Head of Client Onboarding

Position description

HEAD OF CLIENT ONBOARDING, full-time in Zurich, within the Legal & Compliance department.

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 serve as a key liaison between the compliance team, 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 PFPs, high-risk clients, and complex structures.
• Ensuring that onboarding and KYC/AML policies, procedures, and controls comply with regulatory requirements (AMLA, AMLO-FINMA, CBI 20, FinSA, FinIA).
• Serve as a trusted advisor to front-office departments and senior management on matters related to onboarding, KYC, and AML.
• 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 sponsoring projects, including new business initiatives, process optimization, and the implementation of new tools or systems.
• Ensuring effective management of client documentation and lifecycle processes in accordance with regulatory standards.
• Act as the 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

• 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, AMLO-FINMA, CBI 20, FinSA, and FinIA.
• Proven leadership and people management skills, with the ability to motivate, coach, and develop teams.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to interact with senior management and the front office.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to balance regulatory rigor with business pragmatism in a fast-paced environment.
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