Sterling Williams are supporting a boutique consultancy business in the UK who are a market leader in providing support to the payments ecosystem. This is a permanent opportunity for a candidate who has experience in compliance and financial crime from a consultancy business, or from working within a Payments/EMI environment.

Compliance Consultant – Payments & E-Money Institutions

Salary: £70,000–£80,000 pa plus benefits.

Location: UK (Hybrid) - predominantly remote.

Full-time; Permanent

Role Purpose: To deliver high-quality regulatory compliance consulting to clients across the payments and e-money ecosystem. You will lead FCA authorisation projects (EMI/API), conduct compliance audits, strengthen clients’ frameworks, and act as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities will include:

FCA Authorisations & Licensing: Lead end-to-end FCA authorisation projects for EMIs, APIs, and payments institutions, ensuring applications meet regulatory expectations.

• Draft, review, and refine Regulatory Business Plans, governance structures, SMCR mapping, and financial crime frameworks.
• Support/Manage FCA engagement, including clarifications, follow-ups, and readiness assessments.

Compliance Audits & Framework Development: Conduct detailed compliance audits across AML, financial crime, governance, risk management, and operational controls.

• Build and enhance compliance frameworks, policies, monitoring plans, and training programmes.
• Deliver analysis to identify gaps and produce actionable remediation plans for clients.
• Support clients in maintaining ongoing compliance, including monitoring, reporting, and thematic reviews.

Client Advisory & Stakeholder Management: Act as a senior advisor to CEOs, MLROs, Heads of Compliance, and founders entering the UK payments/e-money market.

• Provide proactive regulatory insight on FCA updates, industry changes, and emerging risks.
• Deliver workshops, training, and knowledge-transfer sessions to strengthen client capability.

Experience & Skills Required:

• 6 years + experience in payments, e-money, fintech, or regulatory consulting.
• Strong understanding of FCA authorisation processes, including EMI/API licensing would be beneficial
• Deep knowledge of AML/CTF, financial crime controls, safeguarding, governance, and risk frameworks.
• Experience conducting compliance audits and building compliance frameworks would be an advantage
• Ability to manage multiple client projects with precision and senior-level communication.
• Strong writing skills: regulatory business plans, policies, risk assessments, and FCA-ready documentation.
• Prior experience as Compliance Manager, Deputy MLRO, Deputy Head of Compliance, or consulting equivalent.
• Exposure to international payments, card schemes, or cross-border money movement.
• Experience supporting firms through FCA remediation or supervisory engagement.