EMEA Wholesale Know Your Customer Client Office – Executive Director (KYC Business Lead)

Make a measurable impact on how clients are onboarded and maintained in a highly regulated environment. In this role, you will lead a large-scale operation, strengthen execution and controls, and help modernize the operating model through process improvement, technology, and responsible AI. You will partner with senior stakeholders to improve outcomes for clients while sustaining high standards of risk management and governance.
As an Executive Director (KYC business lead) in the EMEA Wholesale KYC Client Office, you will lead middle-office teams that deliver Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) lifecycle activities, including onboarding and periodic reviews. You will partner closely with client coverage teams, compliance partners, and control functions to deliver timely, well-controlled execution and a consistent client experience. You will drive operational excellence and transformation by improving processes, strengthening governance, and enabling adoption of technology and responsible AI.
Job responsibilities
Lead a large-scale KYC operation, ensuring timely onboarding and periodic reviews while maintaining strong risk, control, and compliance standards and a seamless client experience.
Own end-to-end workflow health, capacity planning, productivity management, escalation governance, and service delivery to support operational resilience and consistent execution.
Build and sustain trusted partnerships with senior business stakeholders, compliance partners, and other control functions to align operational delivery to business priorities and regulatory expectations.
Advise senior stakeholders on operating priorities and opportunities to strengthen effectiveness and scalability across the KYC lifecycle.
Drive continuous improvement through control-gap identification, process simplification, and technology-enabled solutions to improve consistency, audit readiness, and client experience.
Develop a high-performing team by coaching leaders, strengthening practitioner capability, and building a future-ready organization equipped to adopt emerging technologies.
Use data and analytics to improve quality, timeliness, productivity, risk management, and client outcomes through root-cause analysis and actionable performance insights.
Lead change initiatives that integrate technology and AI-enabled solutions into the operating model, establishing appropriate governance, controls, and human review to support responsible deployment.
Partner with technology, product, controls, and compliance teams to identify, prioritize, and deliver strategic enhancements that improve efficiency, scalability, control effectiveness, and client outcomes.
Required qualifications, capabilities and skills
Senior leadership experience in KYC, client onboarding, financial crime compliance, audit, or operations within a regulated organization.
Experience leading large operational teams with accountability for service delivery, risk management, and controls.
Demonstrated ability to build credibility with senior stakeholders and influence prioritization in a matrixed environment.
Experience managing end-to-end onboarding and periodic review workflows, including capacity planning and escalation management.
Experience driving operational transformation through process redesign, automation, and technology delivery in a controlled environment.
Strong understanding of regulatory expectations related to KYC/AML and operational risk management.
Ability to translate policy and regulatory requirements into practical operating procedures, controls, and measurable outcomes.
Experience establishing KPI-based performance management, management reporting, and continuous improvement routines.
Demonstrated people leadership skills, including coaching, talent development, and change adoption.
Experience partnering with technology, product, and control functions to deliver scalable operational solutions.
Strong judgment and control mindset, with a track record of sustaining audit readiness and consistent execution.
Preferred qualifications, capabilities and skills
Extensive experience in business operations within Corporate & Investment Banking.
Experience leading technology-enabled transformation initiatives, including workflow digitization, analytics, automation, or AI-enabled operating model enhancements.
MBA or other relevant graduate degree.