Job Description: KYC & Compliance Specialist – UHNW Clients

About the Role
We are seeking a highly experienced KYC & Compliance Specialist to support the onboarding and ongoing monitoring of Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individual (UHNW) clients, family offices, trusts, private investment vehicles, and related entities. The role will be responsible for ensuring that client relationships comply with applicable anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, sanctions, tax transparency, and regulatory requirements.
The successful candidate will work closely with Relationship Managers, Investment Teams, Legal, Operations, Risk, and senior management to assess complex client structures, identify potential financial crime risks, and ensure that client files remain accurate, complete, and up to date.
Key Responsibilities
Client Onboarding and KYC

Conduct end-to-end KYC and client due diligence for UHNW individuals, family offices, trusts, foundations, private companies, partnerships, and investment structures.
Review and verify client identification, residential addresses, tax residency, source of wealth, source of funds, occupation, business activities, and expected account activity.
Analyse complex ownership, control, and beneficiary structures, including multi-jurisdictional entities and nominee arrangements.
Identify and verify ultimate beneficial owners, controllers, settlors, protectors, trustees, beneficiaries, authorised signatories, and related parties.
Obtain, assess, and validate supporting documentation from reliable and independent sources.
Conduct enhanced due diligence on high-risk clients, politically exposed persons, relatives and close associates, high-risk jurisdictions, and clients with complex or opaque wealth structures.
Ensure all onboarding decisions are properly documented and approved in line with internal policies and risk appetite.

Ongoing Monitoring and Periodic Reviews

Conduct periodic and event-driven reviews of UHNW client relationships based on risk classification.
Monitor changes in ownership, control, wealth profile, residency, tax status, business activities, and expected transaction behaviour.
Review account activity and client information for unusual, inconsistent, or potentially suspicious activity.
Maintain accurate and complete KYC records within the firm’s client lifecycle management or compliance systems.
Follow up with internal stakeholders and clients to obtain outstanding or updated information.
Ensure timely remediation of incomplete, expired, or deficient client files.

AML, Sanctions, and Financial Crime Compliance

Perform screening against sanctions, politically exposed person, adverse media, regulatory, law enforcement, and other watchlists.
Assess alerts and potential matches, document findings, and escalate genuine or unresolved concerns appropriately.
Review adverse media relating to financial crime, corruption, fraud, tax evasion, money laundering, organised crime, reputational risk, and other relevant issues.
Support the investigation and escalation of suspicious activity in accordance with internal procedures and applicable laws.
Assist with the preparation of internal suspicious activity reports and regulatory filings, where required.
Identify potential risks associated with tax transparency, including CRS, FATCA, and other applicable reporting obligations.
Support transaction monitoring and name-screening investigations as required.

Risk Assessment and Governance

Prepare and maintain client risk assessments, including inherent and residual risk ratings.
Recommend appropriate risk mitigation measures, including enhanced monitoring, senior management approval, restrictions, or decline decisions.
Prepare concise and well-supported compliance summaries for onboarding committees, risk committees, and senior management.
Provide guidance to Relationship Managers and business teams on KYC, AML, sanctions, and client acceptance requirements.
Contribute to compliance reviews, internal audits, regulatory examinations, and remediation projects.
Assist in maintaining and improving KYC procedures, controls, checklists, and operating processes.
Identify control gaps and recommend process improvements to strengthen the firm’s financial crime framework.

Required Qualifications and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Compliance, Law, Finance, Accounting, Business, Risk Management, or a related discipline.
Professional certification such as CAMS, ICA, ACAMS, CFCS, CFE, or an equivalent qualification is preferred.
Typically 4–8 years of relevant experience in KYC, AML, client due diligence, financial crime compliance, or client onboarding.
Experience within asset management, private banking, wealth management, family office, investment management, or a financial institution.
Demonstrated experience handling UHNW individuals, private investment structures, trusts, foundations, family offices, or complex corporate structures.
Strong understanding of AML, CTF, sanctions, beneficial ownership, source of wealth, source of funds, PEP, adverse media, and enhanced due diligence requirements.
Experience working with clients and structures across multiple jurisdictions.
Familiarity with CRS, FATCA, tax residency, and other client tax-information requirements.
Knowledge of relevant local regulatory requirements and international financial crime standards.

Key Skills and Competencies

Strong analytical and investigative skills.
Ability to assess complex wealth, ownership, and control structures.
Excellent attention to detail and documentation discipline.
Sound judgement when evaluating financial crime and reputational risks.
Ability to distinguish legitimate complex wealth from unexplained or potentially suspicious activity.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Confidence in communicating with senior stakeholders, Relationship Managers, legal advisers, and UHNW clients.
Ability to challenge information professionally and request additional documentation when necessary.
Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple cases and deadlines.
High level of integrity, discretion, confidentiality, and professional ethics.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and experience using KYC, CRM, screening, or case-management systems.

Experience with trusts, foundations, private equity structures, holding companies, investment vehicles, and family offices.
Knowledge of private markets, alternative investments, investment funds, securities, and managed portfolios.
Experience reviewing complex source-of-wealth narratives involving business ownership, inheritance, investments, real estate, family wealth, or liquidity events.
Familiarity with international sanctions regimes and regulatory frameworks.
Experience with KYC remediation, periodic review projects, regulatory inspections, or compliance transformation initiatives.
Multilingual capability, particularly in languages relevant to the firm’s client base.

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