Financial Crime Compliance Specialist

This is an exceptional opportunity for you to join a leading global financial institution in Amsterdam as a Financial Crime Compliance Specialist. You will thrive in an inspiring, enthusiastic, and entrepreneurial environment that values collaboration, diversity, and professional growth. Do you want to play a pivotal role in shaping and implementing a robust financial crime framework. Please keep on reading!

What you'll do:
As a Financial Crime Compliance Specialist, you will be instrumental in developing and maintaining robust policies that protect the organisation from money laundering, sanctions violations, fraud, and other forms of financial crime. Your day-to-day responsibilities will involve collaborating closely with senior compliance officers to design effective frameworks that meet both regulatory requirements and business needs. You will act as a trusted advisor for colleagues across various departments, addressing queries related to financial crime compliance while proactively identifying areas for improvement. By monitoring control effectiveness and coordinating global screening processes, you will help ensure that all entities operate within established risk appetites. Your analytical skills will be put to use in detecting emerging threats through data-driven insights while your ability to document processes ensures operational excellence. Success in this role requires not only technical knowledge but also strong interpersonal skills to navigate complex stakeholder landscapes with empathy and professionalism.

• Contribute to the delivery of the annual Global Compliance Plan by supporting key initiatives related to financial crime prevention and detection across all business units.
• Draft, review, and implement comprehensive financial crime frameworks that align with evolving AML (Anti-Money Laundering), CTF (Counter-Terrorist Financing), sanctions, and anti-fraud regulations.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for internal stakeholders on all matters relating to financial crime compliance, providing expert guidance and practical solutions.
• Take ownership of core business-as-usual activities such as screening issues, sanction queries, anti-fraud investigations, periodic reviews, and dashboard reporting to ensure ongoing compliance.
• Monitor the implementation of financial crime controls and initiatives by conducting regular assessments to identify weaknesses and propose actionable improvements.
• Signal emerging risks and typologies in the financial crime landscape by staying abreast of regulatory developments and industry best practices.
• Coordinate the global name screening tool process, including onboarding new entities and ensuring effective communication between business units worldwide.
• Support continuous improvement efforts by leveraging data analytics to detect unusual patterns of behaviour indicative of potential financial crime.
• Maintain up-to-date governance documentation and business process records to support transparency and accountability within the compliance function.
• Navigate complex organisational structures by balancing regulatory expectations with practical implementation challenges across diverse geographies.

What you bring:
To excel as a Financial Crime Compliance Specialist in this setting, you will bring substantial hands-on experience gained from working within complex organisations facing multifaceted regulatory demands. Your background should include deep familiarity with anti-money laundering protocols, counter-terrorist financing measures, sanctions compliance frameworks, fraud risk management strategies, as well as exposure to insurance or asset management sectors. You are known for your ability to build rapport quickly with colleagues at all levels, listening actively to their concerns while offering clear direction rooted in empathy. Your communication style is sensitive to cultural differences yet always precise; you are comfortable presenting findings or recommendations both verbally and in writing. Organisational complexity does not faze you, you have honed your skills navigating matrixed environments where influencing without authority is essential. Your approach combines strategic insight with meticulous attention to detail: whether reviewing dashboards or updating governance documents you ensure accuracy at every step. Above all else you are committed to upholding ethical standards while fostering an inclusive atmosphere where everyone feels valued.

• Demonstrated experience, ideally around eight years, in financial crime compliance or consulting within the financial services sector, preferably insurance or asset management.
• Solid understanding of relevant regulations such as AML (Anti-Money Laundering), CTF (Counter-Terrorist Financing), sanctions regimes, anti-fraud measures, and their application within large organisations.
• Proven ability to design, implement, and monitor practical solutions for managing financial crime risks in complex international environments.
• Excellent relationship management skills with a track record of building trust-based partnerships across functions and geographies.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication abilities tailored for multicultural audiences; adept at presenting information clearly to diverse stakeholders.
• Strong planning, prioritising, goal-setting capabilities combined with sound judgement when making compliance decisions or escalating issues appropriately.
• Hands-on approach with willingness to take ownership from drafting policies through to implementation; able to work independently yet collaboratively within teams.
• Creative thinker who can support innovation while maintaining rigorous risk management standards; quick learner displaying enthusiasm for new challenges.
• Professional resilience coupled with emotional intelligence; able to remain grounded under pressure while engaging constructively with others.
• Relevant professional qualifications in Regulatory Compliance or Audit; certification in Financial Crime Compliance (e.g., ACAMS or ICA) is advantageous.

What's next:
If you are ready to make a impact on global financial crime prevention while advancing your career within an inclusive international team, please apply now!

Robert Walters Netherlands is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.