Director, Head of AML Investigations

Scotiabank•Dallas, TX

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director, AML Investigations is a senior leadership role responsible for designing, executing, and continuously improving the institution’s AML Investigations and client Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) program. The role is the primary decision-making authority for alert adjudication, complex case investigations, SAR filing, and risk-based EDD for higher-risk customer segments, integrating these activities into an intelligence-led program. The Director provides strategic and operational oversight of the alert lifecycle, directs the SAR program, leads complex investigations, owns EDD for designated high-risk customer segments, and establishes related policies, procedures, and governance. The role serves as a subject matter expert and primary contact for relevant regulatory examinations, coordinates audit remediation, and monitors regulatory and enforcement developments. It also champions analytics and technology improvements, develops management reporting, and builds and leads a high-performing investigations and EDD team. The position is part of the Global GBM AML program and works with senior stakeholders to support projects and initiatives, implement common standards and best practices, maintain regular reporting and communication, and ensure timely resolution of issues. It is based in a professional office environment with a demanding workload, frequent time pressure, continual prioritization, and deadlines driven by regulatory initiatives, examination reports, and requests from regulators and internal departments.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
12–15+ years of experience in BSA/AML compliance.
At least 5–7 years in a senior investigations or AML Investigations leadership role.
CAMS certification required.
Comprehensive knowledge of the BSA, USA PATRIOT Act, 31 CFR Parts 1010/1020, FinCEN CDD/EDD rules, OFAC requirements, NYDFS Part 504, and FRBNY/FRBT supervisory frameworks.
Demonstrated experience with transaction monitoring platforms, such as MANTAS or Actimize, case management systems, and analytics tools.
Proven experience managing multi-jurisdictional AML/sanctions investigations and making complex SAR filing determinations.
Hands-on experience designing and managing EDD programs for PEPs, MSBs, PSPs, or other elevated-risk segments.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills and the ability to present credibly to boards, regulators, and executive leadership.
Highly detail-oriented, with strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.

Nice To Haves

MBA or master’s degree in Finance, Law, or a related field.
CAMS-FCI, CFCS, or CFE certification.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic and operational oversight of the AML alert lifecycle, including triage, investigation, disposition, and escalation.
Establish service-level agreements, key performance indicators, and quality assurance frameworks for alert adjudication, case aging, SAR filing, and investigator performance; report metrics and emerging trends to senior management and governance committees.
Direct the SAR program, establish narrative and documentation standards, and ensure timely filings with FinCEN in accordance with applicable requirements.
Manage and respond to law enforcement requests within the AML Investigations remit, including FinCEN Section 314(a)/(b) inquiries, Grand Jury subpoenas, and National Security Letters.
Partner with Technology, Model Risk, and Compliance to tune transaction monitoring scenarios, entity resolution, and alert scoring capabilities.
Lead and supervise senior AML investigators conducting complex, high-risk, and multi-jurisdictional investigations involving money laundering, terrorist financing, sanctions evasion, fraud nexus typologies, and other financial crime risks.
Establish investigation methodologies, workflows, escalation protocols, and documentation standards.
Make final internal SAR filing determinations on sensitive, high-profile, or materially complex matters.
Feed investigative intelligence into the enterprise AML/CFT risk assessment, customer risk scoring models, and detection scenario libraries.
Oversee triage and escalation of complex cases involving high-risk jurisdictions, correspondent banking, virtual assets, trade-based money laundering, block trading, and PSP/MVTS exposures.
Own and lead the EDD program for designated high-risk customer segments, including PEPs, MSBs, PSPs, foreign financial institutions, cannabis-related businesses, and NGOs.
Develop and improve risk-tiered EDD procedures, documentation standards, and review checklists for high-risk segments.
Oversee assessment and validation of Source of Funds and Source of Wealth documentation for high-risk clients.
Establish and manage periodic, trigger-based, and event-driven reviews of high-risk client files, with escalation paths and remediation timelines.
Integrate EDD intelligence with investigations and use SAR-related intelligence to inform EDD review prioritization.
Develop, implement, and maintain AML Investigations and EDD policies, procedures, and program standards.
Serve as subject matter expert and primary point of contact for regulatory examinations and supervisory interactions concerning AML Investigations and high-risk client management; prepare and present program documentation and examination responses.
Maintain working relationships with relevant examination teams and prepare the institution for supervisory reviews.
Coordinate Internal Audit reviews, develop corrective action plans, and track remediation through sustainable closure.
Monitor regulatory, legislative, and enforcement developments and translate them into program enhancements.
Champion advanced analytics, AI-assisted alert scoring, network link analysis, and entity resolution capabilities.
Oversee the performance and optimization of transaction monitoring, name-screening, and case management platforms in partnership with Technology and Vendor Management.
Develop and maintain management information and reporting on investigative trends, EDD portfolio risks, SAR patterns, and typology intelligence.
Build, lead, and retain a high-performing team of AML investigators, case managers, and EDD analysts; set expectations, accountability, development frameworks, and succession plans.
Design and deliver training on investigative methodologies, SAR narrative quality, EDD documentation, emerging typologies, and regulatory expectations.
Foster intellectual rigor, sound judgment, accountability, and continuous improvement across the function.
Implement cross-training pathways between investigative and EDD teams.
Work with senior stakeholders on projects and initiatives, reporting and communication, common standards and best practices, and timely issue resolution.