About this role
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 beneficialDeep knowledge of AML/CTF, financial crime controls, safeguarding, governance, and risk frameworks.Experience conducting compliance audits and building compliance frameworks would be an advantageAbility 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.