Role Overview

We are looking for a Financial Crime Manager, a key Second Line of Defence (2LOD) position, to lead the completion and enhancement of the Bank's enterprise-wide Financial Crime Risk Assessment (FCRA), ensuring it accurately reflects the Bank's evolving products, services, customer base, delivery channels and financial crime risk profile. Working closely with stakeholders across the business, the role holder will assess inherent and residual financial crime risks, evaluate the effectiveness of existing controls and identify opportunities to strengthen the Bank's overall financial crime framework.

The role will also contribute to business-as-usual activities and responding to emerging priorities as required. This may include providing independent assurance, guidance, and oversight on AML/CTF, fraud, and sanctions risks, ensuring LHV Bank operates in line with regulatory expectations, internal policies, and its stated risk appetite.

This is a fixed-term role until the end of 2026 but is central to maintaining a proportionate and risk-based Financial Crime Framework across Retail Banking, SME Lending, and Banking Services, while partnering closely with the First Line to ensure controls are well-designed, embedded, and continuously improved.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the completion and enhancement of the Bank's enterprise-wide Financial Crime Risk Assessment, working with stakeholders across the business to identify, assess and document inherent and residual financial crime risks. Where required, undertake targeted financial crime risk assessments for new or amended products, services and business initiatives to ensure appropriate controls are identified and embedded prior to implementation.
• Collaborate with Product, Risk, Operations, and Technology teams to ensure anti-financial crime (AFC) controls are appropriately embedded in customer journeys and supported by scalable infrastructure.
• Provide effective oversight and challenge of 1LoD transaction monitoring, screening, and fraud operations, and assess the adequacy of alerts, tuning, and case outcomes.
• Maintain the bank’s Financial Crime Framework, including policies and standards for AML, CTF, fraud prevention, sanctions, PEPs, and high-risk client typologies.
• Where required review and support Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) submissions, maintain MI on trends, and liaise with external bodies such as the FCA and NCA.
• Track and interpret regulatory developments, guidance (e.g., JMLSG, FATF), and emerging typologies.
• If required, support the preparation of Board, ExCo, and Risk Committee materials, contributing to governance packs and risk MI relating to financial crime risk posture.
• Promote a culture of risk awareness

 

Key Capabilities, Skills & Knowledge Requirements:

To succeed in this role, you will need strong technical knowledge and have previously led or materially contributed to an enterprise-wide Financial Crime Risk Assessment, preferably within a bank. You will need to be able to facilitate discussions with business stakeholders, assess the effectiveness of controls, and produce a robust, regulator-ready assessment within a short timeframe.

We are looking for someone with a hands-on operational capability, and sound judgment in financial crime matters, particularly across AML, fraud, and sanctions risk.

Essential

• Strong knowledge of the UK financial crime regulatory framework, including AML/CTF, sanctions and FCA expectations.
• Experience conducting or leading enterprise-wide and/or product-specific Financial Crime Risk Assessments.
• Good understanding of key financial crime controls, including CDD, EDD, transaction monitoring, sanctions screening and suspicious activity reporting.
• Ability to assess risks, evaluate control effectiveness and make pragmatic, risk-based recommendations.
• Strong analytical skills, with experience interpreting management information and risk data.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across the business.
• Experience preparing clear, concise reports and presenting findings to senior stakeholders.

Desirable

• Experience within retail banking, SME banking, fintech or Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS).
• ICA, ACAMS or equivalent financial crime qualification.