About Northern Trust:
Northern Trust, a Fortune 500 company, is a globally recognized, award-winning financial institution that has been in continuous operation since 1889.
Northern Trust is proud to provide innovative financial services and guidance to the world’s most successful individuals, families, and institutions by remaining true to our enduring principles of service, expertise, and integrity. With more than 130 years of financial experience and over 22,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.
Northern Trust is seeking a Senior 1LOD (First Line of Defence) KYC Program Manager to provide leadership and oversight of AML/KYC program management activities within the First Line of Defence (1LOD).
The role sits within the AML/KYC Program Management function and reports to the Global Head of AML/KYC Program Management – First Line of Defence, within the Office of the Chief Operating Officer (COO).
This position is accountable for the design, implementation, and ongoing maturity of the KYC Program within the 1LOD, ensuring effective governance, regulatory alignment, and operational readiness across the KYC Centre of Excellence (CoE).
Role Overview
The Senior 1LOD KYC Program Manager is responsible for the end-to-end ownership and delivery of AML/KYC program initiatives, ensuring the Global AML/KYC Program is effectively operationalised within the First Line of Defence.
The role partners closely with Compliance (2LOD), Technology, Operations, and senior stakeholders to deliver sustainable, compliant, and scalable KYC program outcomes.
The role plays a critical part in minimising regulatory, financial, and reputational risk by ensuring strong program governance, effective change management, and continuous improvement across KYC processes, controls, and supporting technology.
Key responsibilities include:
- Provide ownership and accountability for the design, implementation, and ongoing enhancement of the KYC Program within the First Line of Defence, while ensuring effective challenge, guidance, and oversight from the Second Line of Defence.
- Lead the delivery of all 1LOD AML/KYC program change initiatives, enabling transparent tracking of progress against regulatory and enterprise requirements.
- Act as the 1LOD assessment lead for Global AML/KYC Program changes, identifying operational impacts, risks, and implementation considerations.
- Design, implement, and deliver AML/KYC management reporting, including KRIs, KPIs, outsourcing metrics, and governance reporting to senior stakeholders.
- Drive coordination across global 1LOD stakeholders through working groups, governance forums, and user groups to ensure program changes, enhancements, and requirements are clearly communicated and effectively implemented.
- Serve as a Business Subject Matter Expert for AML/KYC platforms, including Actimize, Fenergo, and KYC reporting solutions.
- Own and manage relationships with third-party vendors, supporting solution design, implementation, configuration, and ongoing optimisation.
- Lead the development of business requirements documentation and partner with Technology, developers, testers, and global stakeholders to deliver program outcomes.
- Drive continuous improvement across AML/KYC processes, architecture, and reporting solutions in support of the KYC Centre of Excellence.
- Support resolution of AML/KYC application production issues and contribute to sustainable remediation efforts.
- Proactively engage with stakeholders across 1LOD, 2LOD, and Technology to assess AML/KYC technology needs and functional requirements.
- Ensure proposed changes to the Global AML/KYC Program are operationally feasible, appropriately resourced, and aligned to existing initiatives.
- Follow the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, including timely escalation of AML concerns, suspicious activity, and policy breaches.
- Demonstrate commitment to AML risk excellence through ongoing knowledge maintenance, training completion, and contribution to broader KYC initiatives.
The ideal candidate should have a fair amount of the following skills & experience:
- A college or university degree and/or equivalent relevant professional experience.
- Advanced knowledge of AML/KYC and financial crime regulations and operating models, ideally with 5+ years’ experience.
- Significant experience designing, building, and implementing end-to-end workflows leveraging technology, process optimisation, and industry best practices.
- Strong analytical and program management skills, with the ability to translate complex business and regulatory requirements into operational and technology solutions.
- Proven experience in writing business requirements documentation and partnering with Technology teams.
- Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills.
- Strong organisational skills with a high level of attention to detail and execution discipline.
Working with Us:
As a Northern Trust partner, greater achievements await. You will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture in an organization where financial strength and stability is an asset that emboldens us to explore new ideas.
Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company committed to assisting the communities we serve! Join a workplace with a greater purpose.
We’d love to learn more about how your interests and experience could be a fit with one of the world’s most admired and sustainable companies! Build your career with us and apply today. #MadeForGreater
Reasonable accommodation
Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center at [email protected].
We hope you’re excited about the role and the opportunity to work with us. We value an inclusive workplace and understand flexibility means different things to different people.
Apply today and talk to us about your flexible working requirements and together we can achieve greater.
Skills Required
- College or university degree or equivalent professional experience
- Advanced knowledge of AML/KYC and financial crime regulations
- Experience designing, building, and implementing end-to-end KYC workflows and process optimisation
- Experience as SME on AML/KYC platforms (Actimize, Fenergo, KYC reporting solutions)
- Strong analytical and program management skills translating regulatory requirements into operational and technology solutions
- Proven experience writing business requirements documentation and partnering with Technology teams
- Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills
- Strong organisational skills with high attention to detail and execution discipline
- 5+ years' experience in AML/KYC or financial crime (ideally)
Northern Trust Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Northern Trust and has not been reviewed or approved by Northern Trust.
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Retirement Support — Retirement offerings are positioned as a standout, with a 401(k) plus an additional employer-funded pension described as a differentiator. This combination is repeatedly framed as a meaningful offset within total rewards, especially for long-term financial security.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off benefits are depicted as generous, spanning paid time off, holidays, and dedicated paid volunteer time. The breadth of leave options is highlighted as a consistent strength that supports work-life balance.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is characterized as comprehensive, typically including medical, dental, vision, and mental-health support through an assistance program. The offering is portrayed as robust and family-supportive, with multiple plan options in some descriptions.
Northern Trust Insights
What We Do
As a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing and investment solutions, Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) is proud to guide the world’s most successful individuals, families and institutions by remaining true to our enduring principles of service, expertise and integrity. A globally recognized Fortune 500 Company in continuous operation since 1889, we’ve built a legacy of empowering clients to reach their goals with confidence. Since our roots as a trust bank, we’ve grown to a global presence with more than 24,000 employees in more than 20 countries and across six core business units: Wealth Management Asset Management Asset Servicing Technology Corporate Functions Enterprise Operations Join a Team That’s Achieving Greater At Northern Trust, we refer to our employees as partners – with good reason. We understand that relationships are the key to our success. Here you’ll join a diverse and inclusive team of innovators with the drive to challenge the way things have always been done. Instead of choosing between a dynamic career and work-life balance, enjoy working with a team that supports your goals in the office and at home. We’ll help you get where you want to go without sacrificing what matters most to you. Delivering value and adhering to our enduring principles What are enduring principles? Since our founding, they have guided our strategy and success. Thanks to the dedication of our partners, Northern Trust continues to thrive by adhering to three enduring principles: service, expertise and integrity . What does this mean? Service Northern Trust has a relentless drive to provide exceptional service to our clients, our partners and our communities. We set new standards and go above and beyond in our commitment to delivering greater results. Expertise Expertise is at the core of who we are. We focus sharply on what we do well. From expanding our capabilities, to hiring talented professionals to developing innovative solutions, our expertise is why we continue to be a trusted advisor for generations of families and institutions. Integrity Operating with uncompromising ethics is central to Northern Trust’s heritage. As a result, our clients, partners and communities know they can rely on us. For more than 130 years, our integrity has been our guide – and that will never change.
Why Work With Us
At Northern Trust, we go further because we go together. We embrace flexibility, encourage balance, and prioritize inclusion at all levels, working together to keep you connected. We are committed to our employees—all 24,000 of them. Whether this is a first step or a bold new leap in your career, we’re here to help you move forward.
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