Executive Director - KYC / AML Operations

Job Description

Help protect the firm and deliver a stronger client experience through well-controlled, high-quality Know Your Client operations. This leadership role gives you broad visibility across Europe coverage while operating from India. You will set direction, strengthen governance, and drive measurable improvements in quality, timeliness, and productivity. You will partner closely with front office and middle office stakeholders to deliver consistent onboarding and renewal outcomes. You will build and develop teams across Hyderabad and Bengaluru while advancing digitization and automation.

As an Executive Director – KYC / AML Operations (WKO EMEA Production, India) in Wholesale KYC Operations, EMEA Production, you will lead teams across Hyderabad and Bengaluru supporting Europe (including the Middle East and Africa) to deliver high-quality Know Your Client renewals and onboarding. You will drive day-to-day execution through a clear operating rhythm, disciplined performance management, and transparent reporting. You will strengthen governance, audit readiness, and control execution while continuously improving the operating model to raise productivity and client outcomes. You will act as a senior escalation point and partner across stakeholders to resolve issues quickly and sustainably.

Job responsibilities

• Lead the India Europe Wholesale Know Your Client renewal organization with shared accountability for strategy, performance, risk and controls, and people leadership across Hyderabad and Bengaluru
• Own Anti-Money Laundering and Know Your Client operational outcomes for the Europe book of work, including quality, timeliness, capacity management, and client experience
• Establish a clear operating rhythm across planning, prioritization, check-ins, governance routines, and performance reporting
• Partner with Middle Office, Sales, and other internal stakeholders to deliver strong onboarding and renewal experiences
• Serve as a senior escalation point for Know Your Client and Anti-Money Laundering issues, ensuring effective triage, root-cause analysis, and timely remediation
• Strengthen governance, audit readiness, and control discipline through clear procedures, ownership, evidence standards, and timely issue closure
• Deliver process simplification, re-engineering, and transformation initiatives with measurable return on investment and sustained adoption
• Advance digitization and operational effectiveness across workflow management, document storage and archiving, and data distribution
• Improve performance through scorecards, continuous improvement routines, and clear success measures tied to client, productivity, and quality outcomes
• Develop talent through coaching, disciplined delegation, training, succession planning, and leadership continuity
• Drive a culture of accountability, partnership, and consistent execution across the organization

Required qualifications, capabilities, and skills

• 10 years of relevant experience in financial services operations, program management, transformation, and/or client experience disciplines
• Proven experience in Know Your Client and Anti-Money Laundering operations, including renewals and onboarding within a strong control framework
• Strong understanding of financial markets and products
• Demonstrated experience leading teams and complex operational delivery with measurable outcomes
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with focus on controls, risk mitigation, and efficiency
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills across levels and functions
• Ability to communicate complex operational risk, performance, and technical concepts to senior audiences clearly and in a structured way
• Strong written communication skills with executive-ready messaging
• Strong prioritization and multi-tasking capability across competing demands
• High attention to detail with disciplined follow-through
• Demonstrated ability to define, monitor, and drive performance objectives and service standards aligned to control expectations

Preferred qualifications, capabilities, and skills

• Demonstrated ability to identify opportunities for AI and automation integration within operational workflows, including experience evaluating, implementing, or governing AI-driven solutions to achieve scalable process improvements and strategic objectives
• Experience leading teams through adoption of AI-enabled analytics, workflow automation, and intelligent process tooling to improve accuracy, reduce manual effort, and strengthen control outcomes
• Experience leading multi-region service teams and contributing to operating model design across complex stakeholder groups
• Experience building performance scorecards and continuous improvement routines tied to client experience, utilization, productivity, and quality outcomes
• Demonstrated success strengthening audit readiness through evidence standards, governance routines, and disciplined control execution