Group Financial Crime Compliance Manager

Job Description

N.B. This is a 12 Month FTC role. 

IQ EQ Group (“IQ EQ”) is committed to maintaining the highest levels of legal and ethical standards in the conduct of its business, and places the highest importance upon its reputation for compliance with all applicable laws and rules, and for honesty and integrity. 

The overall goal of the Group Risk & Compliance (GRC) function is to protect the Group brand and to support the successful execution of the Group’s business strategy through the delivery of an integrated risk and compliance programme across the Group.  GRC aims to support the Board and senior management to fulfil their statutory and regulatory obligations, by helping to ensure compliance with the laws, regulations, principles and codes established by our regulators, and more generally by supporting the effective and continuous development and operation of the Group’s risk management framework.    

The Manager, Group Financial Crime role reflects and supports the Group’s continued commitment to combatting financial crime.  The role holder is responsible for working with the Group Head of Financial Crime Compliance (GHFCC) in a small team within the GRC function dedicated to the development and ongoing maintenance of the Group’s Financial Crime Compliance and Risk Management Programmes, reflecting  the importance that the Group places on financial crime compliance and risk management, and in light of the Group’s continued expansion. 

The role holder is responsible for supporting the GHFCC in ensuring that robust financial crime compliance and risk management measures are in place at a Group level; providing oversight and challenge across the Group to ensure that known financial crime risks and issues are being managed appropriately, escalating to the GHFCC when this is not the case; and for helping to ensure that employees are aware of the Group’s financial crime prevention obligations.

The role holder reports to the GHFCC and also works closely and collaboratively with key stakeholders, including Financial Crime Officers across the Group, to drive best practice across the Group in all matters financial crime related.

Responsibilities

Support the GHFCC in maintaining and developing  the Group’s Financial Crime (“FC”) Risk Management and Compliance Programmes in relation to the following financial crimes -

• Money Laundering;
• Terrorist Financing;
• Economic Sanctions;
• Bribery and Corruption;
• Fraud; and
• Tax evasion
• Undertake annual reviews of the Group’s FC Policies and Procedures, ensuring that they continue to reflect key regulatory requirements and industry  best practices  
• Maintain Group Higher Risk Country methodology, lists etc.
• Provide guidance as required on the application and interpretation of Group FC Policies, flagging any concerns re non-compliance to the GHFCC
• Maintain Group FC Registers including but not limited to those relating to Frauds, Sanctions Exposures & PEPs
• Monitor, in conjunction with GRC Risk Team, to ensure sufficient action is being taken to manage risks identified in the Group’s FC Registers escalating to GHFCC where this is not the case

Provide assurance on the status of the Financial Crime Programmes,  including (but not limited to) –

• Compliance with existing and upcoming regulatory requirements;
• The effectiveness or otherwise of current FC risk prevention standards, practices and controls;
• The identification of new and emerging FC risks, new methodologies etc and the management of known FC issues and exposures. 
• Undertake regular FC focused Horizon Scanning to assess the impacts of regulatory change (negative or positive) on the Group’s  FC Programmes, presenting results and proposed approaches to any changes required to the GHFCC
• Draft, for GHFCC review, regular assurance reports for GMT and GRACC on the status of the FC Programmes
• Liaise with GRC Risk Team, considering the output of their work, to determine any new higher risk FC issues arising from, but not limited to, –
  • Risk Events
  • KRI reports
  • Screening
  • Risk Registers
• Escalate FC issues, concerns and risk appetite breaches to the GHFCC together with recommended solutions to successfully manage the issues to resolution
• Support local Compliance Officers managing FC themed regulatory visits and post visit actions
• Undertake screening searches on target entities as part of the acquisition due diligence process and escalate items of concern to GHFCC
• Collate Regional FC issue summaries for FC review sessions with Regional CEOs

Promote the culture and practice of Financial Crime Compliance and Risk Management helping to ensure that, among other things –

• All staff are aware of the Group’s zero tolerance approach to FC and understand the role they play in combatting it;
• The Group is aware of the FC risks it faces; and
• The Group’s minimum FC standards and controls are well known throughout the business and embedded in practice.
• Act as point of contact and support for Financial Crime Officers in the Group, including MLROs and MLCOs, providing advice and support as required on more complex FC matters
• Provide best practice guidance to FC practitioners
• Compile lessons learned summaries from FC related regulatory findings, regulatory thematic reviews etc. to ensure that they are shared across the Group and practices and controls enhanced as required
• Update and create new FC Training modules
• Own the Group FC Training Calendar, ensuring training modules updated/in place as required to meet roll out deadlines
• Liaise with GRC Monitoring Team to ensure all FC Training completed as required

In addition to demonstrating our Group Values, the role holder will be expected to demonstrate the following:

• Strong knowledge of compliant financial crime programmes and robust risk management initiatives
• Ability to able to collaborate and influence effectively
• Hands on and collaborative approach, but with appropriate independence of mind and sound professional judgement
• Solution orientated approach to issue resolution
• Creative, with the ability to innovate
• Excellent communication and influencing skills
• Build credible relationships across IQ-EQ through consistent and authentic behavior that generates lasting trust.
• Resilience – ability to work and adapt in a fast pace and complex environment
• Cultural awareness/sensitivity, with strong emotional intelligence
• Pro-actively manage own development, encompassing both technical and leadership requirements to a level appropriate to role that supports the IQ-EQ Values