for a better future. We do it to make a difference to the lives of our clients and customers, our employees, society, and our shareholders. Our business is structured around three distinct areas focused on our clients' changing needs. 

• aberdeen Investments – a leading investment management business looking after £368bn of assets for Institutional, Wholesale and Insurance clients 

• aberdeen Adviser – one of the UK’s largest providers of platform services to financial advisers with £75bn in assets across our Wrap and Elevate platforms 

• interactive investor – the UK’s most trusted investment platform for individual investors with 430,000 customers who have invested almost £75bn with us  

Our strategy is to build a vibrant and value-creating purpose-led organisation, with the current and future needs of our stakeholders at the heart of all we do. 

About the department

The Global Client Group within the Investments Business at aberdeen is dedicated to ensuring that client needs are met with the highest standards of service and compliance. This team plays a crucial role in managing client relationships and ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements. The Client Risk and Governance team, reporting to the Chief Client Officer, focuses on strengthening oversight and control of client onboarding and ongoing governance.

About the Role

Through the delivery of proportionate, risk-based oversight of aberdeen Investments distributor population, you will work across internal and external parties to ensure aberdeen adhere with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Product Governance obligations. Working in the First Line of Defence (1LOD), you will be responsible for executing KYC and Due Diligence on new and existing relationships. The job role will include but not limited to the following activities:

Key Responsibilities

• Due Diligence and Oversight: Perform proportional, risk-based due diligence and oversight of distributors at onboarding and on an ongoing basis, adhering to regulatory landscapes such as CSSF circular 18/698 in Luxembourg and FCA Product Governance & Consumer Duty rules in the UK.

• Client Onboarding and Review: Execute timely client onboarding, periodic review of Know Your Distributor (KYD)/AML, Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD)/Customer Due Diligence (CDD), and Ongoing Due Diligence (ODD), ensuring accurate completion of risk assessments and checklists.

• Flexibility with Customer Types: Adapt to working with various customer types, including distributors, B2B sub-distributors, institutional investors, intragroup entities, related parties, and fund assets.

• Screening and Compliance: Perform screening of all related parties against PEP/Sanctions and adverse media, escalating ML/FC suspicions in line with policies and procedures.

• Liaison and Reporting: Liaise with the second Line of Defence (2LOD)/AFC and distributors to obtain key performance indicator data, analyse it, and provide qualitative reporting through internal governance forums.

• Relationship Building and Coordination: Build and develop relationships with internal stakeholder teams to support the DG&O process and raise awareness of DGO’s remit and responsibilities.

• Team Management and Documentation: Assist the Head of DG&O with day-to-day team management, including managing mailboxes, reviewing and maintaining key documentation, and preparing reports, escalations, and Board papers.

• Oversight of BAU Activities: Maintain oversight of BAU activities and tasks, ensuring priorities are assessed and deadlines met.

• Service Provider Management: Act as the primary point of contact for key service providers, managing platforms, monitoring user access, and processing entity Due Diligence Questionnaires.

• Guidance and Support: Provide guidance to clients, client-facing, or investment teams on KYC requirements and support technological implementation and automation of processes.

• Knowledge and Compliance: Keep up to date with ML/FC obligations and risks, reviewing internal templates, policies, and procedures.

• Technology Strategy: Assist the Head of DG&O in working with Aberdeen’s technology teams to develop, implement, and maintain the team’s data and technology strategy.

About the Candidate

The ideal candidate will possess the following:

• Comprehensive Regulatory Knowledge: In-depth understanding of Global, EU, UK, and Luxembourg AML and delegate compliance regulations.

• KYC Expertise: Extensive experience in KYC onboarding and refresh processes within the fund industry.

• Regulatory and Industry Awareness: Proven awareness of regulatory and industry standards, with a strong commitment to developing and implementing robust governance frameworks.

• Report Writing and Presentation Skills: Exceptional ability to write reports and deliver presentations effectively.

• Language Proficiency: Fluent in both oral and written English; proficiency in additional languages is advantageous.

• Technical Proficiency: Solid working knowledge of Microsoft Office products.

• AML/KYC Toolkit Experience: Hands-on experience with AML/KYC toolkits, including World-Check One and aberdActimize.

Our business 
 
Enabling our clients to be better investors drives everything we do. Our business is structured around three distinct areas – our vectors of growth – focused on our clients’ changing needs. You can find out more about what we do here. 
 
An inclusive way of working 
 
Whatever way you like to work, if you have the talent and commitment to join our team, we’d like to hear from you. 
 
At aberdeen we’ve adopted a ‘blended working’ approach. This approach combines the benefits of face-to-face collaboration, coaching and connecting in our offices with the flexibility of working from home. It enables colleagues to find a balance that works for their roles, their teams, our clients and our business. 
 
An inclusive culture, where diverse perspectives drive our actions, is at the core of who we are and what we do. If you need assistance with your application, or a reasonable adjustment to your interview arrangements – for example, because you are neurodivergent, or have a physical, sensory, cognitive, mental, visible or invisible disability – please let us know and we’ll be happy to help. 

We’re committed to providing an inclusive workplace where all forms of difference are valued and which is free from any form of unfair or unlawful treatment.  We define diversity in its broadest sense – this includes but is not limited to our diversity of educational and professional backgrounds, experience, cognitive and neurodiversity, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief and ethnicity and geographical provenance.  We support a culture that values meritocracy, fairness and transparency and welcomes enquiries from everyone.

If you need assistance or an adjustment due to a disability please let us know as part of your application and we will assist.