Financial Crime – Customer Due Diligence (CDD) Specialist

The Customer Due Diligence (CDD) Specialist is a technical role responsible for delivering high-quality judgement-based CDD and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) for complex SME-lending cases.

The role exists to restore and strengthen specialist SME CDD capability following increased volume and complexity arising from business growth and acquisition activity. It plays a critical role in protecting Shawbrooks SME-lending franchise by ensuring robust audit-ready decisioning where automation is not appropriate.

The role adds value by:

• Enabling timely high-quality SME lending decisions
• Reducing regulatory remediation and reputational risk
• Acting as a subject-matter expert and coach within Financial Crime Operations

Key Role Responsibilities

• Conduct and approve complex CDD and Enhanced Due Diligence reviews with a primary focus on SME-lending cases.
• Act as a subject-matter expert for SME CDD interpreting complex borrower structures ownership control and associated financial crime risks.
• Assess and articulate risk clearly producing well-reasoned audit-ready decision rationale and evidence packs.
• Advise Relationship Managers Credit and other stakeholders on evidence requirements and CDD expectations for higher-risk SME transactions.
• Support the management of increased CDD volumes arising from acquisition activity and business growth.
• Coach and support analysts through complex cases remediation activity and capability uplift.
• Maintain high standards of quality consistency and regulatory compliance across all assigned work.
• Liaise with second-line compliance internal audit and regulators on technical CDD matters as required.

Qualifications :

Skills & Experience

Shawbrook is committed to providing opportunities to all candidates and understand that not all candidates may possess a qualification or education aligned to the role. We will assess each candidate on their individual experience and skills and not solely on level of education.

• Several years practical experience in AML / CDD within a UK financial services environment.
• Demonstrable experience of SME-lending CDD including complex and bespoke borrower structures.
• Strong technical understanding of AML CDD EDD and relevant UK regulatory expectations.
• Proven ability to make sound judgement-based decisions that are not easily automated.
• Experience producing clear defensible written decision rationale suitable for audit and regulatory review.
• Comfortable working independently on complex matters while supporting and coaching others.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to explain requirements pragmatically.
• Familiarity with case-management systems and CDD tooling.
• AML / Financial Crime accreditation (e.g. ICA ACAMS) desirable but not essential.

Additional Information :

Your Wellbeing - We take your health and well-being very seriously by providing a range of benefits to give you and your family peace of mind. These include:

• Market leading family friendly policies such as access to our Maternity Adoption and Paternity policies from Day 1 of your employment
• Free access to Headspace a mindfulness & meditation digital health app
• Free access to Peppy digital health app that offers personalised support through fertility treatment becoming a parent or menopause
• EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) - Offering you support on a wide range of subjects including financial concerns mental wellbeing and more general queries around family work housing and health
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounts on gym membership
• Contributory pension scheme & death in service

Your Lifestyle - Its important you strike the right balance between your work and personal life. We provide benefits to support you when at work and when youre enjoying your leisure time.

• Minimum of 27 days holiday per year
• Option to buy or sell holiday days through our flexi-holiday scheme
• Discounts on gym membership nationwide
• Access to discounts on a range of high street and online brands
• Community support and charitable giving

Your Contribution - Were focused on rewarding those that go the extra mile in helping us achieve our goals.

• Participation in our annual discretionary bonus scheme designed to reward your contribution to our success
• Proudly Shawbrook recognition scheme focused on recognising our role models and thanking our colleagues for a job well done

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time