Financial Crime Specialist

Title: Financial Crime Specialist

Location: Bolton England GB

Job Description:

Our purpose, helping families get more out of life, powers everything we do.  

And we want our people to get more out of life too! If you’re high-performing, ambitious and make the most of every opportunity, we want to hear from you. In return, you’ll enjoy heaps of flexibility, great perks and benefits, and the freedom to be yourself, keep learning and take your career wherever you want it to go.  

If you love making a difference, you’ll love making it sparkle for millions of Very customers.   

About the role 

There will be occasional in-person Team days in either Bolton or Speke

This role plays an important part in protecting The Very Group from the risks associated with money laundering, fraud and wider financial crime. You’ll contribute to ensuring we continue to operate safely, responsibly and in the best interests of our customers and the business. 

In this position, you’ll review and investigate suspicious transactions, manage alerts with a high level of care and accuracy and make well reasoned decisions that support the integrity of our financial systems. You’ll also work collaboratively with internal teams and law enforcement partners, providing clear and timely information to support ongoing investigations. 

We’re looking for someone who is naturally inquisitive, calm under pressure and motivated by work that has real purpose. If you take pride in thorough analysis, sound judgement and doing the right thing, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution in a specialist area. 

Key responsibilities 

• Review and investigate transaction monitoring alerts, assessing any activity that meets AML or Counter‑Terrorist Financing criteria. 

• Raise and accurately report Suspicious Activity (SARs) and support any follow‑up investigations before submission to the National Crime Agency. 

• Keep up to date with AML, POCA, CTF and JMLSG guidance and apply it confidently. 

• Respond to law‑enforcement enquiries promptly, ensuring GDPR requirements are met every time. 

• Analyse patterns, trends and unusual customer behaviour to identify fraud risks, prevent financial loss and reduce regulatory exposure. 

• Act as a point of reference for colleagues and stakeholders on financial crime detection and prevention. 

• Screen alerts for Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), UN Sanctions and SIPs, using tools and investigation techniques to verify identity and highlight any Adverse Media. 

• Complete regular Enhanced Due Diligence checks on PEPs, RCAs and SIPs retained by the business. 

About you 

• You have 2–3 years of experience in a financial services, banking or customer‑facing environment. 

• You have previous experience within Fraud Prevention or Financial Crime teams. 

• You understand AML regulation and how it applies in a business environment. 

• You’ve got experience with KYC processes, PEP and Sanctions screening and Adverse Media checks. 

• You can spot risks, interpret patterns and make decisions quickly and confidently. 

• You’re comfortable working to strict deadlines and managing a busy workload with accuracy and care. 

• You’ve got excellent attention to detail and pride in getting things right first time. 

• You’re a fast learner who can quickly get to grips with new systems, tools and processes. 

• You work with focus, integrity and resilience, even when dealing with complex or sensitive cases. 

Some of our benefits  

• Flexible, hybrid working model  

• Inclusive culture and environment, check out    

• 23 days holiday + bank holidays  

• LinkedIn Learning access 

• Bonus potential (performance and business-related)  

• Up to 25% discount on Very.co.uk  

• Matched pension up to 6%  

• More benefits can be found    

How to apply  

Please note that the talent acquisition team are managing this vacancy directly, and if successful in securing this role, you will be required to undertake a credit, CIFAS, Right to Work checks and if a specific requirement of your role a DBS (criminal records) check. Should your application progress we require you to let the team know if there is anything you need to disclose in relation to any of these checks prior to them being undertaken, including any unspent criminal convictions.   

What happens next?  

Our talent acquisition team will be in touch if you’re successful so keep an eye on your emails! We’ll arrange a short call to learn more about you, as well as answer any questions you have. If it feels like we’re a good match, we’ll share your CV with the hiring manager to review. Our interview process is tailored to each role and can be in-person or held remotely.   

You can expect a two-stage interview process for this position:    

1st stage - A 30-minute video call with the hiring team to discuss your skills and relevant experience. This is a great opportunity to find out more about the role and to ask any questions you may have.   

2nd Stage – A one-hour formal interview where you can expect both competency and technical questions as well as a task where you will have the opportunity to showcase analytical and commercial skills relevant to the role. This can be held either in-person or remotely.