AML and Sanctions Compliance Program Advisory - Principal Associate

Nottingham Trent House (95002), United Kingdom, Nottingham, NottinghamshireAML and Sanctions Compliance Program Advisory - Principal Associate

Job Title: AML and Sanctions Compliance Program Advisory - Principal Associate

Location: Nottingham - Hybrid

Working Pattern: 3 days in-office (Tuesday-Thursday) and 2 days remote.

Our Mission

We’re on a mission to be a force for good in lending. Throughout our almost 30-year history, we’ve consistently been recognised as a great place to work; in 2026, Capital One was officially ranked 9th in the UK’s Best Workplaces™ list. Hear from our team about what it’s like working at Capital One UK.

About the Role

An opportunity exists for a seasoned financial crime professional to join the AML and Sanctions Compliance function. Reporting directly to the UK MLRO, this role is critical to ensuring safe business growth by designing, co-ordinating, and implementing a robust AML and Sanctions risk management programme. The successful candidate will take ownership of the end-to-end control environment, ensuring the framework is highly effective from initial onboarding through to ongoing transaction monitoring.

What You'll Do

Driving the AML Work Programme

• Build the framework: Design and implement bespoke, risk-based processes focusing heavily on Customer Due Diligence (CDD), including identifying and verifying legal entities, UBOs, Directors, and PSCs, as well as Sanctions and PEP screening, and Transaction Monitoring (TM).

• Keep the wheels turning: Ensure key AML projects, system implementations, and compliance reports are delivered accurately and on time.

• Document and define: Take ownership of writing and updating policies, procedures, and annual training so they remain practical and fit for purpose.

• Raise the bar: Use Quality Assurance as a coaching tool, providing actionable feedback to improve our overall SAR quality.

Strengthening the Control Environment

• Maintain the standard: Keep AML and Sanctions requirements, as well as testing plans, strictly aligned with UK regulatory standards and JMLSG guidance.

• Test the defences: Execute 2nd-line assurance to catch vulnerabilities in screening or TM rules before they become regulatory breaches.

• Fix what’s broken: Take the lead on resolving risk events, tuning monitoring rules, and making sure audit findings are properly closed out.

• Build trust: Foster relationships across the business where operational stakeholders proactively reach out when a control isn’t working as intended.

• Look at the big picture: Dig into first line functions to ensure their frontline AML checks are comprehensive and effective.

Handling Complex Escalations

• The final set of eyes: Provide credible challenge to first-line CDD processes, performing secondary QA checks to maintain exceptionally high compliance standards.

• Provide clarity: Step into complex review meetings to help untangle difficult onboarding cases, tricky PEP/Sanctions alerts, or nuanced TM triggers, guiding the business to a confident decision.

The skills and experience you'll need

• Know the landscape: A deep, practical understanding of the UK financial crime framework, including the MLRs, JMLSG guidance, POCA, and UK/OFSI sanctions regimes.

• Deliver expertise: Proven experience conducting end-to-end financial crime reviews in high-volume environments, effectively bridging the gap between first-line operations and second-line compliance.

• Sharpen your edge: A strong appetite for continuous learning and professional development, evidenced by accredited industry qualifications (e.g., ICA, ACAMS).

Where and how you'll work

This is a permanent position based in our Nottingham office. 

We embrace a hybrid approach to work. You'll spend three days a week in the office (Tuesday-Thursday), with Monday and Friday being dedicated work-from-home days.

Our offices are designed to inspire and support you. At our Nottingham head office, you'll find an on-site gym, restaurant and dedicated Learning Loft.

What’s in it for you

We invest in the growth of our people alongside our business. You will have extensive opportunities to learn and develop your career, including access to up to £5,000 in funding for external qualifications.

In addition to career development, our comprehensive benefits package is designed to grow with you, ensuring your wellbeing is prioritised at every stage of your career:

• Wealth & Future: Competitive pension and performance-based bonus schemes

• Holidays: Start with 25 days of annual leave, increasing with tenure. Need more? You have the option to buy 5 additional days.

• Health: Access premium care through our private medical insurance.

• Family Support: We champion your milestones with enhanced parental leave.

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A full list of our benefits is availablehere.

What you should know about how we recruit

We pride ourselves on hiring the best people, not the same people. Building diverse and inclusive teams is the right thing to do and the smart thing to do. We want to work with top talent: whoever you are, whatever you look like, wherever you come from. We know it’s about what you do, not just what you say. That’s why we make our recruitment process fair and accessible. 

We value diversity, inclusion and belonging at our core. We empower our associates to do great work by creating an inclusive culture—one that values diverse perspectives, fosters collaboration and encourages innovative ideas—and a place where associates of all backgrounds can thrive by bringing their most authentic selves to work. We call this our Culture of Belonging, and it rests at the heart of our business.

Our associate-led Business Resource Groups were created to help support our diverse population and include over 10 groups across our offices. Because each Business Resource Group is as unique as the population it serves, they offer a range of activities, networking opportunities, special events and learning programmes to associates.

Capital One is committed to diversity in the workplace.

If you require a reasonable adjustment, please contact ukrecruitment@capitalone.com  All information will be kept confidential and will only be used for the purpose of applying a reasonable adjustment.