Senior VP, Head of Transaction Surveillance Team, Group Compliance

About UOB

United Overseas Bank Limited (UOB) is a leading bank in Asia with a global network of more than 500 branches and offices in 19 countries and territories in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. In Asia, we operate through our head office in Singapore and banking subsidiaries in China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, as well as branches and offices. Our history spans more than 80 years. Over this time, we have been guided by our values – Honorable, Enterprising, United and Committed. This means we always strive to do what is right, build for the future, work as one team and pursue long-term success. It is how we work, consistently, be it towards the company, our colleagues or our customers.

Job Description

The Head of Transaction Surveillance Team (“TST”) leads the Bank’s transaction monitoring and investigative activities to detect, assess, and escalate potential financial crime risks. The role ensures that alerts generated from Transaction Monitoring systems, Unusual Activity Reports (UARs), and other credible sources are investigated with rigor, consistency, and timeliness, enabling the Bank to meet its regulatory obligations under applicable MAS Notices and internal Group standards.

This is a high-visibility leadership role within Anti-Financial Crime (AFC), requiring strong AML/CFT technical expertise, sound judgment, and the ability to drive operational excellence across onshore and offshore investigative teams.

The role reports to the Head of Anti-Financial Crime – Investigation & Intelligence (AFC – I&I).

Key Responsibilities

1. Transaction Monitoring & Investigations Oversight

• Provide end-to-end leadership and accountability for transaction monitoring investigations, including alerts generated by AML TM systems, UAR escalations from Business Units (BUs) and Support Units (SUs), and cases arising from other credible intelligence sources.
• Ensure investigations are conducted in accordance with regulatory requirements, MAS Notices, internal policies, and Group standards.
• Exercise sound judgment in identifying and escalating suspicious activities, including ensuring the timely and accurate filing of Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) with relevant authorities where required.
• Maintain consistent quality standards across onshore TST and offshore IH2 investigative teams.

2. Operational Excellence & Risk Management

• Drive operational excellence within TST by continuously reviewing investigation processes, workflows, and controls to enhance effectiveness, efficiency, and consistency.
• Partner with AFC – I&I Operations Excellence Team (OET) to identify opportunities for process optimisation, automation, and capacity enhancement, and lead the execution of agreed improvements.
• Proactively identify emerging AML/CFT risks, typologies, and thematic issues observed through transaction monitoring activities, and escalate key risks to senior AFC stakeholders as appropriate.

3. Management Information & Governance

• Oversee the production of timely and accurate Management Information (MI) on investigation volumes, turnaround times, quality indicators, capacity utilisation, and risk trends.
• Analyse MI to identify gaps, trends, and areas of concern, and recommend remedial actions to ensure sustainable control effectiveness.

4. Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

• Act as a key point of contact on Transaction Monitoring matters for internal stakeholders across AFC functions and Business Units.
• Engage BUs and relevant stakeholders through governance forums, working groups, and regular engagements to promote effective escalation, investigation, and closure of alerts and cases.
• Stay abreast of regulatory developments, industry best practices, and emerging financial crime risks that may impact transaction monitoring activities.

5. People Leadership & Capability Building

• Set clear goals, accountabilities, and performance expectations for the TST function.
• Lead workforce planning, recruitment, promotions, and performance management for the team.
• Provide strong leadership, coaching, and development to build a high-performing, engaged, and resilient team.
• Identify skills and capability gaps, and ensure appropriate training and development plans are in place to meet current and future business and regulatory needs.
• Promote staff retention through effective succession planning, engagement, and career development.

Job Requirements

• Minimum 10–15 years of experience in Transaction Monitoring, Financial Crime Investigation, or related AML/CFT functions within the financial services industry.
• Deep expertise in financial crime risk typologies (e.g. ML, TF, fraud) and their real-world manifestations in a banking environment.
• Proven track record of leading and managing large and/or geographically dispersed teams, including offshore investigative operations.
• Strong working knowledge of regulatory expectations under MAS Notices and industry best practices for AML transaction monitoring.
• Demonstrated ability to make sound, defensible decisions in complex, high-risk, and time-sensitive situations.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with senior stakeholders.
• Bachelor’s degree in Law, Banking, Financial Services, or a related discipline; relevant professional AML/financial crime certifications are highly preferred.
• High standards of integrity, professionalism, and ethical conduct.

Additional Requirements

Be a Part of the UOB Family

UOB is an equal opportunity employer. UOB does not discriminate on the basis of a candidate's age, race, gender, color, religion, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or other non-merit factors. All employment decisions at UOB are based on business needs, job requirements and qualifications. If you require any assistance or accommodations to be made for the recruitment process, please inform us when you submit your online application.

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