Vice President, Financial Crime Compliance

About the role

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) is seeking a Head of Financial Crime Compliance (Vice President) to lead and oversee its Financial Crime Compliance framework in Kuala Lumpur. The role acts as the subject matter expert on Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT), Sanctions, Anti-Bribery & Corruption (ABC) and Fraud, and drives the strategic implementation of financial crime controls to safeguard organisational integrity and build strong regulatory relationships.

Key responsibilities

• Establish, implement and maintain the bank's Financial Crime Compliance framework, policies and risk assessment methodologies in line with Bank Negara Malaysia regulations, group policies and international standards, including Japanese and US regulatory expectations.
• Act as the main point of contact for Bank Negara Malaysia, law enforcement and other regulators, ensuring timely and accurate statutory reporting, including disclosures through BNM's FINs system, and handling regulatory queries and examinations.
• Advise senior leadership, including the Chief Compliance Officer and business units, on financial crime risks, emerging typologies and regulatory developments.
• Supervise the governance of compliance systems such as Actimize and Hotscan, ensuring rules configuration, tuning, screening integrity and escalation protocols are upheld.
• Lead investigations into complex financial crime risks, escalating suspicious activity reports (SARs/STRs) and material control breaches to senior management and regional committees.
• Mentor and develop teams of Financial Crime Compliance specialists and foster a strong risk culture.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Law, Accounting/ACCA, Finance or a related discipline.
• At least 10 years' experience in Financial Crime Compliance or AML within banking, including 3 to 5 years in a senior leadership or team management capacity.
• Extensive experience in financial crime prevention roles, with additional exposure across banking sectors.
• Professional certification such as ACAMS, ICA or AICB is highly preferred.

Required skills

• Comprehensive knowledge of Bank Negara Malaysia AML/CFT regulations, including sanctions frameworks and the MACC Act.
• Familiarity with US (OFAC) or Japanese banking regulations is advantageous.
• Hands-on governance experience with automated transaction monitoring systems such as Actimize or sanctions screening tools such as Hotscan.
• Exceptional communication skills for negotiating with regulators and engaging senior executives.