Front KYC Advisory Team Head - Singapore

About the role

Julius Baer is looking for a dynamic and experienced leader to head its Front KYC Advisory Team in Singapore. The role oversees the strengthening of effectiveness and quality of client due diligence (CDD) and KYC frameworks, driving strategic enhancements to KYC reviews so that regulatory compliance, operational excellence and sustainable risk management are achieved. It requires regulatory knowledge, operational discipline, stakeholder management and people leadership.

Key responsibilities

• Establish robust KYC review frameworks in line with local regulations and policies.
• Supervise a team of KYC co-makers who support Relationship Managers in drafting Source of Wealth (SOW) and Source of Funds (SOF) narratives, ensuring clear justification and traceability.
• Guide and train Front Management and RMs on KYC requirements.
• Report risks in the appropriate forums, escalate issues and track remediation status.
• Contribute to process improvements, projects, initiatives and knowledge sharing across onboarding and KYC teams.
• Partner with Front Office, Compliance and Onboarding teams, share regional best practice with Hong Kong counterparts and educate the Front Office on KYC standards.
• Communicate requirements, critical issues and progress to senior management when needed, and act as point of contact with 2LOD, auditors and regulators where required.
• Lead a high-performing team of KYC specialists, set objectives, measure performance, recruit, coach and handle performance issues.
• Ensure KYC/CDD issues are properly identified, assessed and documented, and comply with applicable laws and regulations.

Required profile

• University degree or equivalent in Banking and/or Finance.
• At least 10 years of professional experience in KYC/CDD, AML compliance or financial crime remediation, including large-scale remediation or uplift programmes.
• Ability to interact with senior management, build trusted partnerships and present sound opinions and solutions.
• Strong people skills, with the ability to set and prioritise objectives and tasks.
• Excellent analytical, conceptual and problem-solving skills, flexibility and adaptability, and a robust ethical compass.