JOB SUMMARY

The Director, FCSO Digital Asset Surveillance is a senior role responsible for directing and overseeing the end-to-end management of digital asset related alert escalations, from Screening and Monitoring to in-depth investigation and resolution of suspicious on-chain activities. Leveraging advanced blockchain analytics, financial crime compliance expertise, and deep knowledge of global regulatory frameworks, the Director sets the strategic direction for digital asset investigative practices in alignment with the Bank’s policies, standards, and risk appetite.

This role partners closely with Compliance, Legal, Technology, Operations and Product teams across the Bank, as well as external regulators, to ensure rigorous adherence to Financial Sanctions, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Terrorist Financing (CTF) requirements. In addition to leading complex investigations, the Director will design and deliver targeted training programmes to build specialist investigative and blockchain analysis capabilities across the organisation, while also supporting the implementation of the financial crime control framework into new markets in alignment to the Banks Digital Assets strategy.

By combining operational excellence, proactive risk management, and strategic foresight, the Director safeguards the bank and its stakeholders from illicit activities while enabling innovation and responsible growth in the rapidly evolving digital asset space.

Key Responsibilities:

• Utilise advanced blockchain analytics tools to monitor transactions for irregularities and red flags.
• Analyse large datasets to detect suspicious activity patterns in cryptocurrency operations.
• Conduct in-depth investigations of suspicious transactions, wallets, and addresses.
• Trace blockchain transactions to identify potential illicit activity (e.g., money laundering, fraud, or sanction violations).
• Collaborate with internal teams to obtain context and insights related to flagged activities.
• Ensure compliance with Financial Sanctions/AML/CTF regulations and global Digital Assets frameworks.
• Work closely with compliance, risk management, and technology teams to enhance surveillance systems.
• Train internal staff on DA compliance risks and detection techniques.
• Provide expert insights and recommendations to improve anti-fraud and AML processes.
• Identify emerging DA risks and trends and recommend preventive measures.
• Assist in developing internal policies, procedures, and controls for DA transactions.
• Stay informed on evolving regulations, tools, and techniques in the DA space.
• Perform detailed testing of controls related to financial crime compliance, including DA surveillance, transaction monitoring, customer due diligence (CDD) and sanctions screening.
• Evaluate the design and operating effectiveness of key controls.
• Identify control deficiencies, root causes, and areas for improvement.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy

• Drives and influences to deliver against the Bank’s DA strategy.

• Keep abreast of markets developments (technologies, best practices, competitor strategies)
• Works closely with Compliance, Legal, Technology, Operations and Product teams across the Bank

Business

• Advisor for surveillance controls covering FIAT transactions with digital asset nexus.
• Support market expansion projects in CP25 including but not limited to Luxemburg, UK, Hong Kong and Singapore.
• Review new business requirements that look to leverage the surveillance tools and provide optimal solutions where required
• Support the Business, Function and CFCC in risk assessment/management for Sanctions, AML and ABC and optimal solutions to manage.

Processes

• FCSO Name Screening, FCSO Transaction Screening and FCSO Transaction Monitoring

People & Talent

• Promote and embed a culture of openness, trust and risk awareness, where ethical, legal, regulatory and policy compliant conduct is the norm.
• Stimulate an environment where forward planning, prioritisation, deadline management and streamlined workflows and collaborative, inclusive yet effective and efficient work practices are the norm.
• Collaborate with training teams to input to training curriculum to support closing of capability gaps.d accordingly until closure

Risk Management

• Strengthen first line operational risk management
• Ensure new technology products deliver effective management of operational risks in compliance with applicable internal policies, external laws, and regulations at a global level
• Act to minimize operational loss and audit failures and take proactive measures to respond to matters arising, identify and manage forward looking risks
• Embed the Group’s values and code of conduct across the function
• Ensure that Risk Management matters that are brought to the job holder’s attention are subject to direct remedial action and/or ensure adequate reporting to the appropriate Risk Committees
• Help implement an effective and exemplary risk and control culture (aligned to the Bank's risk appetite), with appropriate escalation and guidance to senior management on risks and issues arising
• Promote an environment of performance, collaboration, and compliance, to ensure issues are raised and blockages are resolved in a timely manner
• Undertake where required Risk Assessments with the second line to agree any residual risk against the banks Group and Country Risk Assessment Model.
• Use the banks internal risk tracking tool (M7) to ensure necessary risks are logged and any actions are tracked accordingly until closure

Governance

• Provide advice, support and input to policy, procedures and standards that reflect the management of Sanctions, AML and ABC risk through digital asset surveillance.
• Keep track of emerging regulatory expectations and evaluate the present state of infrastructure and processes to support regulatory and industry trends.
• Strong sense of quality and willingness to raise red flags when outcomes are likely to be compromised by poor delivery
• Influences pragmatic portfolio prioritization on project/change schedule. Influences decision making of senior stakeholders through articulation of constraints, conflicts, and options.
• Assess and cascade as appropriate matters arising and lessons learned from Audit, Assurance or Regulatory reviews or inspections.

Regulatory & Business Conduct

• Display exemplary conduct and live by the Group’s Values and Code of Conduct.
• Take personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of ethics, including regulatory and business conduct, across Standard Chartered Bank. This includes understanding and ensuring compliance with, in letter and spirit, all applicable laws, regulations, guidelines and the Group Code of Conduct.
• Effectively and collaboratively identify, escalate, mitigate and resolve risk, conduct and compliance matters.

Key Stakeholders

• FCC Controls representatives in Group and Country
• Financial Crime Surveillance Operations (“FCSO”) Functions – Name, Transaction Screening, Transaction Monitoring, Trade AML and Fraud, Surveillance Academy and Service Delivery Management, Data and Reporting, Risk Managers, etc.
• Risk Framework Owners
• Group Process Owner and associated support functions
• Control owners including TRM, Legal, Trading, COO, MO

Other Responsibilities

Embed Here for good and Group’s brand and values in Singapore / FCSO / Screening; Perform other responsibilities assigned under Group, Country, Business or Functional policies and procedures; Multiple functions (double hats)

Our Ideal Candidate

• Degree Holder
• 12+ years of relevant experience in FCC or Compliance
• 5+ years of relevant experience in Digital Asset Investigations
• Experience of FCC across multiple jurisdictions
• Have good knowledge of the Group, the Policies, Procedures and Standards relating to Financial Crime Compliance, as well as knowledge of the local regulations and legislation on AML/CTF and Sanctions
• Experience of FCC across multiple jurisdictions
• Financial Crime risk knowledge in Products would be advantageous
• Experience in regulatory engagement and/or liaison would be advantageous
• Excellent writing skills are a must – communications to senior management and/or regulators
• Must possess ability to assess strong leadership qualities, excellent interpersonal skills and cultural awareness and sensitivity
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills
• Strong responsibility and organisation skills
• Strong learner, intellect and relater. Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and to complete tasks in timely manner
• Good judgement. Excellent collaborative and team playing skills.
• Diplomacy, empathy and a 'can-do attitude'.
• Politeness, sensitivity and the ability to gently, but professionally stand your ground when needed
• An inquisitive approach to practices, procedures and specific transactions. Personal authority and integrity, independence, creativity, resourcefulness and resilience
• Understanding of the key features of relevant FCC laws and regulations that affect the Group
• Certifications - CAMS certified is preferred
• Business Communication

Role Specific Technical Competencies

• Financial Crime Compliance
• Business Relationship Management

About Standard Chartered

We're an international bank, nimble enough to act, big enough for impact. For more than 170 years, we've worked to make a positive difference for our clients, communities, and each other. We question the status quo, love a challenge and enjoy finding new opportunities to grow and do better than before. If you're looking for a career with purpose and you want to work for a bank making a difference, we want to hear from you. You can count on us to celebrate your unique talents and we can't wait to see the talents you can bring us.

Our purpose, to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, together with our brand promise, to be here for good are achieved by how we each live our valued behaviours. When you work with us, you'll see how we value difference and advocate inclusion.

Together we:

• Do the right thing and are assertive, challenge one another, and live with integrity, while putting the client at the heart of what we do
• Never settle, continuously striving to improve and innovate, keeping things simple and learning from doing well, and not so well
• Are better together, we can be ourselves, be inclusive, see more good in others, and work collectively to build for the long term

What we offer

In line with our Fair Pay Charter, we offer a competitive salary and benefits to support your mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing.

• Core bank funding for retirement savings, medical and life insurance, with flexible and voluntary benefits available in some locations.
• Time-off including annual leave, parental/maternity (20 weeks), sabbatical (12 months maximum) and volunteering leave (3 days), along with minimum global standards for annual and public holiday, which is combined to 30 days minimum.
• Flexible working options based around home and office locations, with flexible working patterns.
• Proactive wellbeing support through Unmind, a market-leading digital wellbeing platform, development courses for resilience and other human skills, global Employee Assistance Programme, sick leave, mental health first-aiders and all sorts of self-help toolkits
• A continuous learning culture to support your growth, with opportunities to reskill and upskill and access to physical, virtual and digital learning.
• Being part of an inclusive and values driven organisation, one that embraces and celebrates our unique diversity, across our teams, business functions and geographies - everyone feels respected and can realise their full potential.