AML/CFT Senior Investigator

About the role

The AML/CFT Senior Investigator at NW Bancshares HQ, PA0736, coordinates day-to-day implementation of the Bank's financial crime prevention efforts. This role assists in developing policies and procedures, including those for customer due diligence and suspicious activity monitoring.

Responsibilities

• Develops and maintains best practices to guard against and reduce financial fraud and related financial crimes.
• Provides subject matter expertise to team members within the Financial Crimes department and supports business units.
• Performs triage investigations of transaction monitoring system generated alerts and referrals.
• Conducts investigations to identify potentially suspicious financial and/or fraudulent activity, including money laundering, terrorist financing, fraud, and other financial risks or crimes.
• Prepares suspicious activity reports for filing.
• Conducts detailed analysis of suspicious activity monitoring alerts.
• Documents findings with high levels of quality, accuracy, and attention to detail.
• Provides consultative BSA/AML guidance to various lines of business.
• Contributes to customer due diligence reviews and enhanced due diligence, supporting OFAC screening reviews.
• Escalates cases based on Northwest policies and procedures and reviews of facts.
• Notifies supervisors and Financial Crimes management of instances of non-compliance with AML/CFT and related regulations.
• Adheres to performance metrics and continues education to stay current with industry trends.
• Conducts research on applicable regulations to ensure sound decision-making.
• Assists in developing and enhancing existing policies and procedures.
• Supports trainings and ongoing communication to foster a risk management culture within the bank.
• Drives the adherence to Northwest’s BSA/AML and OFAC Policy.
• Identifies gaps and areas of improvement within business processes to ensure alignment with Northwest’s risk management framework.
• Drives compliance with applicable regulatory and policy requirements.
• Applies sound ethical judgment regarding personal behavior, conduct, and business practices.
• Escalates, manages, and reports control issues to leaders within Financial Crimes with transparency.
• Ensures compliance with Northwest’s policies and procedures, and Federal/State regulations.
• Navigates Microsoft Office Software and other department-specific software to maximize efficiency.
• Works collaboratively with team members and participates in problem-solving and decision-making.
• Affirms total documentation and data integrity.
• Assists with training new employees as needed.
• Prepares information during regulatory examinations, audits, compliance reviews, or other BSA/AML reviews.
• Maintains a current awareness of the regulatory environment and emerging financial crimes that may impact Northwest’s products/services.
• Drives the adherence to Northwest’s BSA/AML and OFAC Policy and plays a significant role in driving Northwest’s risk culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice, Business, Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 5-6 years of AML/CFT related laws and regulations, knowledge, and applicability.
• 2-6 years of banking or regulatory experience, or 2-3 years of branch banking or operations experience.
• Knowledge of AML/CFT regulations, risks, and appropriate controls.
• Extensive knowledge of appropriate regulatory requirements including local and US laws, international and industry standards.
• Extensive knowledge of AML/CFT regulations, risks, and appropriate controls.
• Ability to establish effective working relationships among team members and participate in solving problems and making decisions.
• Ability to present and express ideas and information clearly and concisely in a manner appropriate to the audience, whether oral or written.
• Ability to actively listen to what others are saying to achieve understanding, sharing information with others and facilitating the open exchange of ideas and information.
• Ability to establish courses of action for self to accomplish specific goals, develop and use tracking systems for monitoring own work progress, and effectively use resources such as time and information.
• Ability to make right decisions based on perceptive and analytical processes, practicing good judgment in gray areas.
• Ability to allocate and effectively use information, personnel, time, and other resources necessary for implementation of Northwest’s strategic plans.
• Ability to make decisions, render judgments, and take action on tasks within the scope of given authority in a timely fashion.
• Ability to develop, evaluate, and implement alternative courses of action, based on correct assumptions concerning resources and guidelines, and support decisions or recommendations with data or reasoning.
• Ability to present and express ideas and information effectively and concisely in an oral and/or written mode in a manner appropriate for the audience.
• Ability to listen and comprehend what others are saying and facilitate the open exchange of ideas and information.
• Ability to motivate and provide direction in the activities of others, appropriately assigning work and authority, in the accomplishment of goals; providing advice and assistance as required.
• Ability to understand and appropriately apply procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies; maintain credibility with others on specialty matters.
• Extensive knowledge of appropriate regulatory requirements including local and US laws, international and industry standards.
• Extensive knowledge of AML/CFT regulations, risks, and appropriate controls.
• Ability to identify existing and potential problems, obtain and evaluate relevant information, identify possible causes of the problems, and suggest an alternative course of action including innovative or creative approaches.
• Ability to allocate and effectively use information, personnel, time, and other resources necessary for implementation of Northwest’s strategic plans.
• Team player, strong organizational and communication/persuasive skills.
• Ability to analyze financial data and statistics.
• Licenses and certifications: CAMS Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist.