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Head of Financial Crime Execution

London, United Kingdom

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Date live: 23/07/2025

Business Area: Financial Crime Execution

Area of Expertise: Compliance

Contract: Permanent

Reference Code: JR-0000065895

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Barclays Compliance

Compliance is a broad, multidisciplinary function at Barclays that oversees our global business operations. We ensure the bank lives its values, meets regulatory requirements, and follows our codes of conduct. Compliance helps manage financial affairs safely, prevents crime, and eliminates bad practices, acting as guardians for customers, colleagues, assets, shareholders, and reputation. This vital, challenging, and rewarding role protects customers, defends our reputation, and defines our business practices. Without Compliance, Barclays could not operate.

The UK Corporate Banking Head of Financial Crime Execution is responsible for ensuring that UK Corporate effectively plans, designs and executes strategies to minimize financial crime risk, including Anti - money laundering, terrorist financing, sanctions and bribery and corruption, in line with Barclays Group Financial Crime Policies and Standards.  In doing so, the role holder protects the Bank, its Clients and its employees, as well as wider society, from the serious and negative effects of financial crime.

Key Accountabilities

  • Maintain broad and comprehensive knowledge of Regulatory change and legislation, industry theories and practices alongside up-to-date relevant sector / functional knowledge, and insight into thematic drivers of inherent risk.
  • Review and challenge risk assessments to understand inherent risks within the business and to ensure controls are effective in tackling residual risk.
  • Identify and evaluate financial crime risks and control weaknesses. Analyse the likelihood and severity of identified risks to determine their overall impact on the organisation.​
  • Deliver Financial Crime challenge and oversight as part of the Integrated Financial Crime Strategic Vision.
    • Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the business integrates with other group functions, providing direction, clarity and supplier oversight.
    • Lead the identification of Thematic risks and co-ordinate/drive enhancements to our control environment.
    • Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in often complex/time sensitive situations.​
    • Work with a variety of senior stakeholders (including business, technology, security) to provide proactive updates and to ensure that our operating model meets regulatory expectation and business need.
    • Collaborate with others to deliver effective risk management and compliance in related processes (e.g. customer on-boarding, suspicious activity monitoring and reporting, screening, customer due diligence and enhanced due diligence, etc.) whilst ensuring the business is able to safely grow.
  • Define and oversee various programmes as Accountable Executive, working with teams undertaking transformation activity.
  • Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions, offering significant input to oversight, strategic initiatives and Financial Crime risk management.
  • Provide scale leadership to the Financial Crime Execution team, which combines a variety of functions including event driven scenarios and proactive Governance and Control direction and support.
  • Work with second line of defence functions to influence and shape the bank’s policies and standards and ensure that focus is consistently applied to areas of mutually defined priority.
  • Proactively engage and update Senior Leaders inc Executive Committee members with progress around planned activity and transformation alongside escalation of live risk.

Purpose of the role

To provide data-led expert oversight and check and challenge on business and compliance matters to evidence that the organisation is operating in a compliance with Barclays legal, regulatory and ethical responsibilities. 

Accountabilities

  • Identification and assessment of compliance risks through thorough reviews of business activities, changes, processes, testing and systems to.
  • Identification and investigation of potential market abuse, including but not limited to, Insider Dealing, Unlawful Disclosure, Market Manipulation or Anti-Competitive Conduct.
  • Conduct investigation of compliance risk events or breaches. Oversight and check and challenge of corrective actions and preventative measures to avoid future occurrences.
  • Implementation of compliance policies and procedures in line with regulatory requirements and ensuring that the bank’s internal policies are aligned with international standards, including jurisdictional requirements.
  • Collaboration with 1LOD, other relevant Compliance teams and legal, and relevant risk management functions to facilitate a comprehensive approach to compliance and risk management.
  • Identification, investigation and oversight of potential money laundering, terrorist financing or other financial crime.

Managing Director Expectations

  • To manage a large, complex or diverse function and take accountability for the strategic direction of the function to significantly strengthen successful and efficient businesses and contribute to the strategic initiatives of the Barclays Group
  • Lead and mentor high performing teams and embed a performance culture aligned to the values of the business. Or for an individual contributor, they lead organisation wide projects, act as a profound technical expert and thought leader, Identifying new and innovative/ground breaking ways of working. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions.
  • Drive and achieve overall success and / or competitiveness of a business division by influencing senior leaders and committees.
  • Strategically assess and manage risks to protect the business division / function and growth.
  • Influence company policy and develop functional procedures in conjunction with senior leaders / strategic positions across the business.
  • Demonstrate interpretative thinking for innovative solutions in complex situations and conceptual thinking in completely new situations.
  • Exercise management authority to make significant / complex business and strategic decisions that impact the Barclays Group, business division or function.
  • Negotiate with and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally and foster growth for Barclays business.
  • Mandated as the business division/ functional spokesperson or representative to external bodies and shapes the public image of Barclays.
  • Demonstrate exceptional knowledge of how business divisions and functions integrate with the Group to achieve the overall business objectives alongside industry theories and practices within own discipline.
  • Maintain broad and comprehensive functional expertise and significant product knowledge.
  • Accountable for the control and governance agenda of the business division / function.
  • Focus on the external environment, regulators, or advocacy groups to both monitor and influence on behalf of Barclays.

All Senior Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.

Barclays welcomes applications from all candidates and is committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments (accommodations) are put in place to allow for a fair and inclusive recruitment process. For more information and how to request one, please review Adjustments to the recruitment process.

We’re a global, vital and highly respected financial organisation with an inspiring Purpose. Operating in 39 countries and employing around 100,000 people across the world, we help communities, individuals and businesses thrive. And we’ve created financial solutions and technology that the world now takes for granted. A career with us can offer incredible variety, depth and breadth of experience, and the chance to learn from some of the best minds in technology and finance.

To find out more about Barclays' strategy please click here.

We are an equal opportunity employer and opposed to discrimination on any grounds. It is the policy of Barclays to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, colour, creed, religion, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by law.

Barclays is required by law to confirm that you have the Legal Right to Work in any role that you apply for. If you currently hold a work visa sponsored by Barclays, or you would require sponsorship from Barclays, you must declare this as part of your application. Sponsored visas are role and entity specific and any changes must be reviewed. It is important that you ensure you are working on the correct visa at all times. Failure to accurately disclose your visa status or Legal Right to Work may result in your application or any employment offer being withdrawn at any time.

This is Barclays London

Our global HQ is in Canary Wharf, at the heart of London’s financial district. There are over 10,000 colleagues here – a hugely diverse workforce made up of the world’s best financial and tech talent. If you love the buzz of city life, this is the place to be.

Cycle or run to work? We’ve got everything you need – from cycle hire and parking areas to new showering and changing facilities.

CoSpace is our drop-in co-working space, where networks are built, problems are solved collectively and our community is strengthened.

Our Wellness Suite includes a well-equipped gym and exercise studios, and provides personal training sessions and massage therapy.

Our new trading floors enhance communication, integrate sustainability, and support health and wellbeing through innovative design and British-sourced furniture.

This is Barclays London

Our global HQ is in Canary Wharf, at the heart of London’s financial district. There are over 10,000 colleagues here – a hugely diverse workforce made up of the world’s best financial and tech talent. If you love the buzz of city life, this is the place to be.

Supporting active commuters

Cycle or run to work? We’ve got everything you need – from cycle hire and parking areas to new showering and changing facilities.

Time to connect

CoSpace is our drop-in co-working space, where networks are built, problems are solved collectively and our community is strengthened.

Wellbeing in focus

Our Wellness Suite includes a well-equipped gym and exercise studios, and provides personal training sessions and massage therapy.

Advanced trading floors

Our new trading floors enhance communication, integrate sustainability, and support health and wellbeing through innovative design and British-sourced furniture.

Multicultural ERGs at Barclays

Be you. Be valued. Belong.

We celebrate the unique perspectives and experiences each individual brings, believing our differences make us stronger and drive success.

You can learn more about our commitment to our colleague on our Inclusion and Opportunities page.

Learn more

Application Process

Your application

We’ll ask for information about you, your CV and cover letter.

1

Your assessment

Covering your behaviours and ability at work.

2

Your interview

Exploring your past experiences and skills.

3

Next step

We’ll request additional information so that you can complete our screening process

4
Barclays

Working flexibly

We’re committed to providing a supportive and inclusive culture and environment for you to work in. This environment recognises and supports your personal needs, alongside the professional needs of our business. If you'd like to explore flexible working arrangements, please discuss this with the hiring manager. Your request will be reviewed in-line with the requirements of the role/business needs of the team.

Hybrid working

We have a structured approach to hybrid working, where colleagues work at an onsite location on fixed, ‘anchor’, days, as set by the business area. Please discuss the working pattern requirements for the role you are applying for with the hiring manager. Please note that working arrangements may be subject to change on reasonable notice to ensure we meet the needs of our business.

Barclays is built on an international scale.

Our geographic reach, our wide variety of functions, businesses, roles and locations reflect the rich diversity of our worldwide customer base. All of which means we offer incredible variety, depth and breadth of experience.
And the chance to learn from a globally diverse mix of colleagues, including some of the very best minds in banking, finance, technology and business. Throughout, we’ll encourage you to embrace mobility, exploring every part of our operations as you build your career.

Find more information

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Multicultural ERGs at Barclays

Be you. Be valued. Belong.

We celebrate the unique perspectives and experiences each individual brings, believing our differences make us stronger and drive success.

You can learn more about our commitment to our colleague on our Inclusion and Opportunities page.

Learn more