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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for AML Investigator

💰 $60,000 - $110,000

ComplianceAnti-Money LaunderingFinancial CrimeInvestigations

🎯 Role Definition

An AML Investigator is responsible for identifying, investigating, documenting, and escalating suspected money laundering, terrorist financing, fraud and other financial crimes. This role combines deep knowledge of Anti‑Money Laundering (AML) regulations (BSA/AML, FinCEN, FATF guidance), transaction monitoring systems, Know Your Customer (KYC) processes, sanctions screening (OFAC/UN/EU), and strong investigative skills to prepare defensible Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)/STRs and support regulatory compliance, audits, and law-enforcement requests. The AML Investigator partner with business units, risk and compliance teams, and technology groups to tune detection rules, remediate findings, and continuously improve the financial crime detection program.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • AML/KYC Analyst or Junior AML Investigator
  • Fraud Analyst or Fraud Investigator
  • Financial Crime Operations Analyst

Advancement To:

  • Senior AML Investigator / Senior Financial Crime Analyst
  • AML Case Management Lead / Team Lead
  • AML Manager / Financial Crime Manager
  • Head of Financial Crime / Director, Financial Crime Compliance

Lateral Moves:

  • KYC/Onboarding Specialist
  • Sanctions Analyst
  • Transaction Monitoring Analyst
  • Regulatory Compliance Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Conduct thorough investigations into alerts generated by transaction monitoring systems, account activity, wire transfers, and cross-border payments to determine whether activity is suspicious, non-suspicious, or requires escalation.
  • Perform robust KYC, CDD and EDD reviews for accounts flagged as high‑risk, verifying source of funds, source of wealth, ownership structures, UBOs, and beneficial interest using internal systems and external data sources.
  • Draft clear, comprehensive, and defensible SAR/STR narratives and supporting documentation in accordance with internal policy and regulatory requirements (e.g., FinCEN), ensuring timely filing and preservation of audit trails.
  • Adjudicate name‑screening hits and sanctions matches (OFAC, UN, EU lists), apply risk-based decision-making, and document remediation or escalation steps in the case management system.
  • Analyze complex patterns of behavior across multiple accounts, channels, jurisdictions, and products (deposits, withdrawals, wires, ACH, trade finance, crypto) to identify potential money laundering, layering, or structuring techniques.
  • Liaise with law enforcement, regulators, and external partners during investigations and provide requested documentation or intelligence while maintaining strict confidentiality and legal protections.
  • Maintain, prioritize, and manage an assigned caseload in the AML case management system (e.g., Actimize, NICE, Mantas, FCRM), applying SLAs and escalation protocols to ensure timely resolution.
  • Collaborate with data analytics, engineering and TM/rules teams to review detection rule performance, reduce false positives, and propose enhancements to thresholds, scenarios, and risk scoring models.
  • Conduct ongoing remediation with business units, including account restrictions, holds, enhanced monitoring, or account closure recommendations when warranted by investigative findings.
  • Support regulatory examinations, audits, and internal reviews by providing investigative files, SAR/STR copies, case summaries, and root-cause analysis of program gaps.
  • Execute transaction-level and aggregated data queries using SQL, Excel (pivot tables, advanced formulas), and internal analytics tools to build evidence, trend analyses, and investigative timelines.
  • Screen and analyze negative/adverse media, PEP (politically exposed person) status, sanctions exposure, and reputational risk using commercial databases and OSINT techniques.
  • Provide subject-matter expertise on money laundering typologies, fraud schemes, trade-based money laundering, correspondent banking risk, and emerging risks such as crypto-based laundering.
  • Ensure all investigative records are audit-ready, accurately coded, and retained per record retention policies and regulatory obligations.
  • Train and mentor junior investigators and front-line staff on escalation criteria, suspicious activity indicators, and basic KYC/EDD processes to improve detection and reporting quality.
  • Escalate potential SAR/STRs and legal issues to senior compliance, legal, or MLRO where required, and participate in decision forums for high-risk client outcomes.
  • Track, report, and analyze key AML KPIs and metrics (alert volumes, SAR filing rates, disposition times, false positive rates) to inform program governance and continuous improvement.
  • Coordinate with onboarding and relationship management teams to remediate KYC deficiencies discovered during investigations and support risk-based onboarding decisions.
  • Monitor and respond to regulatory or law enforcement subpoenas and information requests, preparing responsive documentation and liaising with Legal as necessary.
  • Evaluate and recommend process improvements to streamline investigations, increase automation, and improve detection fidelity while reducing operational cost.
  • Participate in cross-functional working groups to implement new regulatory requirements, product changes, or risk frameworks that affect the AML program.
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of global sanctions regimes, AML regulations, industry best practices, and typology alerts issued by FinCEN, FATF, or other authorities.
  • Conduct periodic reviews of assigned high-risk accounts to ensure ongoing KYC adequacy and to detect suspicious activity after remediation or product changes.
  • Build persuasive, well-structured investigative reports for internal stakeholders covering methodology, findings, risk assessment, and recommended next steps.

Secondary Functions

  • Support creation and maintenance of AML investigation playbooks, standard operating procedures, and knowledge base articles to ensure consistent case handling.
  • Assist in data‑driven tuning projects, including backtesting alerts, labeling outcomes for model improvement, and measuring model performance post-change.
  • Contribute to periodic risk assessments, including product, customer, and geographic risk matrices, and support mitigation plan tracking.
  • Participate in cross-functional training initiatives to raise AML awareness among sales, operations, and product teams.
  • Help evaluate new AML tooling, automation capabilities, and third-party data providers; participate in vendor assessments and proof-of-concept testing.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Proven experience with AML case management and transaction monitoring systems (e.g., NICE Actimize, FICO, SAS AML, Oracle Mantas, NICE, Verafin, FCRM).
  • SAR/STR filing experience and drafting high-quality narratives compliant with FinCEN or local FIU requirements.
  • Strong KYC/CDD/EDD knowledge: beneficial ownership, UBO identification, corporate structures, and trust arrangements.
  • Sanctions and watchlist screening expertise (OFAC, UN, EU, UK, and other jurisdictional lists) and experience adjudicating hits.
  • Data analysis skills, including SQL querying, Excel (advanced functions, pivot tables), and familiarity with BI tools (Tableau, Power BI) for investigative reporting.
  • Familiarity with regulatory frameworks: BSA/AML, PATRIOT Act, FATF guidance, and local AML regulations relevant to the hiring jurisdiction.
  • Experience performing enhanced due diligence for high-risk customers, PEP screening, adverse media screening, and source-of-funds/source-of-wealth verification.
  • Understanding of financial products and payment flows: wires, ACH, international remittances, trade finance, securities, and crypto/virtual assets.
  • Ability to use OSINT tools and commercial data providers (e.g., World-Check, LexisNexis, RDC) to support investigations.
  • Strong case documentation, file management, and evidence preservation skills; comfortable maintaining audit-ready records.
  • Familiarity with rule tuning, alert triage methodologies, and false positive reduction strategies.
  • Exposure to fraud detection techniques and indicators of synthetic identities, account takeover, and transactional fraud.

Soft Skills

  • Excellent written and verbal communication — able to produce clear, concise investigative reports and explain findings to non-technical stakeholders.
  • Strong analytical and critical thinking with the ability to synthesize large volumes of data into actionable conclusions.
  • High attention to detail and accuracy, particularly in documentation that may be reviewed by regulators or law enforcement.
  • Sound judgment and the ability to make risk-based decisions under tight timeframes and ambiguous scenarios.
  • Collaborative mindset and ability to work cross-functionally with Legal, Compliance, Operations, and Technology teams.
  • Time management and prioritization skills to handle large caseloads and competing SLAs.
  • Discretion, integrity, and commitment to confidentiality given the sensitive nature of investigations.
  • Adaptability and willingness to learn new detection tools, regulatory guidance, and typologies.
  • Customer-focused approach balanced with regulatory obligations and enterprise risk controls.
  • Coaching and mentoring capability to support junior investigators and promote consistent investigative standards.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Criminal Justice, Economics, Business, or related field (or equivalent professional experience).

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree plus AML-related certification (CAMS) or a Master’s degree in a relevant field.
  • Additional certifications: CAMS (Certified Anti‑Money Laundering Specialist), CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner), CRCM, or relevant compliance certifications.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Finance
  • Accounting
  • Criminal Justice
  • Economics
  • Business Administration
  • Law

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 2–5 years of hands-on AML/financial crime investigation experience (banking, fintech, payments, or regulated financial services).

Preferred:

  • 3–7+ years of AML investigative experience, including SAR/STR filing, sanctions screening, transaction monitoring adjudication, and regulatory interaction.
  • Prior experience using major TM/case management platforms, conducting EDD/PEP reviews, and supporting regulatory examinations is highly desirable.
  • Demonstrated track record of improving detection logic, reducing false positives, and leading cross-functional remediation projects.
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