AML Technology Application Lead

Citizens Financial Group•Johnston, RI

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

At Citizens, we invest in the people who design and deliver innovative technology solutions that protect our customers and the financial system. As AML & Sanctions Technology Application Lead, you will be responsible for the strategic direction, engineering oversight, and operational stability of the bank’s Financial Crimes technology platforms, including Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Sanctions screening systems. This role covers Customer Identification Program (CIP), Risk Scoring, Transaction Monitoring, Case Management, Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) filing, and Sanctions screening capabilities leveraging platforms such as Actimize, LexisNexis Bridger, and LexisNexis Continuity. You will lead modernization initiatives, cloud migrations, and integration of advanced technologies such as microservices, event-driven architectures, and AI/ML-based detection models.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in AML, Sanctions, or Financial Crimes technology
Hands-on experience with LexisNexis Bridger , LexisNexis Continuity , or equivalent sanctions screening tools (Actimize, etc.).
Strong technical experience with: AWS cloud environment (EC2, S3, Lambda, RDS) SaaS integrations and vendor-hosted models APIs, microservices, ETL, batch pipelines Java, Unix, SQL coding experience
Good understanding of sanctions regulations, lists, alerts, screening logic, and tuning.
Experience working with Compliance, Regulatory, Risk, InfoSec, and Audit stakeholders.
Background in large banking or financial institutions strongly preferred.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of Payments (ACH, Wire, SWIFT), KYC/CDD , and Customer/Transaction screening .
Hands-on experience with SAS KYC, FCRM.
Familiarity with monitoring tools.
Experience managing large vendor relationships and multi-year product roadmaps.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
Experience with AI/ML-based screening enhancements and automation.

Responsibilities

Platform Strategy & Engineering Lead design, configuration, and delivery of AML and Sanctions platforms across AWS cloud , SaaS, and on-prem environments.
Hands on experience implementing technical solutions for transaction monitoring, case management, SAR workflows, CIP/KYC/CDD, and sanctions screening systems.
Ability to diagnose and resolve product and environment issues, apply hotfixes and product patches, and manage production incident resolution to ensure system stability.
Drive modernization, automation, and optimization of AML and Sanctions processes using containerization (Docker/Kubernetes), CI/CD pipelines, and DevOps practices.
Experience in automating functional testing.
Cloud & SaaS Integration Manage application deployment, hosting, and integration within AWS cloud , including real and batch data ingestion, controls and monitoring.
Oversee integration with SaaS vendor environments ensuring compliance with internal security and cloud policies.
Implement API-first architecture, Kafka-based event streaming, and microservices for real-time alerting and data ingestion.
Ensure systems comply with AML and Sanctions requirements.
Implement audit, logging, and control frameworks aligned with regulatory expectations, and internal risk policies.
Lead remediation initiatives for regulatory exams, audits, and compliance testing.
Regulatory Alignment & Risk Management Ensure systems comply with AML and Sanctions requirements.
Implement audit, logging, and control frameworks aligned with regulatory expectations, and internal risk policies.
Lead remediation initiatives for regulatory exams, audits, and compliance testing.
Data, Screening & Operational Excellence Oversee inbound/outbound data flows for customer profiles, transactions, alerts, and case data.
Partner with AML and Sanctions Operations to reduce false positives and improve detection accuracy.
Leverage AI/ML models for risk scoring, alert prioritization, and sanctions screening optimization.
Stakeholder & Vendor Engagement Act as primary technology liaison for AML and Sanctions vendors (SAS, FCRM, LexisNexis, etc.).
Manage cross-functional relationships with Compliance, Operations, InfoSec, Enterprise Architecture, and Cloud Engineering.
Influence strategic discussions for future sanctions capabilities, product upgrades, and roadmap alignment.
Governance, Controls & Performance Establish SLAs, KPIs, and monitoring dashboards for screening uptime, throughput, and processing timeliness.
Oversee change management, release management, and production stability.
Manage issue resolution, incident response, and root cause analysis.
Team Leadership Lead a team of application engineers, analysts, and integration specialists supporting sanctions platforms.
Mentor, coach, and grow talent in financial crimes technology discipline.
Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and operational excellence.