Team Lead Europe / Client Onboarding and Compliance Review Switzerland and Middle East

• 11 September 2026
• 100%
• Indefinite period
• Zurich

We are looking for a talented Senior Compliance Manager to join our Client Lifecycle Compliance department integrated within the Legal and Compliance function of Banque Vontobel in Zurich.

What would your role be?

You will lead a team within the Onboarding and Review team covering high-risk private clients as well as Politically Exposed Persons (PEP).

You will act as a close advisor to Relationship Managers on AML and compliance matters.

Providing compliance-related training to the first line of defense and acting as a trusted interlocutor with other bank departments representing compliance.

In this role, your main tasks and responsibilities include:

Management, leadership and development of the Lifecycle Compliance Europe / Switzerland / Middle East team, including workload planning, quality assurance, coaching and employee development.

Ensuring compliance supervision throughout the client lifecycle, including onboarding, periodic reviews, event-driven reviews and ad hoc client assessments.

Performing and supervising risk-based compliance assessments for client onboardings, including KYC, due diligence, sanctions screening, adverse media review and reputational risk assessments.

Performing and supervising compliance assessments related to periodic and event-driven reviews, with a particular focus on politically exposed persons (PEP), high-risk clients, sanctions-related issues and other sensitive client relationships.

Acting as a subject matter expert for the Europe / Switzerland / Middle East markets and providing expert advice on AML, sanctions, regulatory and reputational risk issues.

Preparing compliance assessments and file presentations for management and governance committees to facilitate decision-making on high-risk and complex client relationships.

Monitoring and assessing high-risk and restricted transactions ex-ante.

Serving as an advisor to stakeholders across the three lines of defense on compliance, AML, sanctions and client lifecycle issues.

Performing internal controls, quality assurance reviews and monitoring activities to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and internal policies.

What are we looking for?

University degree and compliance-related certifications.

At least 10 years of experience in Private Banking in Switzerland covering client onboarding and reviews.

Team leadership skills.

Eloquent and capable of analyzing, summarizing and presenting succinctly both in writing and orally.

Proficiency in English and German, other languages such as French and Arabic are a plus.

Affinity for artificial intelligence (AI) and willingness to adopt AI-assisted tools and working methods.

What do we offer?

A prime location in Zurich with collaboration spaces (including rooftop terraces) and free lunch.

A friendly and diverse team in an open office space.

All the latest technology to help you excel and progress.

An agile environment in our way of thinking, working and trusting each other.

Flat hierarchy with collaboration at all levels.

Campus atmosphere and collaborative spirit.

We are looking for talented people, not just a CV that checks all the boxes. Even if you do not possess absolutely everything we have asked for, if this role feels right for you, we encourage you to apply.

Location requirement

This position is based in Zurich but will be transferred to Baar in 2030, ensuring close collaboration with key company stakeholders.

Why Vontobel?

At Vontobel, you build better futures for our clients and society, as well as for yourself. As a publicly listed family-owned company with more than 2,000 professionals across 28 locations worldwide and headquartered in Zurich, we are committed to long-term thinking and sustainability.

Our diverse team values unique perspectives, and we recruit individuals determined to perform in a dynamic and evolving world.