The Client Intelligence (CI) team is a key component of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). The functions provides in-depth intelligence analysis that enables HSBC to detect and assess the financial crime risks posed to the bank through its exposure to clients, industries, jurisdictions and products. CI reports have a direct impact on all Lines of Business as well as key senior stakeholders across Risk and are used to inform critical business decisions across HSBC.

The Global CI team use a variety of bespoke, industry-leading systems and open source material, to undertake qualitative and quantitative analyses of large, trans-national networks to identify and assess the extent of HSBC exposure to a wide spectrum of financial crime risks. The role holder will work closely with regional FIU and other investigative colleagues to fuse multiple regional-focused assessments into holistic, succinct and detailed global intelligence reports and/or presentations for a wide-range of stakeholders, including senior executives.

The role holder should have a curious and enquiring mind-set, capable of recognising and developing intelligence leads in a complex and data-rich environment.  They will require a good understanding of financial crime methodologies, financial crime and compliance practices and geopolitical and security risks. Furthermore, the individual will be comfortable handling and manipulating large and complex data sets derived from multiple internal and external sources. During the course of their casework the role holder will also work closely with FIU’s Deputy Head, Governance and Technology teams to ensure that Global Client Intelligence is operationally effective and delivering clear and consistent messages to its internal stakeholders.

·   The provision of timely and reliable intelligence reports / briefings to inform stakeholders of identified financial crime risks linked to trans-national networked activity

·   Conducting deep dive research and analysis on key persons and entities to develop networks linked to HSBC

·   Prioritise research as appropriate referring any issue to the Line Manager as early as possible in the process

·   Produce high quality written analysis, tailored to land effectively with customers and enable clear outcomes

·   Project management of multiple analyses at any one time, often under considerable time pressures due to transactional requirements across HSBC global business lines

·   Develop and maintain instrumental relationships with regional FIU colleagues across the full spectrum of financial crime risk

·   Contribute to the overall development and excellence of the global CI

·   Drive and enhance reporting and analytical standards in the Global CI team to ensure its casework has maximum business impact

·   Adopt new technologies and maximize their effective use in CI cases whenever appropriate

·   Ensure the appropriate development of CI cases, spotting trends, typologies and additional work needed on individual reports, and driving the optimal usage of different analytical methodologies, ensuring active onward risk management

·   To build deep subject matter expertise; including knowledge of financial crime typologies and regional / geopolitical context

·   Remain up-to-date with public and business events that would be relevant to FIU’s work

Assist in managing a diverse set of stakeholders in order to achieve the overarching objectives, including:

·   HSBC’s Lines of Business (RBWM, CMB, GBM & GPB)

·   Financial Crime Compliance

·   Security and Fraud Risk

·   AML investigation (AMLi)

·   Financial Crime Investigation (FCI) and other relevant investigative functions

·   External commissioners (Regulators, Law Enforcement bodies, Government agencies)

·   FIU’s Global and Regional Operational Intelligence teams

·   FIU’s Global Coordination and Strategic Analysis Teams

·   FIU’s Technology teams

·   Help execute Global CI strategy by consistently and dynamically responding to new requirements as they arise

·   Train and mentor new personnel within the CI team (when appropriate)

·   Work collaboratively with all Global and Regional FIU staff and stakeholders, including colleagues in Operational Intelligence, Strategic Analysis, Governance, Technology and Liaison

·   The role holder is also responsible for the adherence to a strong team culture, ensuring adherence to standards, creativity, a positive and engaged approach to change, and openness to feedback and new ideas

·   Work effectively as part of a dynamic team including taking on unfamiliar / difficult tasks when necessary and providing support to others

·   Proactively taking the lead when necessary to ensure that service levels are at a minimum maintained and ideally exceeded

·   Help ensure that all casework is fully compliant with existing FIU processes and overarching operating model, following all applicable guidance and training from FIU Governance and Technology

·   Ensure that all casework uses existing FIU Technology tools appropriately and effectively

·   Collaborate with FIU Technology to help enhance FIU Technology tools to meet CI identified capability or intelligence gaps

·   Working in a new and evolving intelligence team and using technology without precedent in the wholesale and commercial banking environment

·   Rapidly establishing credibility through clear communications with FIU, FCC and SFR stakeholders globally and regionally in order to enhance HSBC’s financial crime risk management

·   Promptly producing tangible and valuable output with an evolving system in a new environment

·   Constructing and presenting accurate and succinct assessments of financial crime risks

·   Developing an expert knowledge of money laundering and other financial crime risks and applying the knowledge to suggest and test innovative ways to improve FIU’s capability

·   Developing and maintaining strong and productive relationships with a diverse set of customers and stakeholders

The role is in an evolving team which forms part of Global Client Intelligence within the Financial Intelligence Unit. As such the role holder must be able to work comfortably within a fluid, developing and challenging environment. The role holder will be expected to demonstrate considerable entrepreneurial spirit in identifying and realising opportunities to improve the management of financial crime risk across business lines. The role holder will be subject to sensitive information and must exercise sound judgement in protecting it and must adhere to all relevant rules and regulations.

The role holder must be interested in the issues covered in the research effort - senior managers and decision makers will base important business decisions on the research product, hence the need for clear analytical capability. 

The role holder must be equipped to work in a high pressure environment which requires a high degree of communication (written and verbal) skills

Post holder is responsible for providing regular feedback on CI casework to Team leads of GCI, particularly the identification of ‘live risk’ and the resulting impact on relevant business lines.

The role holder must take account of changing economic, legal, technological and regulatory environments and adhere to all procedures and practices. Being involved in the early stages of a new FIU team, during a time of heightened scrutiny, means that the role holder must react to changes in the operating environment and ensure that applicable changes are made to the system and processes.

The role holder must adhere to all relevant internal controls and should be able to demonstrate a flawless track record in this area. This will be achieved by adherence to all relevant procedures, keeping appropriate records and, where appropriate, by the timely implementation of internal and external audit points, including issues raised by external regulators. The role holder will implement the standards set by Global FIU Governance.

·   Bachelors Degree or equivalent experience; Masters Degree desirable

·   Proven and demonstrably deep experience in the areas of financial crime, intelligence, geopolitical and security risk

·   Outstanding analytical (qualitative and quantitative) and problem-solving skills, preferably with experience applying these in the field of intelligence analytics and/or financial crime

·   Positive, proactive and engaged attitude to help drive the development of a high performing team

·   Fluency in English essential, fluency in second language (e.g. Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Russian) is desirable

Strong communication and influencing skills

Ability to produce high quality, high impact written products

·   Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build and maintain instrumental relationships

·   Ability to think creatively to drive innovative solutions

·   Demonstrable track-record of achievement in new and uncertain environments

·   Experience of handling and manipulating large and complex data sets; advanced Microsoft Excel user