Assistant Manager (Client Onboarding) - Standard Chartered

Job Summary


As the Assistant Manager for CMU Onboarding within our SME Banking division, you will play a pivotal role in the client onboarding journey, working collaboratively with Relationship Managers to meticulously assess and validate client profiles. Your responsibilities will include ensuring all client documentation meets the rigorous SME Banking standards and regulatory requirements. This role demands a comprehensive understanding of risk assessment procedures, attention to detail, and a commitment to maintaining the highest standards of compliance and client due diligence.


This position is designed for a proactive professional who takes ownership of the client onboarding process from start to finish, supporting the business in minimizing risk exposure and enhancing operational efficiency. You will be an essential part of a dynamic team dedicated to safeguarding the integrity of our services while fostering excellent client relationships.



Key Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end client approval process within the SME Banking segment, ensuring seamless execution and adherence to internal policies.
• Thoroughly examine New Account Opening Documentation to verify completeness, authenticity, and compliance with established standards.
• Perform detailed Client Due Diligence (CDD) reviews, aligning account data with all applicable internal controls and regulatory requirements.
• Evaluate the quality and legitimacy of clients' Source of Wealth documentation to meet onboarding criteria.
• Conduct comprehensive screenings including adverse media checks, sanctions lists, and tax red flag identification to detect potential risks.
• Maintain meticulous records of all communications and documentation associated with client onboarding activities to ensure audit readiness.
• Ensure accurate and timely data entry into the SME banking systems, supporting operational transparency and reporting accuracy.
• Provide expert advice and guidance to frontline Relationship Managers regarding SME CDD policies, procedural updates, and relevant local regulatory frameworks.
• Identify and escalate higher-risk client relationships or reputational concerns promptly to SME Compliance and other relevant departments.
• Collaborate closely with functional experts including Legal, Compliance, and Tax teams to resolve complex client onboarding issues and maintain compliance.
• Contribute actively to the development and refinement of internal processes and controls to optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of daily operations.
• Adhere strictly to defined Turn Around Times (TATs) and Service Level Agreements (SLAs), ensuring timely delivery of all onboarding tasks.
• Champion continuous improvement by proactively identifying procedural challenges and proposing viable solutions to enhance service delivery and operational standards.

Skills and Experience

• Bachelor's degree or higher, with substantial experience in corporate or commercial banking environments, demonstrating comprehensive industry knowledge.
• Minimum of 3 years' experience specializing in SME banking, specifically within Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) roles.
• Strong understanding of regulatory frameworks governing SME Banking, including CDD and AML compliance obligations.
• Exceptional communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to present complex information clearly and effectively to diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively as part of a team, exhibiting a service-oriented mindset and interpersonal skills that foster positive working relationships.
• High level of integrity, professionalism, and meticulous attention to detail within all aspects of work.

About Standard Chartered


We're an international bank, nimble enough to act, big enough for impact. For more than 170 years, we've worked to make a positive difference for our clients, communities, and each other. We question the status quo, love a challenge and enjoy finding new opportunities to grow and do better than before. If you're looking for a career with purpose and you want to work for a bank making a difference, we want to hear from you. You can count on us to celebrate your unique talents and we can't wait to see the talents you can bring us.


Our purpose, to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, together with our brand promise, to be here for good are achieved by how we each live our valued behaviours. When you work with us, you'll see how we value difference and advocate inclusion.


Together we:

• Do the right thing and are assertive, challenge one another, and live with integrity, while putting the client at the heart of what we do
• Never settle, continuously striving to improve and innovate, keeping things simple and learning from doing well, and not so well
• Are better together, we can be ourselves, be inclusive, see more good in others, and work collectively to build for the long term

What we offer



In line with our Fair Pay Charter, we offer a competitive salary and benefits to support your mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing.

• Core bank funding for retirement savings, medical and life insurance, with flexible and voluntary benefits available in some locations.
• Time-off including annual leave, parental/maternity (20 weeks), sabbatical (12 months maximum) and volunteering leave (3 days), along with minimum global standards for annual and public holiday, which is combined to 30 days minimum.
• Flexible working options based around home and office locations, with flexible working patterns.
• Proactive wellbeing support through Unmind, a market-leading digital wellbeing platform, development courses for resilience and other human skills, global Employee Assistance Programme, sick leave, mental health first-aiders and all sorts of self-help toolkits
• A continuous learning culture to support your growth, with opportunities to reskill and upskill and access to physical, virtual and digital learning.
• Being part of an inclusive and values driven organisation, one that embraces and celebrates our unique diversity, across our teams, business functions and geographies - everyone feels respected and can realise their full potential.