Grant Thornton UK
CDD Onboarding Lead
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CDD Onboarding Lead
Senior Manager – CDD Onboarding Lead
(Financial Crime & Compliance Practice, Grant Thornton UK LLP)
About Grant Thornton
At Grant Thornton, we do things differently. We champion ambition, drive innovation, and champion positive change in our industry by:
- Providing audit, tax, and advisory services through strategic insight, curiosity, and genuine partnership.
- Empowering our 5,000+ UK team with real opportunity, inclusion, and work-life balance.
- Operating across 150 global markets, Larson on a journey from great to exceptional by shaping the future of our industry.
We’re more than your typical big-four accountancy firm—we’re a platinum alternative, delivering personalised, proactive, and agile service that goes beyond expectations.
About The Team
Our Client Due Diligence (CDD) practice is at the heart of our Financial Crime Team, supporting clients in:
- Onboarding
- Compliance remediation
- Ongoing regulatory adherence
Demand for CDD services is growing, and we’re investing in leadership to ensure we dare importantly for clients and colleagues alike. This is your chance to help redefine the industry while advancing your own career.
A Look Into The Role
As a Senior Manager – CDD Onboarding Lead, you’ll oversee large-scale CDD onboarding engagements, leading a team delivering high-quality client due diligence reviews. This leadership role demands:
- Deep expertise in CDD/AML frameworks and people leadership.
- A commitment to quality and right-first-time mentality.
- Responsibility for setting high standards, driving performance, and managing priorities.
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Day-to-Day Challenges & Successes
- Manage end-to-end CDD onboarding, ensuring compliance with KYC/AML regulatory requirements.
- Act as a primary point of contact for senior stakeholders, providing progress updates while managing risks.
- Mentor and develop a high-performing team, balancing workloads, coaching, and talent nurturing.
- Maintain governance over CDD frameworks, ensuring consistency with evolving regulations.
- Escalate complex cases (PEPs, sanctions, adverse media, multi-jurisdictional challenges) for risk-based decision-making.
- Train new colleagues in technical CDD knowledge, bolstering team capability.
Not just another “box-ticking” role—this is about driving real impact.
Knowing You’re Right for Us
Essential Requirements
✔ Significant demonstrable experience in CDD/KYC onboarding within a financial services or professional services environment. ✔ Proven leadership track record in managing and developing large teams for deadline-driven engagements. ✔ Strategic mindset: Experience setting and delivering beyond expectations in complex environments.
Preferred Skills & Experience
(You don’t have to have all of these—we’ll invest in your growth!) ✔ CDD platform rollouts (e.g., new systems, case management, operating models). ✔ Appointment within corporate CDD onboarding challenges, including:
- Complex corporate structures
- Multi-jurisdictional entities
- High-risk escalation ✔ Ability to manage competing priorities under pressure—clear delegation, swift decision-making. ✔ Strong technical knowledge of:
- Sanctions lists
- PEP screening frameworks
- Adverse media ✔ Fluent stakeholder management skills at Partner/Director level. ✔ Professional qualifications (e.g., ICA, ACAMS, CISI) are a plus, but not mandatory. ✔ Analytical expertise in navigating corporate ownership chains and risk assessment.
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Building with You: What Grant Thornton Offers
Our Culture: Inclusive, Curious & Curious Out
Chance ignites our values—purposefulness, active curiosity, and kindness. We work for what’s right, for:
- Our customers (strategic trust models)
- **People (a sense of belonging, challenge and growth development)
- The world (positive impact in communities and businesses)
Our culture thrives on inclusivity—your uniqueness is celebrated, and you’re encouraged to bring your whole self to work.
Work Flexibility & Life Balance
- Flexible working options available for all roles.
- Transparent reward & benefits policies, including family-friendly leave options.
- A culture that embraces passion-driven balance—whether it’s charitable work, mentorship, or entrepreneurship.
Impact Beyond the Job
Life isn’t just about work—it’s about a legacy. At Grant Thornton, employees actively contribute through:
- Skill exchange programs
- Secondments
- Fundraising for local charities
- Supporting entrepreneurs.
We stand for doing what’s right, for clients, teams, communities, and ourselves.
Ready to take your career to new ground under exceptional leadership? Apply today—because new ground won’t break itself.
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