Financial Crime Expert (m/w/d)

We are partnering with a leading international banking and capital markets organisation to appoint an experienced Financial Crime professional to its Frankfurt business. This is a senior, highly autonomous position within a sophisticated Corporate & Institutional Banking and Capital Markets environment. The successful candidate will act as a key Financial Crime subject-matter expert for the German business, providing independent oversight, challenge and advisory support across a broad range of Financial Crime risks. The role requires an established Financial Crime professional with the experience, credibility and judgement to operate independently, engage confidently with senior stakeholders and take ownership of complex Financial Crime and regulatory matters. Rather than a specialist focused on a single Financial Crime discipline, we are looking for someone with broad expertise who can move comfortably between regulatory matters, AML, sanctions, fraud, governance, risk assessments, monitoring and testing, and the wider control environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as a senior Financial Crime SME for the Frankfurt business, providing independent oversight, advice and constructive challenge.
• Provide expertise across AML, CTF, sanctions, fraud and wider Financial Crime risk.
• Advise the business on Financial Crime requirements and the practical application of the German regulatory framework within a Corporate & Institutional Banking and Capital Markets environment.
• Support Financial Crime governance, monitoring and testing, control testing and Enterprise-Wide Risk Assessments.
• Proactively identify emerging Financial Crime risks, potential control weaknesses and areas requiring further investigation or remediation.
• Support regulatory engagements, including interactions with BaFin and the Bundesbank, as well as regulatory audits and inspections.
• Play an active role in remediation programmes arising from regulatory reviews, internal assessments or identified control deficiencies.
• Support regulatory reporting and provide Financial Crime expertise and challenge within senior management and governance forums.
• Assess the effectiveness of Financial Crime policies, procedures, frameworks and controls, identifying opportunities to strengthen the overall control environment.
• Build strong relationships across the business and control functions while maintaining the independence required to provide effective challenge.
• Take ownership of complex Financial Crime matters, escalating where appropriate and driving issues through to resolution.
• Operate with a significant degree of autonomy as a key Financial Crime expert within the Frankfurt business.

Candidate Profile

• Approximately 8+ years of Financial Crime experience, ideally gained within a major international bank or similarly complex financial institution.
• Experience operating at Deputy MLRO level or in a position of comparable responsibility and seniority.
• Broad Financial Crime expertise spanning AML, CTF, sanctions, fraud, governance, monitoring and testing, control testing and Enterprise-Wide Risk Assessments.
• Strong knowledge of the German Financial Crime regulatory framework and associated regulatory expectations.
• Significant exposure to BaFin and/or the Bundesbank, including experience with regulatory audits, inspections, remediation programmes, reporting and governance discussions.
• Experience within Investment Banking, Capital Markets, Corporate Banking and/or Institutional Banking environments.
• A strong track record of providing independent Financial Crime oversight, challenge and advisory support to business stakeholders.
• Demonstrable experience independently managing complex Financial Crime and regulatory matters.
• Experience interacting with senior management and contributing to senior governance forums.
• The credibility and judgement to challenge senior stakeholders and influence decision-making when required.