AML/KYC Quality Control - Assistant Vice President

Profile Summary

Mizuho EMEA is seeking an experienced AML/KYC Quality Control (QC) professional at Assistant Vice President (AVP) level to lead the delivery of high-quality client due diligence across its corporate and institutional banking business.

Sitting within the first line of defence, the role provides independent, risk-based review and challenge of KYC files and associated controls, ensuring alignment with internal policy, regulatory expectations, and agreed risk appetite. The AVP will act as a quality leader for the function, setting clear standards, driving timely remediation, and reducing repeat issues through coaching, root-cause analysis, and continuous improvement. The role will also support the development of management information (MI), oversee adherence to QC methodology and scoring, and escalate material risks and control weaknesses where required.

The successful candidate will combine deep technical KYC expertise with a pragmatic, risk-based mindset and the ability to influence stakeholders across Operations, Financial Crime, Compliance, and the front office. They will be comfortable leading challenge conversations, presenting themes and recommendations in governance forums, and driving sustained improvements in quality, timeliness, and control effectiveness.

Duties and Responsibilities

Quality Control, Oversight & Challenge

• Conduct independent, risk-based quality reviews of KYC/CDD/EDD files across a range of entity types, products and risk levels, ensuring completeness, accuracy and consistency
• Apply and, where appropriate, enhance the QC methodology (checklist, scoring and sample selection), ensuring it remains aligned to policy, regulatory expectations and risk appetite
• Provide effective challenge and identify material gaps, inconsistencies and potential financial crime risks, escalating higher-risk issues and control concerns in line with governance requirements
• Ensure KYC files and remediation outcomes are fit for internal/external scrutiny (audit, regulators, QA) and support resolution of challenged findings through evidence-based rationale

Coaching, Standards & Quality Improvement

• Partner with Team Leads and KYC Analysts to plan and prioritise remediation and production activity, ensuring delivery against service levels, risk priorities and stakeholder expectations
• Provide structured feedback, mentoring and on-the-job coaching to improve quality outcomes, capability and consistency across the team
• Identify recurring issues through thematic analysis and QC MI, escalate trends, and recommend improvements across process, guidance, controls and technology
• Support and/or lead the development of quality standards, operating procedures, and training materials; contribute to calibration sessions to ensure consistent application of policy

Stakeholder Management

• Engage effectively with Analysts, Team Leads, Financial Crime, Compliance and front office stakeholders to ensure quality requirements are understood and embedded
• Clearly articulate and justify QC decisions, including in formal challenge forums, ensuring outcomes are evidence-based and aligned to risk appetite
• Build strong working relationships and credibility to support a collaborative, high-performance culture and effective management of issues and escalations

Process Improvement & Change

• Contribute to, and where required lead, process enhancements and efficiency initiatives across KYC operations, balancing control effectiveness with operational practicality
• Provide input into policy and procedure updates, control frameworks and system improvements; support control design and testing where applicable
• Support implementation of regulatory or internal change initiatives, including impact assessment, communication, training and embedding of new requirements

Operational Flexibility

• Act as a flexible resource within the team, providing oversight and hands-on support during peak periods and for higher-risk/complex cases where required
• Maintain strong awareness of workload priorities, delivery timelines and key risk themes, escalating capacity constraints and issues as appropriate

Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Core Experience

• Minimum 5+ years’ experience in AML/KYC operations and/or financial crime controls within banking or financial services, including exposure to corporate and institutional client due diligence
• Strong track record completing and/or reviewing complex KYC (CDD/EDD) for corporate and institutional clients, with the ability to provide effective challenge and decision support
• Experience across a wide range of entity types and structures (including multi-jurisdictional and layered ownership), such as:

• Listed and non-listed corporates
• Regulated and non-regulated financial institutions
• Funds and asset managers
• Private equity structures
• SPVs, Trusts, and complex ownership structures

Technical Knowledge

• Strong understanding of financial crime risk (AML, CTF, sanctions) and how it applies in practice
• Good knowledge of corporate and investment banking products and associated risk profiles
• Understanding of global KYC standards, with exposure to EMEA regulatory environments (UK, EU, UAE beneficial)

Quality & Risk Mindset

• High attention to detail combined with strong judgement and a pragmatic, risk-based approach appropriate for AVP-level decision-making
• Ability to distinguish between material risk issues and minor technical findings
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability for quality outcomes, including escalation of material issues and contribution to governance reporting

Communication & Stakeholder Skills

• Ability to provide clear, constructive feedback, influence outcomes, and challenge appropriately at peer and senior levels
• Confident in explaining and defending QC decisions to stakeholders, including supporting responses to audit, regulatory or second line enquiries where required
• Collaborative team player with a coaching-oriented mindset

Adaptability & Continuous Improvement

• Comfortable working in a dynamic environment with evolving regulatory expectations
• Proactive in identifying opportunities to improve processes and controls
• Open to change and able to adapt quickly to new requirements

Desirable

• Demonstrable experience in a Quality Control / Quality Assurance or oversight function within KYC, Financial Crime, or Client Lifecycle Management
• Strong knowledge of EMEA regulatory frameworks and supervisory expectations (e.g. FCA, EBA, UAE Central Bank), and how they translate into practical KYC controls
• Proven exposure to audit, regulatory reviews and remediation programmes, including drafting responses and tracking actions to closure
• Relevant certifications (e.g. ICA, ACAMS) or commitment to obtaining them

What Mizuho Can Offer You

Here at Mizuho, there are fantastic progression opportunities and clear paths to promotion. We will give you ample opportunity to affect change and to help grow our business.

In addition to the great opportunity outlined above we are also currently able to offer:

• Competitive starting salary, plus discretionary bonus
• Non-contributory pension
• 27 days’ annual leave
• Core working hours*
• Hybrid working - office and home based*
• Virtual GP
• Wellbeing benefits, including Mental Health Allies and First Aiders

*For applicable roles only

At Mizuho, we embrace flexible ways of working when the role permits. We offer different working arrangements like part-time, job-sharing and hybrid (office and home) working. Our purpose-led culture and global infrastructure help us connect, collaborate, and work together in agile ways to meet all our business needs.

We are committed to supporting equality and diversity, and seek to create a workplace that is fully inclusive. We welcome applications from all sections of the community that we operate in and from all ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientation, beliefs, gender identities and disabilities

If you require more information about our equal opportunities policy or wish to discuss any accessibility requirements or reasonable adjustments please contact the recruitment team – recruitment@mizuhoemea.com and we will be happy to help.