Job Description
At Aberdeen, our ambition is to be the UK’s leading Wealth & Investments group.
Strengthening talent and culture is one of our strategic priorities. We strive to make Aberdeen a great place to work so that we can attract and retain the industry’s best talent.
Our people put our stakeholders at the heart of everything they do by helping us to make a positive difference to the lives of our clients, customers, colleagues, shareholders, and society.
We are focused on growing our direct and advised wealth platforms and repositioning our specialist asset management business to meet client demand. We are committed to providing excellent client service, supported by leading technology and talent.
Aberdeen comprises three businesses, interactive investor (ii), Investments, and Adviser, each of which focuses on meeting and adapting to our clients’ evolving needs:
interactive investor, the UK’s second largest direct-to-consumer investment platform, enables individuals in the UK to plan, save, and invest in the way that works for them.
Our Adviser business provides financial planning solutions and technology for UK financial advisers, enabling them to create value for their customers.
Our Investments business is a specialist asset manager that focuses on areas where we have both strength and scale to capitalise on the key themes shaping the market, through either public markets or alternative asset classes.
About the Department
The Anti‑Financial Crime (AFC) function sits within Risk & Compliance and plays a critical role in protecting the organisation, its clients, and broader financial markets. The team partners closely with the business and corporate functions to identify, assess, and manage financial crime risk, ensuring robust governance, regulatory compliance, and effective controls across all jurisdictions in which Aberdeen operates.
About the Role
The Anti‑Financial Crime Lead – Risk Identification & Control is responsible for shaping and executing the organisation’s approach to risk identification, investigations, and control within the Global AFC function.
This role includes acting as the UK Nominated Officer, coordinating financial crime investigations, designing and overseeing the Financial Crime Enterprise‑Wide Risk Assessment (EWRA) methodology, and managing key systems owned by the second line of defence.
Reporting to the Deputy Global Head of Anti‑Financial Crime, the role requires strong technical expertise, strategic judgement, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders across the organisation and other corporate functions.
Key Responsibilities
Design, implement, and maintain the AFC Enterprise‑Wide Risk Assessment framework, ensuring it remains effective and aligned to regulatory expectations
Lead the annual EWRA process, including planning, stakeholder engagement, analysis, reporting, and presentation to senior management and governance committees
Oversee the operation and compliance of AFC‑owned systems within the second line of defence
Manage system enhancements, user access controls, and data integrity to support effective risk identification and control
Own and lead financial crime investigations, ensuring timely, thorough, and compliant outcomes
Act as the UK Nominated Officer, providing oversight of suspicious activity reporting and managing the end‑to‑end reporting lifecycle
Provide expert advisory support on financial crime risk identification and control, including maintenance of AFC risk methodologies and country risk assessments
Design and deliver targeted training to promote best practice and address capability gaps
Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including regulators and auditors
Manage and develop a team of two professionals, providing clear objectives, coaching, and performance management
About the Candidate
The ideal candidate will possess the following:
Extensive experience in anti‑financial crime, risk management, and regulatory compliance
Proven expertise in leading Financial Crime Enterprise‑Wide Risk Assessments
Strong experience designing and embedding financial crime risk and control frameworks
Demonstrated capability in leading investigations and managing suspicious activity reporting
Experience managing risk and control systems with a strong focus on governance and data quality
Strong analytical skills and the ability to translate complex risk information into actionable insight
Proven leadership capability, with experience developing teams and influencing senior stakeholders
Excellent communication skills, including engagement with regulators and auditors
We are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer. If you have a disability and would like to apply to one of our UK roles under the Disability Confident Scheme, please notify us by completing the relevant section in our candidate questionnaire. One of our team will reach out to support you through your application process.
Our benefits
There's more to working life than coming home with a good salary. We have an environment where you can learn, get involved and be supported.
When you join us, your reward will be one of the best around. This includes 40 days’ annual leave, a 16% employer pension contribution, a discretionary performance-based bonus (where applicable), private healthcare and a range of flexible benefits – including gym discounts, season ticket loans and access to an employee discount portal. You can read more about our benefits here.
Our business
Enabling our clients to be better investors drives everything we do. Our business is structured around three distinct areas – our vectors of growth – focused on our clients’ changing needs. You can find out more about what we do here.
An inclusive way of working
Whatever way you like to work, if you have the talent and commitment to join our team, we’d like to hear from you.
At Aberdeen we’ve adopted a ‘blended working’ approach. This approach combines the benefits of face-to-face collaboration, coaching and connecting in our offices with the flexibility of working from home. It enables colleagues to find a balance that works for their roles, their teams, our clients and our business.
An inclusive culture, where diverse perspectives drive our actions, is at the core of who we are and what we do. If you need assistance with your application, or a reasonable adjustment to your interview arrangements – for example, because you are neurodivergent, or have a physical, sensory, cognitive, mental, visible or invisible disability – please let us know and we’ll be happy to help.