Financial Crime Operations Analyst

Job description:

• Role Title: Financial Crime Operations Analyst
• Division: Financial Crime
• Location: Liverpool
• Contract: Permanent
• Role Purpose

The Financial Crime Operations Analyst will support the effective operation of the firm's financial crime control framework by reviewing, investigating and resolving alerts generated through transaction monitoring, customer screening and payment or transaction screening systems.

The role will assess alerts proportionately and within agreed service levels, document clear and evidence-based decisions, escalate potential financial crime concerns and help ensure that clients and transactions are managed in line with legal, regulatory and internal requirements.

The successful candidate will combine sound financial crime knowledge with strong analytical judgement, attention to detail and the ability to manage a varied operational workload within a regulated wealth and asset management environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Review and investigate transaction monitoring alerts, assessing customer activity against expected behaviour, known customer information and relevant risk indicators.
• Determine whether transaction monitoring alerts can be closed with a clear rationale or require escalation for further investigation.
• Review customer screening alerts relating to sanctions, politically exposed persons, relatives and close associates, adverse media and other relevant watchlists.
• Distinguish false positives from potential matches using available client data, reliable sources and established matching criteria.
• Review payment and transaction screening alerts promptly to support appropriate decisions before payments or transactions are released, rejected, suspended or escalated.
• Escalate confirmed, suspected or complex matches, unusual activity and potential policy breaches in accordance with documented procedures.
• Record alert investigations, evidence considered, decisions and rationale accurately within relevant systems and case management records.
• Complete alert reviews within agreed service levels while maintaining required quality and control standards.
• Apply a risk-based approach, taking account of customer risk, jurisdiction, product, transaction type and other relevant contextual factors.
• Request and assess additional information where required to reach a supported decision.
• Support the identification and referral of matters that may require enhanced due diligence, restrictions, suspicious activity consideration or other management action.
• Undertake quality checks, peer reviews or case sampling where required and respond constructively to quality findings.
• Identify recurring alert themes, control weaknesses, system issues or data quality concerns and raise these with management.
• Contribute to management information on alert volumes, outcomes, ageing, backlogs, escalations, service levels and quality.
• Support the review and improvement of procedures, guidance, alert-handling standards and operational controls.
• Assist with testing, tuning, implementation or optimisation of transaction monitoring and screening systems where required.
• Support regulatory reviews, audits, assurance activity and requests for information by providing complete and accurate records.
• Maintain current knowledge of relevant financial crime risks, regulatory developments, typologies and internal requirements.
• Work collaboratively with Financial Crime Compliance, Operations, Client-facing teams and other relevant stakeholders to resolve alerts and manage risk.
• Undertake ad hoc financial crime activities, investigations, projects, remediation exercises and other team tasks as business needs arise.

Skills & Knowledge

• Experience in a financial crime, compliance, operations, payments, fraud or investigation role within a regulated financial services environment.
• Practical experience reviewing transaction monitoring, customer screening or payment and transaction screening alerts is desirable.
• Sound understanding of anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, proliferation financing, sanctions, politically exposed persons, fraud and related financial crime risks.
• Ability to analyse customer, payment and transactional information and reach clear, proportionate and evidence-based decisions.
• Strong attention to detail, with the ability to maintain accurate and complete case records.
• Ability to identify material risk indicators and recognise when a matter requires escalation.
• Good written communication skills, including the ability to produce concise investigation summaries and decision rationales.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, alert queues and deadlines while maintaining quality.
• Confidence using screening, transaction monitoring, case management and data or reporting systems.
• Ability to work independently within defined procedures and collaboratively across teams.
• Experience in wealth management, private banking, asset management, payments or trust services is desirable.
• Knowledge of customer due diligence, enhanced due diligence and suspicious activity escalation processes is desirable.
• Relevant professional qualification, such as ICA or equivalent financial crime certification, is desirable.

Measures of Success

• Accurate and timely review and resolution of transaction monitoring, customer screening and payment or transaction screening alerts.
• Clear, consistent and evidence-based case records and decision rationales.
• Appropriate and timely escalation of potential financial crime concerns and material control issues.
• Achievement of agreed service levels, productivity requirements and quality standards.
• Effective contribution to backlog management, management information and continuous improvement activity.
• Positive feedback from management and stakeholders regarding judgement, responsiveness and quality of work.