BSA Officer

Equity Bank•Wichita, KS

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The BSA Officer is the Bank’s designated Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML) and OFAC compliance officer, responsible for designing, administering, and ensuring the ongoing effectiveness of the Bank’s BSA/AML/CFT compliance program. Reporting to the Chief Risk Officer, the role provides strategic direction, independent oversight, and leadership of the BSA/AML department. It ensures financial crime risks are identified, assessed, monitored, and mitigated across all lines of business as the Bank grows. The BSA Officer is the Bank’s primary point of contact with regulators, law enforcement, and auditors on BSA/AML matters. The position oversees program governance, suspicious activity monitoring and investigations, risk assessments, customer due diligence, compliance controls, regulatory engagement, training, reporting, and issue escalation. It leads the BSA/AML team and supports scalable program capabilities, including governance of AI agents and automation with human review, audit trails, documentation, and model risk validation. The role also coordinates with business units and control functions to promote an integrated approach to financial crimes risk and maintain examination readiness.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Criminal Justice, or a related field.
CAMS certification or equivalent, such as CFCS, required or to be obtained within 12 months of hire.
At least 8 years of BSA/AML compliance experience in a financial institution, including at least 3 years in a leadership or people-management role.
Expert knowledge of the Bank Secrecy Act, USA PATRIOT Act, OFAC regulations, FinCEN regulations including the CDD Rule, and the FFIEC BSA/AML Examination Manual.
Demonstrated experience making SAR filing decisions, overseeing complex investigations, and ensuring high-quality case documentation.
Hands-on experience with Verafin, including scenario tuning and validation.
Demonstrated experience implementing AI agents or advanced automation in BSA/AML or financial crimes operations, including governance, model risk validation, and regulatory expectations.
Demonstrated experience leading BSA/AML regulatory examinations, responding to examiner findings, and managing remediation through closure.
Ability to exercise independent judgment in defining problems, analyzing data, establishing facts, and drawing conclusions on matters with significant organizational and regulatory impact.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex and sensitive issues to senior leadership and regulators.
Strong collaboration, diplomacy, and influencing skills, with the ability to partner across functional and organizational boundaries.
Strong analytical and data skills, including the ability to use data analytics to identify trends and emerging risks.
Highest standards of ethical conduct, adherence to the Code of Conduct, and strict confidentiality of sensitive information.
Strong organizational and prioritization skills, including the ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and deadlines in a dynamic environment.
Proficiency in Microsoft 365, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree, such as an MBA or Juris Doctor.
Experience at a bank with $10 billion or more in assets, including familiarity with heightened regulatory expectations at and above that threshold.
Familiarity with AML platforms such as Actimize, BAM+, or Patriot Officer to support acquisition due diligence and system conversions.

Responsibilities

Serve as the Board-designated BSA Officer with the authority, independence, and resources to administer the Bank’s BSA/AML/OFAC compliance program.
Develop, maintain, and enhance the written BSA/AML/OFAC compliance program, including policies, procedures, and internal controls, and support the Chief Risk Officer in obtaining Board approval.
Lead, coach, and develop the BSA/AML team, including the Deputy BSA Officer, BSA Operations Manager, and BSA analysts.
Partner with the Chief Risk Officer to integrate financial crimes risk into enterprise risk management, risk appetite, and strategic decisions.
Prepare the BSA/AML program for increased regulatory expectations as the Bank grows beyond $10 billion in assets, including scalable staffing, monitoring capacity, and governance.
Lead the design, implementation, and governance of AI agents and automation in BSA/AML workflows, ensuring human review, audit trails, and regulatory-ready documentation.
Oversee transaction monitoring, case management, and investigations, ensuring alerts are reviewed, escalated, and dispositioned promptly and consistently with sound documentation.
Make or approve final SAR filing and non-filing decisions and ensure SARs are accurate, complete, timely, and confidential.
Oversee continuing activity reviews, account closure and relationship exit recommendations, and responses to law enforcement requests and subpoenas.
Oversee CTR filing and exemption reviews, monetary instrument and funds transfer recordkeeping, and FinCEN 314(a) and 314(b) information-sharing processes.
Oversee OFAC sanctions screening, including alert review, transaction blocking and rejection, required reporting, and escalation of potential violations.
Conduct and maintain the enterprise BSA/AML/OFAC risk assessment, updating it at least annually and after material changes.
Oversee the Customer Identification Program, Customer Due Diligence, beneficial ownership, and Enhanced Due Diligence programs, including reviews of high-risk customer types.
Oversee the Verafin transaction-monitoring and screening environment, including scenario tuning, thresholds, validation, and data integrity, in coordination with Model Risk and IT.
Ensure AI agents and other automation are validated and governed through the Bank’s model risk process.
Review new products, services, and third-party or fintech relationships for BSA/AML risk before launch and recommend appropriate controls.
Lead BSA/AML due diligence and integration for acquisitions, including assessment of the target’s program, monitoring platform, and data, and conversion to the Bank’s monitoring platform.
Establish and monitor key risk indicators, quality assurance, and control testing, coordinating with Compliance Testing & Monitoring and Internal Audit.
Serve as the primary point of contact for the Federal Reserve, other regulators, FinCEN, law enforcement, and external auditors on BSA/AML matters.
Monitor regulatory developments, enforcement actions, and FinCEN guidance, assess their impact, and drive implementation through Regulatory Change Management.
Oversee BSA/AML training for employees, management, and the Board, including role-based training and emerging typologies and red flags.
Partner with Bank Protection, Risk, Retail, Lending, and Treasury Management to promote an integrated financial crimes approach and timely information sharing and referrals.
Provide independent credible challenge to first-line business units while supporting clear ownership and accountability for BSA/AML risks.
Prepare regular reports for senior leadership and management committees on program performance, SAR and alert activity, KRIs, examination and audit results, and remediation status.
Provide data and analysis used by the Chief Risk Officer for Board and Board committee reporting.
Ensure timely escalation of significant BSA/AML issues, suspicious activity involving insiders or senior management, and material control deficiencies to the Chief Risk Officer.
Track examination, audit, and testing findings and ensure corrective action plans are developed, implemented, validated, and closed on time.
Maintain required BSA/AML records and documentation in accordance with retention requirements and keep the Bank examination-ready.
Develop technology-enabled dashboards and visualizations that make financial crimes data accessible and actionable for senior leadership and the Chief Risk Officer.