Circle Lead for TM Optimization

Your working environment

The Global Know Your Customer organization provides ING with standardized solutions for KYC related regulations and operational excellence. As part of the Global KYC organization within ING COO, the Global KYC Delivery Tribe develops solutions on socially relevant topics such as AML, CTF, fraud, sanctions, and implements them globally across 40+ countries and 36+ million ING customers. This involves collaborating with market-leading vendors and thought leaders and working with colleagues from different disciplines and backgrounds.

Transaction Monitoring (TM) analyzes customer transactions for signs of financial crimes and is divided into units within the TM Services Tribe, including TM Operations, Global Optimisation, Risk and Coverage and Global TM Transformation, as well as Centers of Excellence for Process & Procedures, Quality and Development, and Business Intelligence, Management, and Transformation.

TM Optimisation focuses on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the automated monitoring solution by reducing noise while maintaining effectiveness and identifying financial crime risk.

As the Optimisation Circle Lead, the role will lead a team responsible for managing the multiple sub-areas with the Global TM Optimisation organization. This will primarily include the investigations team reviewing the Optimisation alerts for money laundering, terrorist financing, and tax evasion. Additionally, the role will provide local management for the broader local team covering TM Optimization Analytics, Strategy & Design, and Execution, supporting the delivery of projects like Risk UAT, Backtesting, Segmentation, Tuning, and other strategic initiatives related to internal and regulatory committed programs. The role will be accountable for ensuring quality and timely output from the Manila team.

As a subject matter expert, the role will provide coaching and support to team members, ensuring their growth and development on an ongoing basis. You must be flexible in your planning and execution, given the dynamic demands of the team for resource allocation. Your management and leadership style should maintain high stakeholder engagement with internal and external teams, strong team spirit, and commitment to continuous improvement and quality.

Your key responsibilities as the Manila Circle Lead include:

• Managing the TM Optimization Manila project book of work, including strategic program rollout and major/minor system enhancements
• Managing and responsible for all the local sub-teams within TM Optimization, i.e., Investigations, Data Analytics and Strategy Design & Execution
• Leading and developing strong partnerships with key senior management through regular written and verbal communication and timely engagement
• Developing strong partnerships within the wider FC&FP team
• Supporting and performing ad-hoc tasks assigned by global TM Optimisation management
• Adhering to globally consistent processes and practices
• Providing ongoing regular management reporting to the TM Optimisation head
• Managing AML/TM-related KPIs to ensure consistent quality and timely completion of tasks
• Managing resiliency capabilities to ensure continuity of processing in the event of business disruption scenarios
• Able to navigate through ambiguity and simplify complexity through timely verbal and written communications channels
• Assessing areas for process and system improvements and providing potential solutions to senior management
• Working with the TM management team to develop a target operating model covering people, process, and technology
• Managing and developing team members including the TM training plan to enhance staff knowledge of business and products
• Supporting consistent hiring and performance management practices
• Managing and coaching Investigators (L1, L2, SIP), Team Leads, Business and Data Analysts, and Execution Leads by providing ongoing performance feedback
• Developing and managing a succession plan particularly for critical roles in the team
• Fostering and championing a high-performance culture where people are empowered to make decisions affecting their work environment
• Managing team calibration with Quality Control (QC) to close the feedback loop
• Performing all work in accordance with department procedures and quality standards.
• Managing the Dynamic Plan (budget) of the team to ensure that cost stays within budget
• Managing the staff compliance to global and local policies

• Fully understand and adhere to the TM Optimisation methodologies for optimizing Monitoring Alert Systems, including initial threshold setting (Risk UAT), ongoing threshold tuning (Backtesting), and Segmentation
• Conduct risk-based investigations on complex TM alerts and cases, identifying potential money laundering, terrorist financing, and tax evasion activity using ING's Global Standard TM Investigation Process and Procedures, in accordance with their roles and job descriptions to maintain consistently high and continuously improving standards.
• Execute projects related to initial threshold setting and ongoing threshold tuning, managing stakeholders across different countries and within the bank
• Use statistical analytics to optimize thresholds and minimize false positives, and develop test scenarios to understand the impact of parameter changes on alert generation efficiency and effectiveness

• Academic degree / masters or relevant experience in related field is desired.
• Accreditation for project management such as Agile, Prince2 or PMP is preferred. Accreditation or certification in CAMS, CFE, ICA or equivalent is preferred.

• Minimum 8-10 years of total work experience, with a minimum of 3 years' experience, preferably in reputable financial services organisations.
• Expert understanding of how money laundering, terrorist financing and tax evasion are executed, why, the differences between them and their impacts.
• Expert skills in conducting effective TM investigations, including in data and transaction analysis, research, and documentation.
• Developed understanding of the global financial system and banking as well as the regulatory environment and the impacts of non-compliance.

• Fluent in both spoken and written English and experienced in working in a multinational, complex organization with a senior management/program management view.
• Possesses a client-focused attitude with a strong understanding of achieving operational excellence.
• Proactive, can-do, no-surprises, and positive mindset, with a healthy work ethic and a willingness to collaborate.
• Facilitates decision-making for complex design issues, manages plans, determines priorities and timelines, and identifies necessary resources to achieve goals.
• Skilled in stakeholder management and identifying, managing, and finding solutions for risks and issues by analyzing key information.
• Builds bridges by nature and can bridge between different levels, people, and cultures based on capability and trust.

• Key regulations (such as EU AML Directives, BSA related in-country regulations), recommendations from global institutions (such as FATF, Wolfsberg and Basel); and global / regional intelligence sharing initiatives and their respective effects on the operational landscape of KYC including the interaction with the 2nd line.
• The entire customer life cycle of a client within a financial institution.
• The importance of taking a risk-based approach to TM and how to build an appropriate enabling operational and management culture, governance and set of controls.
• Has at least a high level of understanding of how IT systems and data flows work in a corporate environment.

• Organisationally sensitive.
• Profound knowledge of the AML/ CDD/ KYC domain, its key stakeholders and regulations.
• Experience with balancing the key stakeholders, 1st & 2nd line interests.
• Ability to display style flexibility to teams and adapt plan, approach and behaviour to the different needs, cultures, and situations.
• Strong resilience: ability to navigate through ambiguity and simplify complexity without losing essence.
• Ability to 'get people on board' and ensure necessary buy-in from stakeholders.
• Hands-on team player.
• Willing and able to travel as required.