Head of Financial Crime Risk Assessment

We are looking for a Head of Financial Crime (FC) Risk Assessment to lead and scale our first-line FC risk assessment framework across our entities. In this role, you will be responsible for the 1LoD execution of assessments focused on AML/CTF, sanctions, fraud and related typologies, while establishing robust governance and remediation standards.

Your mission:

• Manage and enhance the end-to-end FC risk assessment lifecycle, including risk identification, scoring, and control effectiveness.
• Establish and maintain a scalable governance framework covering ownership, completion tracking, and escalations across all Wise entities.
• Ensure alignment across risk frameworks (e.g., product risk assessments).
• Drive continuous improvement of the methodology execution through standardization and technology enablement.
• Perform regulatory impact analysis and identify jurisdiction-specific risks, typologies, regulatory expectations.
• Maintain a comprehensive framework for challenging and tracking remediation plans for control gaps and/or elevated residual risks identified during assessments.
• Partner with the Analytics team to enhance data reporting, dashboards, and quality.
• Design and drive adoption of metrics and indicators for quarterly reporting.
• Prepare high-quality materials, dashboards, and trend analysis for senior management and risk committees.
• Act as a key 1LOD point of contact supporting regulatory exams, process walkthroughs, and audit requests relating to FC risk assessments.
• Ensure risk assessments align with business growth, digital transformation strategies, and risk appetite statements.
• Lead a small team (currently 1 direct report) and provide prioritization and performance management; with potential to grow the team over time in line with program needs.

Qualifications:

• Significant experience leading Financial Crime risk assessments in a complex financial institution, including multi-entity or multi-region scope.
• Demonstrated ownership of risk assessment methodology design, including scoring models, materiality, and control effectiveness integration.
• Proven ability to effectively communicate with Product, Analytics, and 2LOD Compliance and Risk teams.
• Strong capacity to prioritize tasks, maintain a problem-solving mindset, and take ownership to drive and deliver projects from inception to completion with high attention to detail.
• Strong data literacy with the ability to scrutinize metrics.
• Experience implementing or running risk processes in GRC/workflow tools (e.g., internal tooling like Optro, or equivalent platforms).