Financial Crimes Framework

About PleoMessy spend management is tricky business. And tedious processes are a lose-lose situation for all involved, not just finance. At Pleo, we're changing that. We build spend solutions that make managing money seamless, empowering, and surprisingly effective for finance teams and employees alike
- with a vision to help all businesses ‘go beyond’.
About PleoMessy spend management is tricky business. And tedious processes are a lose-lose situation for all involved, not just finance. At Pleo, we're changing that. We build spend solutions that make managing money seamless, empowering, and surprisingly effective for finance teams and employees alike
- with a vision to help all businesses ‘go beyond’.
The word ‘Pleo’ actually means ‘more than you’d expect’, and living by that mantra has been the secret to our success over the last 10 years.
Now, we’re at a pivotal moment in our journey; every move we make has a direct impact on our 40,000+ customers, our business, and our collective success. We need people who take pride in uncovering customer needs, who turn complex problems into simple solutions, challenge the way things are done (respectfully), and always aim high. With great ambitions driving us forward, we can’t say we’ve got this whole thing figured out. And frankly, that’s half the fun What we can say is that we’re a driven, progressive, and, importantly, a kind bunch of 850+ people from over 100 nationalities, all committed to delivering the future of business spending, together.

About The Role
We’re looking for a Financial Crime Framework & Innovation Manager to lead our KYC Framework & Controls team in Pleo’s first line of defence. The team owns our financial crime framework across the UK and EU/EEA, covering KYC, AML/CFT and sanctions screening. You’ll lead a team of specialists while staying hands‑on, owning change end to end across multiple entities and jurisdictions. Compliance is a given; the bigger opportunity is using AI and technology to cut manual effort and sharpen our controls. We welcome all backgrounds, so apply even if you don’t tick every box.
Who You’ll Be Working With And Reporting ToYou’ll report to our DK/EEA MLRO and lead a remote team of five financial crime specialists. You’ll partner with Operations, who run our KYC processes, plus Product, Engineering, Legal, Compliance and our separate transaction monitoring team.
What You’ll Be DoingOwn and evolve Pleo’s financial crime framework for KYC, AML/CFT and sanctions screening across the UK and EU/EEALead and support a remote team of specialists, building trust and a real sense of teamDrive change end to end, from spotting the gap to embedding the fix with OperationsUse automation and AI to reduce manual effort and improve decision qualityLead our move to a new screening vendor through to go‑liveShape our readiness for the EU AML RegulationManage regulatory audits and inspections, and help set the team’s annual strategyOn the roadmap: the screening vendor migration (go‑live planned for Q1) and the EU AML Regulation, which applies from July 2027. We’re also finalising a new financial crime operating model, so some responsibilities may shift.
What You BringSignificant experience designing and improving financial crime frameworks, controls and operating models in the UK or EUExperience across multiple entities and jurisdictions, covering UK and EU/EEA requirementsExperience managing specialists while staying hands‑onA track record of leading change end to end, from stakeholders to deliveryDemonstrable experience driving innovation, for example AI-enabled workflows or automated controlsThe ability to turn complex financial crime concepts into clear, practical guidanceIt’s a bonus if you have:Led a screening vendor migration or a similar system implementationHands‑on experience preparing for the EU AML RegulationYou might come from a fintech or a bank. If you’re from a larger bank, show us where you’ve owned broad scope.
Why is this role a good fit for youYou want broad ownership across KYC, AML and sanctionsYou get energy from finding efficiencies and putting AI to work on real problemsYou lead specialists by building trust and giving them roomThis role is not a good fit for youYou want a pure people-management role. You’ll be in the detail as well as leadingYou need fully settled scope. Our operating model is being finalised, and some responsibilities may moveYou’d rather lead an office‑based team. Yours is fully remote, and connection takes deliberate effortHow You’ll Develop In This RoleTake ownership of the screening vendor migration and lead it through go‑liveTake day‑to‑day ownership of the EU AML Regulation programmeBring your remote team closer togetherBeyond that, you’ll lead the AI and efficiency agenda across financial crime, with room to grow your scope as the operating model matures.
Show me the benefitsYour own Pleo card (no more out‑of‑pocket spending)Lunch is on us for your work days
- enjoy catered meals or receive a lu