Head of Client Onboarding

About the role

We are looking for an experienced and motivated Head of Client Onboarding. In this role, you will be responsible for the strategic direction, operational excellence, and continuous development of the client onboarding, KYC, and AML framework to ensure full compliance with regulatory requirements while enabling business growth.

Tasks

You will act as a key interface between compliance, front office departments, and senior stakeholders, combining strong leadership with in-depth regulatory expertise. Your responsibilities will include:

• Leadership, management, and development of the global client onboarding and KYC team to foster strong performance, a risk-aware and collaborative environment.
• Assume overall responsibility for client onboarding, KYC due diligence, and AML processes, including assessments of PEPs, high-risk clients, and complex structures.
• Definition, implementation, and continuous improvement of onboarding and KYC/AML policies, procedures, and controls in accordance with regulatory requirements (AMLA, AML-O-FINMA, CDB 20, FinSA, FinIA).
• Acting as a trusted advisor to front-office departments and senior management on onboarding, KYC, and AML-related matters.
• Monitoring and approving complex onboarding cases and escalations to ensure consistent and risk-based decisions.
• Preparation and review of internal assessments, risk analyses, and management reports related to onboarding and KYC activities.
• Planning and monitoring of reviews and quality assurance activities in the onboarding/KYC environment.
• Leading and promoting projects, including new business initiatives, process optimization, and implementation of new tools or systems.
• Ensuring effective management of client documentation and lifecycle processes in accordance with regulatory standards.
• Act as primary point of contact for internal and external audits related to onboarding/KYC, including preparing materials and coordinating responses.
• Monitoring regulatory developments and ensuring timely implementation of new requirements affecting client onboarding.

Requirements

For this role, you will need:

• Degree in law, compliance, finance, business administration, or a related field (preferably from a Swiss university or Swiss university of applied sciences).
• 7+ years of experience in the financial industry in compliance, onboarding/KYC, audit, or consulting, with proven leadership responsibility.
• Strong and practical knowledge of Swiss financial market regulations, in particular AMLA, AML-O-FINMA, CDB 20, FinSA, and FinIA.
• Proven leadership and team management skills, with the ability to motivate, coach, and develop teams.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to interact with senior management and front office.
• Excellent analytical, organizational and communication skills.
• Ability to balance regulatory rigor with business pragmatism in a fast-paced environment.
• Fluent