Director, Financial Crime Risk Stewardship

Ready to simplify and modernise Financial Crime Risk Stewardship globally?

Why Hsbc

HSBC is one of the largest banking and financial services organisations in the world. Guided by our purpose of opening up a world of opportunity, our ambition is to become the world’s most trusted bank globally, putting customers at the heart of everything we do.

The Role

Financial Crime is a Second Line of Defence (2LoD) function where Risk Stewards provide independent review and challenge to First Line of Defence (1LoD) activity in line with HSBC’s Risk Management Framework. This role shapes how Financial Crime Risk Stewardship works across Group, Regions and Markets by setting clear design principles, standards and minimum control requirements. You’ll focus on simplification, optimisation and appropriate automation opportunities - initially supporting MARS28 then sustaining continuous improvement beyond the programme. Success means clearer end-to-end processes, stronger evidence and decision traceability, effective challenge and controls that remain aligned to governance and regulatory expectations. You won’t own 1LoD processes or technology delivery - instead you’ll set the design intent, provide specialist challenge and help accountable owners implement improvements without weakening risk outcomes.

What you'll be doing

• Own end-to-end design principles, standards and minimum control requirements for Financial Crime Risk Stewardship across Group, Regions and Markets
• Set connected process designs that link decision points, data, evidencing, escalation routes and human accountability from risk identification through oversight and improvement
• Establish an evidence-based approach to identify, prioritise and deliver simplification and optimisation across stewardship activities, procedures and governance routines
• Translate MARS28 outcomes into clear, implementable Risk Stewardship requirements and recommendations with escalation where wider framework or policy changes are needed
• Design stewardship improvements that strengthen quality of challenge, control effectiveness, decision quality, timeliness, traceability and governance
• Partner with policy teams to simplify policies, procedures and controls by testing necessity, frequency and depth and defining pragmatic minimum control requirements
• Shape recommendations on automation choices including workflow digitisation, RPA, analytics augmentation and GenAI support while retaining clear human accountability
• Govern engagement and escalation routes so material concerns, decisions and rationale are handled through the right governance fora with clear ownership and evidence
• Coordinate with Technology, data, analytics and AI stakeholders so proposed solutions remain traceable to risk management rationale and preserve appropriate human judgement
• Embed control design, testing, documentation, auditability and operational resilience considerations into optimisation and automation changes from day one

What we're looking for

• Bring deep expertise in Financial Crime Risk and its control framework gained in Risk Stewardship, policy, advisory or control design roles within a complex regulated organisation
• Demonstrate substantial experience running complex, multi-stakeholder analysis and design work across geographies with evidence-based recommendations and clear escalation of material issues
• Apply strong process mapping and process review capability to test whether controls are required and redesign them pragmatically without weakening risk outcomes
• Show experience delivering technology-enabled change including workflow tools and automation and partnering effectively with product, engineering and data teams through to adoption
• Maintain clear accountability for design intent and control outcomes while partnering with accountable business, process and technology owners
• Communicate risk management requirements in practical business terms and influence senior stakeholders using clear evidence and trade-offs
• Navigate cross-jurisdictional interpretation issues and align subject matter experts on a single design position with escalation where regulatory or control issues arise
• Use structured risk management judgement across the full process lifecycle including how new technology and AI may affect independence, explainability, evidencing and escalation expectations

Strengthening Stewardship Through Simplification

If you want to shape how independent Financial Crime Risk Stewardship operates across a global bank this role gives you the scope to make it coherent, measurable and easier to execute well. You’ll turn complex stewardship activity into clear process designs and control outcomes that stand up to governance and regulatory expectations. You’ll also help set a practical approach to automation that strengthens oversight and evidence while keeping human accountability front and centre. If this work matches the impact you want to have we’d like to hear from you.