Merchant Acquiring Financial Crime Policy & Advisory VP

We're seeking an experienced Financial Crime professional with specific Merchant Acquiring expertise to join our BPL Financial Crime Policy & Advisory team. This is a Second Line of Defence role responsible for supporting the MLRO by providing Financial Crime oversight, advice and challenge across the Payments Acquiring business. Working closely with stakeholders across the business, Risk and Compliance teams, you will contribute to the effective management of financial crime risks whilst supporting the business in achieving its strategic objectives.

You will provide advisory support on complex Financial Crime matters, contribute to policy and governance activities, support risk assessments and ongoing Financial Crime change programmes, and help maintain a robust control environment across the merchant lifecycle. This role requires a strong understanding of the Financial Crime risks, particularly relating to Sanctions and AML risks, associated with Merchant Acquiring, including Sanctions systems/controls/regulatory requirements; customer onboarding; payment facilitators; high-risk merchant sectors; transaction flows; sanctions exposure, AML typologies and evolving regulatory expectations.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic and supportive Merchant Acquiring Financial Crime team. You'll gain exposure to a wide range of Financial Crime risks, work alongside experienced subject matter experts, and play an important role in strengthening the control environment that supports our merchant acquiring business.

You'll have the opportunity to influence risk outcomes, contribute to strategic initiatives and build specialist expertise in one of the fastest-evolving areas of financial services.

Key Accountabilities

• Assist in providing Financial Crime advice and guidance to the Merchant Acquiring business on day-to-day risk matters, particularly in relations to Sanctions and AML
• Support with the interpretation and implementation of AML and Sanctions policies, standards and regulatory requirements.
• Review customer escalations, high-risk merchant referrals, policy exceptions and risk assessments, providing clear and risk-based recommendations.
• Assist in the oversight of change programmes, audit actions and regulatory deliverables, ensuring actions are tracked and completed effectively.
• Perform analysis of Financial Crime metrics, incidents, emerging threats and industry developments to identify potential risks and control improvements.
• Support the development and enhancement of Sanctions and AML policies, procedures and risk management frameworks.
• Assistance in producing high-quality management information, analysis, briefing papers and governance materials for stakeholders and committees.
• Contribute to thematic reviews, deep dives and oversight activities to assess the effectiveness of Financial Crime controls.

To be successful as a Merchant Acquiring Financial Crime Policy & Advisory VP, you must have the following essential skills;

• Proven experience of working in a Fintech or Payments firm, in a Financial Crime role
• Detailed knowledge of Sanctions, AML, and wider Financial Crime risk management principles
• Experience analysing complex information, identifying risks and providing clear recommendations
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills to work with the business and navigate complex Financial Crime matters
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality outputs in a fast-paced environment

Some other highly valued skills may include;

• Ideally, experience working within a Second Line Financial Crime, Compliance or Risk team.
• Knowledge around card scheme requirements, payment facilitators, marketplaces and higher-risk merchant sectors preferred.
• Experience preparing management information, governance papers and risk reporting
• Strong analytical, problem-solving skills and use of data analytics desired.

You may be assessed on key critical skills relevant for success in the role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen, strategic thinking and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills.

This role will be based in London or Northampton.

Barclays’ payments acceptance business provides critical infrastructure to the UK economy, processing billions of pounds of payments annually for both small businesses and domestic and international corporate clients.

In April 2025, we announced a long-term partnership with Brookfield Asset Management to grow and transform the payments acceptance business by broadening the range of services offered, enhancing the experience for both existing and prospective clients. Leveraging extensive client relationships and deep experience of UK payments, we will create an environment of continuous innovation - activated by Brookfield’s global private equity expertise in payments, technology, operational transformation and corporate carve-outs - to ensure the business is strategically positioned for long-term growth.

Barclays will invest approximately £400m in the new business, the majority of which will be incurred during the first three years. Performance-linked incentives will drive greater alignment between the partners, underpinning the long-term commitment to the transformation. Barclays and Brookfield will work to create a standalone entity over time, continuing to use the Barclaycard Payments brand and acting as the sole payments acceptance services provider to Barclays’ clients for a minimum of ten years. 

For more information on our partnership with Brookfield (programme ‘Gaia’), please visit Barclays.com.

Purpose of the role

To provide data-led expert oversight and check and challenge on business and compliance matters to evidence that the organisation is operating in a compliance with Barclays legal, regulatory and ethical responsibilities. 

Accountabilities

• Identification and assessment of compliance risks through thorough reviews of business activities, changes, processes, testing and systems to.
• Identification and investigation of potential market abuse, including but not limited to, Insider Dealing, Unlawful Disclosure, Market Manipulation or Anti-Competitive Conduct.
• Conduct investigation of compliance risk events or breaches. Oversight and check and challenge of corrective actions and preventative measures to avoid future occurrences.
• Implementation of compliance policies and procedures in line with regulatory requirements and ensuring that the bank’s internal policies are aligned with international standards, including jurisdictional requirements.
• Collaboration with 1LOD, other relevant Compliance teams and legal, and relevant risk management functions to facilitate a comprehensive approach to compliance and risk management.
• Identification, investigation and oversight of potential money laundering, terrorist financing or other financial crime.

Assistant Vice President Expectations

• To advise and influence decision making, contribute to policy development and take responsibility for operational effectiveness. Collaborate closely with other functions/ business divisions.
• Lead a team performing complex tasks, using well developed professional knowledge and skills to deliver on work that impacts the whole business function. Set objectives and coach employees in pursuit of those objectives, appraisal of performance relative to objectives and determination of reward outcomes
• If the position has leadership responsibilities, People Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.
• OR for an individual contributor, they will lead collaborative assignments and guide team members through structured assignments, identify the need for the inclusion of other areas of specialisation to complete assignments. They will identify new directions for assignments and/ or projects, identifying a combination of cross functional methodologies or practices to meet required outcomes.
• Consult on complex issues; providing advice to People Leaders to support the resolution of escalated issues.
• Identify ways to mitigate risk and developing new policies/procedures in support of the control and governance agenda.
• Take ownership for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work done.
• Perform work that is closely related to that of other areas, which requires understanding of how areas coordinate and contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the organisation sub-function.
• Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategy.
• Engage in complex analysis of data from multiple sources of information, internal and external sources such as procedures and practises (in other areas, teams, companies, etc).to solve problems creatively and effectively.
• Communicate complex information. 'Complex' information could include sensitive information or information that is difficult to communicate because of its content or its audience.
• Influence or convince stakeholders to achieve outcomes.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.