Head of Financial Crime and Mlro

**About Us**
**YouLend is the preferred global embedded financing platform for many of the world's leading e-commerce sites, tech companies and payment services providers such as Amazon, eBay, Shopify, Mollie, Dojo, Paysafe, Just Eat Takeaway and Takepayments. Our software platform and APIs enable our partners to offer flexible financing products, in their desired branding, to their merchant base. With YouLend's AI-driven credit risk assessment solutions, more merchants and SMEs than ever can receive fast, flexible and affordable funding. We operate in 9+ geographies across the UK, EU and the US.

We believe that the future of financial services will be delivered by customer-oriented tech companies that embed financing in their customer journeys, and we are building the solutions that will power that future. YouLend is an authorised payment institution in the UK, and are actively looking to expand their regulatory presence.

**The Role**:
**The Head of Financial Crime and MLRO will be responsible for leading and implementing a robust anti-financial crime framework, ensuring YouLend remains fully compliant with UK, EU and US financial crime regulations. You will oversee financial crime risk assessments, transaction monitoring, KYC/AML processes, sanctions screening and fraud prevention while leveraging technology to create scalable and efficient solutions.

You will work closely with the Head of Regulatory Compliance, legal, operations, data, product, and engineering teams to develop technology-driven compliance solutions that align with YouLend’s business model. You will also engage with regulatory bodies, external advisors, and internal stakeholders to drive compliance excellence while maintaining a pragmatic and business-friendly approach.

**Requirements**:
**Strategic Financial Crime Leadership**
- Develop and implement enhancements of **YouLend’s financial crime framework**, ensuring compliance with **UK, EU, and US AML/CTF regulations**.
- Own and continuously enhance risk assessments and controls related to financial crime, including **Business Wide AML Risk Assessments, Customer Risk Assessment, Country Risk Assessments**and more.
- Act as a trusted advisor and owner of financial crime expertise supporting the business in the development and execution of strategies to combat money laundering, fraud, terrorist financing, bribery and corruption and more, whilst ensuring a close alignment with YouLend’s commercial objectives and risk tolerances.
- Lead the **design and execution of transaction monitoring controls**, ensuring they are risk-based and scalable.
- Oversee all aspects of **sanctions screening, fraud prevention, and AML/CTF compliance**.

**Financial Crime Systems and Controls**
- Manage the review of YouLend’s **CDD**systems and controls across **UK and EU production lines**, including on an ongoing basis to ensure best-in-class due diligence standards that are scalable and facilitate the expansion of YouLend’s products, operations and jurisdictional expansion.
- Design, implement, and maintain robust financial crime policies, procedures and frameworks to ensure compliance with UK regulatory requirements and best industry standards (including FCA, JMLSG and jurisdiction-specific guidance)
- Lead the **review and enhancement of transaction monitoring**, working closely with **operations, product, and data teams**.
- Establish escalation and investigative procedures for **screening flags, SAR filings, and high-risk customer management**.
- Work closely with other teams including Product and Transformation, Credit Risk, Regulatory Compliance, Legal and Operations to ensure a cohesive approach to financial crime risk management.
- Work with product and engineering to develop **automated financial crime controls** integrated into YouLend’s workflows.
- **Develop and deliver training programs** on financial crime for employees, promoting awareness and understanding of financial crime risks and controls throughout the organisation.
- Manage the **investigation and operational resolution of financial crime flags** escalated by first line of defence, including fraud and SARs.
- Developing and implementing a **comprehensive financial crime compliance monitoring plan** to assess the adequacy of systems and controls, and acting to remediate any deficiencies.

**Governance & Regulatory Engagement**
- Act as **MLRO** and primary point of contact for **FCA and relevant regulatory bodies** on financial crime matters.
- Lead the development of **MLRO reporting, internal MI and dashboards** to track financial crime risks.
- Oversee financial crime **policy and procedure updates**, ensuring compliance with evolving regulations.
- Implement a **training program** to ensure first
- and second-line teams are equipped to identify and mitigate financial crime risks.
- Provide **regular updates and reports** on financial crime risk management activities, including key metrics and risk indicators, and present findin