Thistle Initiatives is a multi-award-winning organisation which offers a range of services and products to financial services firms, helping our clients through the twists and turns of the ever-changing regulatory landscape. We provide expert compliance advice and support right across the financial services sector. Our clients range from niche start-ups to long-established market leaders covering the following verticals: Investments, Payment Services, Financial Crime, Credit, Mortgages, Insurance and Change & Transformation.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Consultant to join our Financial Crime team and build a dynamic career at Thistle. Our team supports both regulated and unregulated firms, helping them navigate financial crime compliance requirements, including Anti-Money Laundering/Counter-Terrorist Financing/Counter-Proliferation Financing, Anti-Bribery and Corruption, Sanctions Compliance, Market Abuse Prevention, and Tax Evasion under FCA regulations and government legislation. We are looking for a highly motivated professional with prior consultancy experience in Financial Crime compliance. The ideal candidate will have a proven ability to manage projects end-to-end, deliver exceptional client service, and adapt to the evolving regulatory landscape. This role offers the chance to work with a diverse range of clients, providing expert guidance and practical compliance solutions. Responsibilities are wide-ranging and varied, given the exciting projects we work on. We are keen to speak to people with a passion for learning new things and problem solving.

Key Responsibilities:

• Liaising and providing support to clients on UK financial crime regulatory requirements


• High quality delivery of projects across a range of financial crime topics and controls, with a reasonable level of support where needed. Example projects could include:
  
  
  
  • Review and analyse client documentation to a competent standard whilst applying the relevant legal and regulatory frameworks
  
  
  • Providing support for FCA authorisation applications across a range of types of payment service provider firms, including liaising directly with clients to assist with technical questions and provide support with the applications
  
  
  • Writing sharp assurance reports with a reasonable level of support
  
  
  • Answering technical questions from own experience and knowledge or through informed research
  
  
  • Supporting with the implementation, enhancement or remediation of any element of the financial crime control framework (onboarding, ongoing monitoring, transaction monitoring, screening, assurance etc)
  
  
  • Where required, short term secondments with clients to perform financial crime tasks
  
  
  
  


• Starting to become a trusted advisor for clients and building strong consulting skills


• Supporting clients with the completion of regulatory reporting


• Ensuring excellent client service and building business relationships, including attending client meetings


• Keeping up to date with the FCA and industry sources to assist with providing the firm with regular updates


• Supporting with cyclical learning within the team, with a passion for sharing expertise with your peers and learning from others


• Helping with business development initiatives as we grow the Financial Crime Team

This role is not limited to the above duties, due to the nature of the role you will need to be adaptable and open to change in this position.

Experience/Qualifications

• Financial crime related professional qualification/certification an advantage


• Recent and relevant consultancy experience (or demonstrable experience in-house building and transforming frameworks)


• Excellent organisation skills with the ability to multitask


• Demonstrable experience translating regulatory rules and guidance into meaningful solutions for clients


• Strong writing, analytical and problem-solving skills


• Be numerate, articulate, and analytical and competent with all Microsoft packages.

Competencies:

Behavioural

• Commercial Awareness: Must be mindful of the commercial objectives of the firm when delivering compliance assistance


• Commitment & enthusiasm: Should have a desire to see the firm succeed


• Embraces change: Should be adaptable to the changing requirements of the regulations and be keen to develop new skills


• Communication: Ability to communicate openly and effectively, both internally and externally, in order to deliver the requirements of our client firms, with the ability to adapt to different audiences


• Personal Credibility: Must be able to establish and maintain trusting relationships with others


• Team working: Foster effective and productive working relationships. Should be considerate to the needs and opinions of others


• Pro-activity: Must actively seek new tasks and have a growth mindset


• Self-driven: with the ability to work autonomously and as a team player


• Determined attitude with the resilience and tenacity to manage projects from start to finish


• Written communication skills: should have the ability to draft written communications and documentation in an articulate way and to a high standard;


• Commitment & enthusiasm: Should have a desire to see the firm succeed;


• Individual working: must be able to work under own initiative identifying when referral needs to be made; and


• Time management: must be able to prioritise and manage time and tasks effectively, this includes a readiness to delegate where possible with efficient organisation and time management skills

Technical

• Strong awareness of the immediate and the wider implications when applying regulation in practice;


• Attention to detail: all work must be completed with the focus on quality and accuracy


• Intermediate MS Excel, MS Word and PowerPoint


• Demonstrate an ability to solve problems in a rational manner


• Ability to conduct thorough research and analyse data

We offer:

• Competitive salary and the ability to grow your career within Thistle Initiatives


• 25 - 30 days holiday entitlement depending on length of service


• Company pension scheme


• Private Medical Insurance


• Gym membership contribution


• Fantastic City of London location and working environment


• Working with dynamic teams with regular social events

If you are looking to springboard your career to the next level and would like to be part of a supportive and dynamic culture, then please apply immediately.