Head of Compliance & MLRO Job London area,Greater London England UK,Finance & Banking

Location: Greater London

Overview

Alexander Barnes is leading the search for a Head of Compliance & MLRO for a fast-scaling, AI-driven payments business based in London

This hire will own the firm’s compliance and financial crime framework end-to-end, acting as MLRO while building the foundations of a scalable compliance function.

The business operates in a low-risk environment today, with clear future regulatory exposure as it grows.

Purpose of the role

This role owns AML and compliance outcomes across the business. From policy and controls through monitoring, escalation, and reporting, with responsibility for building sensible, commercial frameworks that support growth.
The role will define and deliver a pragmatic compliance programme covering:
AML and financial crime
Compliance governance and internal controls
Regulatory readiness for future licensing

Key responsibilities

End-to-end AML ownership: Act as MLRO, owning financial crime risk across customers, transactions, and internal processes, including oversight of monitoring, reviews, and escalations.

Compliance framework build: Design, implement, and refine compliance policies, controls, and procedures aligned to the firm’s current risk profile and growth plans.

Founder and product partnership: Work closely with founders, product, AI, and operations teams to embed compliance into how the business is built and scaled.

Risk and judgement: Provide clear, commercially aware guidance on compliance and financial crime issues, balancing control with speed of execution.

Regulatory groundwork: Prepare the business for future regulatory engagement and licensing without over-engineering controls too early.

Reporting and visibility: Own compliance reporting for leadership, giving clear views on risk, incidents, and control effectiveness.

Ideal candidates will bring

Experience in fintech, payments, or financial crime, with strong AML fundamentals.
Comfort stepping into a Head of Compliance & MLRO role early, without a large team or heavy process.
Good judgement and confidence owning decisions in ambiguous environments.
Experience working closely with product or operations teams rather than in isolation.
Clear communication and the ability to translate risk into practical action.

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