Vice President – Financial Crimes Risk Intelligence & Assessment Office

About the role

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm that conducts its business through three principal business segments—Institutional Securities, Wealth Management (WM), and Asset Management. The Financial Crimes Policy Engagement and Risk Intelligence & Assessment Office supports the firm’s ability to make risk-based financial crimes decisions and execute Financial Crimes Policies consistently by delivering risk intelligence, policy engagement and guidance, and strategic solutions that strengthen controls and reduce operational inefficiencies across Wealth Management, E*TRADE, U.S. Banks, and Investment Management business lines.

Responsibilities

• Support and execute the Firm’s First Line Financial Crimes program for WM and U.S. Banks.
• Execute the strategic direction of the Financial Crimes programs and perform advisory, governance and other oversight responsibilities, with a primary emphasis on tool-enabled, portfolio/program-level risk assessment and the ability to convert data signals into defensible risk decisions and control actions consistent with a risk-based framework.
• Assess Financial Crimes risks from new and existing clients to recommend, agree, and communicate risk mitigation action plans, supported by clear documentation, investigative logic, and appropriate escalation narratives.
• Execute program-wide financial crimes risk assessments (portfolio/thematic) across customer types, products/services, delivery channels, and geographies; synthesize results into prioritized insights and measurable mitigation actions and manage risk through thematic coverage (latent & emerging risk), heightened risk and high-risk portfolio reviews, and targeted deep dives to test hypotheses derived from trend/typology indicators and external risk intelligence.
• Utilize financial crimes tools and analytical outputs at scale (e.g., KYC/EDD tooling, case management, adverse media/negative news platforms, screening outputs, transaction monitoring alerts, customer risk rating models, and MI dashboards) to identify patterns, anomalies, control gaps, and shifts in exposure; convert analytics outputs into risk decisions, client-level action plans, control enhancements, and credible escalation narratives for senior management and/or governance and oversight forums.

Requirements

• 7+ years of relevant experience with BSA/AML regulations within the financial services industry and/or at a financial services regulator (e.g., FINRA, SEC, OCC, Federal Reserve Bank, etc.).
• Financial crimes investigative background (e.g., investigations, intelligence-led reviews, complex EDD, suspicious activity typology development) with demonstrated ability to identify and communicate trends/typologies using financial crimes tools and/or by partnering with analytics/data teams conducting large-scale assessments.
• Experience performing Financial Crimes risk assessments for client relationships and thematic reviews, including portfolio/program-wide approaches aligned to a risk-based framework.
• Experience implementing and executing Financial Crimes Program requirements, translating regulatory expectations and typology insights into operationally executable first-line controls, procedures, and governance routines.
• Knowledge of Financial Crimes laws/regulations and best-practice First Line procedures, including risk-based customer due diligence consistent with supervisory expectations.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, or related field.
• Master’s degree in business, finance, law, or related field (plus).
• ACAMS (CAMS) or equivalent AML certification/license.

Skills

• Strong time management and planning skills.
• High proficiency in MS Office (Excel/PowerPoint/Word/Access).
• Comfort working with large datasets and analytical outputs (dashboards/MI, segmentation, trending) and translating analytics into clear risk actions; able to partner effectively with data/analytics teams to turn insights into action.
• Exposure to AI applications/concepts for financial crimes is desirable, including understanding limitations/risks (data quality, bias, explainability) and the need for governance, validation, and controls for AI/model-supported risk identification and decision support.
• Innovative thinking and continuous improvement mindset—identify opportunities to enhance tool usage, streamline investigative decisioning, and strengthen risk detection coverage using traditional and emerging analytical methods.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the ability to operate effectively in a high-paced, high-profile environment, analyze, synthesize, and communicate clearly (verbal and written), including explaining typologies, data signals, and investigative rationale to non-technical stakeholders. They will be able to translate complex concepts into actionable outcomes (e.g., turning tool outputs/portfolio analytics into control enhancements, escalation thresholds, and operating guidance) and identify issues, investigate root causes, and deliver comprehensive solutions that improve scalability, reduce operational friction, and strengthen risk coverage.