Live MLRO and Financial Crime Jobs

The MLRO and Financial Crime Jobs We Fill

Financial crime is one of the busiest parts of our work. Firms of every size need someone who can own their anti-money laundering framework, take decisions on suspicious activity and stand behind those decisions with the regulator. These are the roles we recruit for most often.

MLRO Jobs (SMF17)

At firms within the Senior Managers and Certification Regime, the MLRO holds the SMF17 Money Laundering Reporting function. That makes it a Senior Manager role: you need FCA approval before you start, you carry a Statement of Responsibilities, and you are personally accountable under the Duty of Responsibility. The role is defined in the FCA’s SYSC 6.3 rules on financial crime, and in most firms the MLRO is also the nominated officer for suspicious activity reports. Our guide to the MLRO role and SMF17 covers the responsibilities in detail.

We recruit MLROs for wealth managers, investment firms, insurers and brokers, consumer credit lenders, banks and building societies. Many of these roles suit a first-time MLRO stepping up from deputy level, and we are always honest about whether a role is the right step for you.

MLRO Jobs at Payments, E-Money and Crypto Firms

Payment institutions, e-money institutions and crypto-asset businesses registered under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 need an MLRO even where they sit outside the Senior Managers regime. These are often demanding roles, with high transaction volumes, fast onboarding and close supervisory attention. Candidates who have built transaction monitoring, run a financial crime team through growth, or taken a firm through registration or authorisation are in strong demand. Our article on what crypto firms look for in an MLRO explains the extra expectations.

Deputy MLRO and AMLRO Jobs

Deputy MLRO roles are the usual route into an MLRO appointment. You cover the MLRO in their absence, review internal reports, draft SARs and often run day-to-day financial crime operations. We recruit deputies for larger firms that run a full financial crime function and for growing firms planning MLRO succession. If you are a deputy MLRO thinking about your first SMF17 role, we’d like to hear from you.

Head of Financial Crime and Financial Crime Manager Jobs

Larger firms often separate the MLRO from a head of financial crime who runs the team, the controls and the change programme. We recruit heads of financial crime, financial crime managers and financial crime advisory leads, particularly at firms building or remediating their framework. Our piece on head of financial crime or MLRO explains how firms split the two roles.

Sanctions Jobs

Sanctions compliance has become a specialism in its own right. We recruit sanctions leads and sanctions managers who understand screening, licensing and reporting to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, and who can advise the business quickly when a new designation lands. See what firms want from a sanctions lead.

Combined Compliance Officer and MLRO Jobs

Smaller firms often combine SMF16 Compliance Oversight and SMF17 into one role. These joint roles are some of the most common we see, especially at brokers, advice firms and smaller investment firms. If you hold both functions or want to, look at our compliance officer jobs too, as joint roles appear on both pages.

Interim and Fractional MLRO Jobs

A large share of our MLRO work is interim or fractional. Firms bring in an interim MLRO when the current holder leaves unexpectedly, during a remediation after a skilled person review, or while they run a permanent search. Smaller firms often want a fractional MLRO for one to four days a month rather than a full-time hire.

If you are an experienced, approved MLRO, fractional work can mean holding the role at two or three firms at once. Firms will want to know you have the time to do each role properly, so be ready to explain how you manage your commitments. Our guide on how many days a fractional MLRO needs shows how firms think about this, and our fractional and interim SMF cover page explains how these engagements usually run.

Interim and fractional MLROs who hold an SMF still need FCA approval. If a firm needs cover urgently, the 12-week rule can allow you to step in while the application is prepared.

MLRO and Financial Crime Salaries and Day Rates

Pay varies widely with the size of the firm, its sector and the location. The figures below come from our SMF and compliance salary guide and give a realistic starting point for the jobs on this page.

Role	Typical pay
MLRO (SMF17), smaller firm	£75,000–£120,000 base
MLRO (SMF17), mid-size firm	£110,000–£180,000 base
MLRO (SMF17), larger firm	£160,000–£300,000 base
Deputy MLRO or AMLRO (London)	£55,000–£95,000 base
Financial crime manager (London)	£65,000–£110,000 base
Interim MLRO (SMF17)	£700–£1,100 a day
Interim financial crime manager	£450–£700 a day
Fractional SMF16/SMF17, one to four days a month	£650–£1,000 a day, often as a monthly retainer

Day rates are for engagements outside IR35. Inside IR35 the effective rate is typically 25–30% lower. Smaller firms are generally those with revenue or assets under management below around £50 million.

What Firms Look For in an MLRO Candidate

Every MLRO search tests the same things the regulator will. When we put you forward, the firm will want to see:

• Judgement on suspicious activity. Real examples of internal reports you escalated or closed, and why. Firms want an MLRO who can make a defensible decision under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and report to the National Crime Agency when it matters.
• Framework experience. A business-wide risk assessment you wrote or owned, customer due diligence and enhanced due diligence standards, and the annual MLRO report to the board.
• Sector knowledge. Financial crime risk looks very different at a wealth manager, a payments firm and a general insurance broker. Firms value candidates who already know their risks.
• Independence and challenge. Examples of challenging the business or the board, and how you resolved it.
• Qualifications. Not always required, but the ICA Diploma in Anti Money Laundering or the ACAMS CAMS certification help, especially for a first MLRO role. Working knowledge of the JMLSG guidance is expected.
• A clean regulatory history. Your regulatory references will cover six years, so be ready to discuss anything they might show.

Firms often use questions like those in our article on MLRO interview questions, so it is a useful way to prepare.

Stepping Up to Your First MLRO Role

Many of the MLROs we place are taking the role for the first time. If you are a deputy MLRO, a financial crime manager or a senior AML adviser, you may be closer to an SMF17 appointment than you think. What firms need to see is that you have already made the kind of decisions an MLRO makes, even if someone else signed them off.

Before you apply, read up on the fit and proper test and what happens at an FCA approval interview. Once you have an offer, our guides to due diligence before you accept an SMF role and your first 90 days as a new MLRO will help you start well.

MLRO Jobs by Sector

We match candidates to firms where their financial crime experience counts. The sectors we recruit MLROs for most often are:

• Payments and e-money: high-volume monitoring, safeguarding links and fast-growing teams. See payments and fintech.
• Crypto-assets: MLR registration, Travel Rule and blockchain analytics. See crypto-asset firms.
• Wealth and investment management: source of wealth, PEPs and high-net-worth clients. See wealth management.
• Insurance and broking: premium finance, claims fraud and smaller teams. See insurers, MGAs and brokers.
• Consumer credit: affordability, fraud and high customer numbers. See consumer credit.
• Banks and building societies: larger financial crime functions and dual regulation. See banks and building societies.

MLRO Jobs by Location

Most MLRO and financial crime jobs are in London, but we recruit across the UK and many roles are now hybrid. We regularly fill roles in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh. Fractional MLRO roles are often largely remote, with time on site for board meetings and key reviews.

Why Many MLRO Jobs Are Never Advertised

Firms often recruit an MLRO quietly. The current holder may not have left yet, the firm may be under supervisory attention, or it may be preparing an application for authorisation. In those cases the firm will not want an open advert. The only way to hear about these roles is to be known to us before they come up, so if nothing on this page fits today, register with us.

How to Apply

Click through to any live role above, or email your CV to recruitment@smfcapital.co.uk with a short note covering:

• whether you hold or have held SMF17, and at which firms
• the sectors you know best
• whether you want permanent, interim or fractional work
• your location, notice period and expected salary or day rate.

Our team reviews every application. We never share your CV with a firm without your agreement first. You can also call us on 0203 745 0239.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to have been an MLRO before?

No. Many of our MLRO placements are first-time appointments. Firms want to see that you have handled MLRO-level decisions, usually as a deputy MLRO or financial crime manager.

Do you only recruit SMF17 roles?

No. We also recruit MLROs at payments, e-money and crypto firms outside the Senior Managers regime, deputy MLROs, heads of financial crime, financial crime managers and sanctions leads.

Can I hold a fractional MLRO role alongside another job?

Often, yes. Many fractional MLROs work for two or three firms. Each firm will need to be satisfied that you have enough time for the role, and you may need to explain your other commitments to the FCA.

Will my current employer find out I am looking?

No. We never send your details to a firm without your agreement first.

What does a closed role mean?

The firm is no longer taking applications for that role. We show recently closed roles so you can see the kind of work we do. Similar roles come up regularly, so it is still worth registering.