FVP, AML Policy,Advisory&Sanctions Lead

About UOB

United Overseas Bank Limited (UOB) is a leading bank in Asia with a global network of more than 500 branches and offices in 19 countries and territories in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. In Asia, we operate through our head office in Singapore and banking subsidiaries in China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, as well as branches and offices. Our history spans more than 80 years. Over this time, we have been guided by our values – Honorable, Enterprising, United and Committed. This means we always strive to do what is right, build for the future, work as one team and pursue long-term success. It is how we work, consistently, be it towards the company, our colleagues or our customers.

Job Description

The position reports directly to the Head of Anti Financial Crime (AFC), Country Compliance and the incumbent is required to formulate, drive and provide advisory on the establishment and implementation of UOBM’s Financial Crime Risk Management framework, Compliance Charter, policies, standards and programs. This role provides strategic advisory support to business units and stakeholders, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements, global best practices, and internal risk appetite. The incumbent will also play a key role in regulatory engagement, thematic reviews, and training initiatives. This includes driving initiatives and activities in line with UOB Group’s strategic direction, regulatory and global standards to ensure compliance with applicable local and Group’s AML/CFT and Sanctions laws, rules, regulations and guidelines.

The Incumbent’s Major Job Functions Include

Policy Formulation

• Lead the review and enhancement of AML/CFT and Sanctions policies, standards, and procedures against Group and local regulatory requirements to ensure full implementation.
• Oversight on Business / Support Units (BSU) AML/CFT/Sanctions procedures in compliance with UOBM Policy and regulatory requirements.
• Provide clarity to BSU to meet AML/CFT/Sanctions expectations and requirements.
• Ensure policies are aligned with local and international regulatory requirements (e.g., BNM, FATF, OFAC, UN).
• Oversee the governance framework for policy approvals and periodic reviews.
  
  

Advisory

• Provide expert advisory to BSU on AML/CFT and Sanctions-related matters.
• Customer due diligence advisory and clearance and recommendation: on-boarding and continuous monitoring.
• Trade sanctions monitoring, advisory and clearance including database management and filtration criteria.
• AML/CFT/Sanctions risk exposure assessment for new product on-boarding and new regulatory requirements affecting existing products including annual review.
• Collaborate with other stakeholders (internal stakeholders, Legal, Risk, and Operations, BU) to address complex issues and emerging risks.
• Serve as a key point of contact for regulatory queries and inspections.
• Drive the AML/CFT and Sanctions Enterprise Risk Assessment Exercise.
  
  

Governance

• Keep abreast of the latest AML/CFT and Sanctions trends and assist in providing updates to the Senior Management/Group Compliance on any AML/CFT and Sanctions risks the Bank is facing, as well as any emerging AML/CFT and Sanctions risks.
• Provide accurate and timely reporting for senior management.
• Maintenance of AML/CFT/Sanctions System management and internal database.
  
  

Day to Day Clearance of AML/CFT Cases

• To assess the Customer Relationship Review and provide AML/CFT consent for request/action plan submitted by BSU due to adverse media, restricted relationships or questionable activities on their customers.
• To assess and provide clearance on High-Risk Customers and Political Exposed Persons/Corporations (PEP/PEC) during on-boarding or ongoing due diligence review.
  
  

Sanctions

• To assess and provide clearance for transactions involving sanctioned entities or countries based on applicable sanction laws (i.e. OFAC, EU, UN etc.).
• To keep abreast of the latest sanctions trends and provide updates to BSU on changes to sanctions requirements and ensure implementation.
  
  

Team Leadership

• Manage and mentor a team of policy and advisory professionals.
• Foster a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Set clear objectives and performance metrics for the team.
  
  

Ad Hoc Projects

• Lead and manage AML/CFT and Sanctions-related projects, including policy rollouts, regulatory remediation, system enhancements, and strategic initiatives.
• Work with the team and develop detailed project plans, timelines, and resource allocations to ensure successful delivery.
• Drive continuous improvement by capturing lessons learned and implementing best practices in project execution.
  
  

Compliance Training

• To ensure relevant AML/CFT/Sanctions training needs analysis and content and delivery provided the BSU and bank wide.
  
  

Job Requirements

• Professionally qualified – Graduate or Post Graduate in a numerate or research discipline.
• Additional qualification in a AML/CFT certification is preferred (e.g. ACAMS, AICB Advanced Cert in AML/CFT, etc).
• Minimum of 15 years of overall experience with experience general financial crime compliance (fraud / sanctions/ anti money laundering) or intelligence experience.
• Exposure to Compliance and risk management with deep understanding in AML/CFT will be an added advantage.
• Excellent in Business Intelligence / Financial Crime Intelligence / Corporate Intelligence.
• Possesses effective leadership, good communication and strategic planning skills to facilitate team work.
• Professional, highly adept at problem-solving, conflict resolution and negotiation.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills.
• Proven leadership and able to drive team to achieve objectives.
  
  

Additional Requirements

Be a Part of the UOB Family

UOB is an equal opportunity employer. UOB does not discriminate on the basis of a candidate's age, race, gender, color, religion, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or other non-merit factors. All employment decisions at UOB are based on business needs, job requirements and qualifications. If you require any assistance or accommodations to be made for the recruitment process, please inform us when you submit your online application.

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