Robert Walters
Head of Financial Crime
London
Posted 2 days ago
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Head of Financial Crime
A prestigious global law firm is seeking a Head of Financial Crime to lead and shape its financial crime function within the Risk & Compliance team. This newly created senior leadership position offers you the opportunity to set and deliver the firm's financial crime strategy across an international network of offices, working closely with senior stakeholders. You will serve as the deputy MLRO.
Responsibilities
- Act as the firm's senior specialist and principal escalation point for anti-money laundering (AML), sanctions, anti-bribery and corruption, fraud prevention, and broader financial crime risks across all offices.
- Set and drive the global financial crime strategy aligned with regulatory expectations such as those of the SRA and equivalent bodies in other jurisdictions.
- Provide clear leadership, direction, and day-to-day line management to Compliance Managers, Risk & Compliance Officers in multiple regions including London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, as well as a Sanctions Lawyer.
- Serve as the senior decision-maker on high-risk client matters including escalations related to complex source of funds enquiries, sanctions exposure, and elevated financial crime issues referred by regional offices.
- Lead the development, drafting, and periodic review of financial crime policies, procedures, and controls to ensure effectiveness across all jurisdictions where the firm operates.
- Monitor legal and regulatory developments relevant to financial crime—including sanctions regimes—and advise senior stakeholders on their implications for the business.
- Support General Counsel/Global MLRO and regional MLROs regarding suspicious activity reporting obligations and contribute to the wider AML governance framework.
- Engage proactively with regulators and authorities on financial crime matters by supporting audits, inspections, information requests, and maintaining open communication channels.
- Design management information systems and key performance indicators relating to financial crime risk assessment, onboarding turnaround times, and quality of client due diligence reporting.
- Champion improvements to onboarding systems, screening tools, compliance technology, and process enhancements to increase efficiency and effectiveness of financial crime controls.
- Develop and deliver comprehensive firmwide training programmes on financial crime awareness for Partners, fee earners, and business services staff.
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Requirements
- At least 10 years' experience specialising in financial crime compliance—including AML and sanctions—gained within a leading law firm or regulated professional services environment.
- Detailed knowledge of UK financial crime legislation such as Money Laundering Regulations (MLR), POCA (Proceeds of Crime Act), Bribery Act 2010 plus familiarity with international regulatory frameworks relevant to global office networks.
- Proven track record leading, developing, and managing compliance or financial crime teams ideally across multiple jurisdictions or offices demonstrating collaborative leadership skills.
- Experience designing, implementing policies, controls, governance frameworks within regulated businesses ensuring alignment with commercial needs without compromising risk management standards.
- Strong commercial judgement balancing robust risk mitigation against practical requirements of busy international law firms while maintaining sensitivity to local regulations.
- Excellent stakeholder management, influencing, and communication skills enabling you to engage effectively with Partners, senior management, regulators, external authorities.
- Sound discretion, confidentiality, and diplomacy when handling complex sensitive financial crime issues ensuring trustworthiness and reliability among colleagues, clients, and regulators alike.
- Familiarity with onboarding systems, screening tools, compliance technology, and process improvement initiatives advantageous for driving operational efficiency and innovation within compliance functions.
- Flexibility and willingness to travel internationally as required supporting global office network, fostering inter-personal connections between teams, and enhancing cross-border collaboration.
- Commitment to promoting diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity within professional environments contributing positively towards a communal, supportive workplace culture.
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Skills
Anti-Money Laundering (AML)
Sanctions Compliance
Anti-Bribery and Corruption
Fraud Prevention
Financial Crime Strategy
Stakeholder Management
Regulatory Compliance
Risk Management
Policy Development
Client Due Diligence
Governance Frameworks
Team Leadership
SRA Regulations
Compliance Technology
International Law
Suspicious Activity Reporting
Location