Director, Head of AML Investigations

Scotiabank•Dallas, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director, AML Investigations is a senior leadership role responsible for the design, execution, and continuous improvement of the institution’s AML Investigations and client Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) program. The role serves as the primary decision-making authority for alert adjudication, complex investigations, Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) filing decisions, and risk-based EDD for higher-risk customer segments. It is accountable for operating these functions as an integrated, intelligence-led program. The Director oversees the full alert lifecycle and SAR program, leads complex and multi-jurisdictional investigations, and owns the EDD program for designated higher-risk clients. The role develops AML Investigations and EDD policies and standards, manages regulatory examinations and audit responses, and partners with Technology, Model Risk, Compliance, and vendors to improve monitoring, screening, analytics, and case-management capabilities. The Director leads investigators, case managers, and EDD analysts, establishing performance expectations, training, career development, succession planning, and a culture of sound judgment and continuous improvement. The role works with senior stakeholders as part of the Global GBM AML program to support key initiatives, implement common standards and best practices, provide regular reporting and communication, and resolve issues promptly. The position is based in a professional office environment with a demanding workload, frequent time pressure, continuing regulatory initiatives, and deadline-driven 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, 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, including the ability to present to boards, regulators, and executive leadership.
Strong attention to detail, 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.
Experience with TM platforms such as MANTAS or Actimize.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic and operational oversight of alerts from transaction monitoring and name-screening through investigation, disposition, and escalation.
Establish alert, case-aging, SAR-timeliness, and investigator-output SLAs, KPIs, and quality assurance frameworks; report performance and trends to senior management and governance committees.
Direct the SAR program, set narrative and documentation standards, and ensure timely FinCEN filings in accordance with 31 CFR Part 1020 and supervisory expectations.
Manage and respond to law enforcement requests, 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, improving detection and reducing false positives.
Lead and supervise senior AML investigators conducting complex, high-risk, and multi-jurisdictional financial-crime investigations.
Establish investigation methodologies, case workflows, escalation protocols, and documentation requirements.
Make final internal SAR filing determinations for sensitive, high-profile, or materially complex matters.
Feed investigative intelligence, typologies, behavioral patterns, and emerging red flags into risk assessments, customer risk scoring, and detection scenarios.
Oversee 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 higher-risk customer segments, including PEPs, MSBs, PSPs, foreign financial institutions, cannabis-related businesses, NGOs, and other segments defined by risk appetite.
Develop and improve risk-tiered EDD procedures, documentation standards, and review checklists.
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 and remediation timelines.
Integrate EDD intelligence with investigations and use SAR-related intelligence to inform EDD review priorities.
Develop, implement, and maintain AML Investigations and EDD policies, procedures, and program standards aligned with regulations, guidance, and internal risk appetite.
Serve as subject matter expert and primary contact during regulatory examinations and supervisory interactions with FRBNY, NYDFS, FRBT, TDB, and FinCEN; prepare and present relevant documentation and responses.
Develop working relationships with regulatory 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 with Technology and Vendor Management.
Develop and maintain management information and reporting on investigative trends, EDD portfolio risk, SAR patterns, and typology intelligence.
Build, lead, and retain a high-performing team; establish role expectations, accountability, development frameworks, and succession plans.
Design and deliver training on investigations, SAR narrative quality, EDD documentation, emerging typologies, and regulatory expectations.
Foster intellectual rigor, sound judgment, accountability, and continuous improvement across the combined function.
Create cross-training pathways between investigative and EDD teams.
Work with senior stakeholders to support key projects and initiatives, ensure regular reporting and communication, implement common standards and best practices, and ensure timely resolution and closure of issues.