Head of Financial Crime & Money Laundering Reporting Officer

About the role

The Head of Financial Crime / Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) is the senior independent officer responsible for the design, oversight and assurance of Equity Bank’s anti‑money laundering, counter‑terrorist financing and counter‑proliferation financing framework. Reporting directly to senior management and the Board, the role ensures regulatory compliance and protects the institution from financial crime risks.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and oversee the bank’s AML/CFT/CPF compliance programme.
• Ensure effective customer due‑diligence (CDD/KYC), sanctions screening, transaction monitoring and record‑keeping.
• Review, investigate and escalate suspicious activities, and file Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) in a timely manner.
• Monitor the institution’s exposure to money‑laundering, terrorist‑financing and proliferation‑financing risks.
• Advise senior management and the Board on AML/CFT/CPF risks, regulatory developments and control weaknesses.
• Act as primary liaison with regulators, the Financial Reporting Centre (FRC), law‑enforcement agencies and external stakeholders.
• Drive AML/CFT training and awareness across the organisation.
• Identify, report and remediate compliance deficiencies.
• Maintain sufficient independence, authority, resources and direct access to senior leadership to fulfil responsibilities effectively.

Required profile

• Senior independent professional with extensive experience in AML/CFT/CPF governance.
• Deep knowledge of Kenyan regulatory requirements (POCAMLA, CBK prudential guidelines) and international standards (FATF).
• Proven ability to design, implement and continuously improve AML/CFT frameworks.
• Strong track record of advising boards and senior executives on financial‑crime risk.
• Excellent communication skills for interaction with regulators and law‑enforcement agencies.
• Ability to maintain independence and direct access to senior management.

Required skills