Financial Crimes Risk: Head of Control Functions Delivery - Vice President / Executive Director

Morgan Stanley•Purchase, NY

About The Position

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. Morgan Stanley provides comprehensive financial advice and services to its clients including brokerage, investment advisory, financial and wealth planning, credit and lending, deposits and cash management, annuities, insurance, retirement, and trust services. As a market leader, the talent and passion of our people is critical to our success. Together, we share a common set of values rooted in doing the right thing, putting clients first, leading with exceptional ideas and a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Morgan Stanley can provide a superior foundation for building a professional career – a place for people to learn, achieve, and grow. Department Profile: The WM and U.S. Banks Financial Crimes Risk Team is embedded within the Firm’s business line. It is responsible for identifying, assessing, and escalating potential money laundering and reputational risk issues associated with higher risk client types. The WM and U.S. Banks Financial Crimes Risk Team is considered the first line of defense and supports the onboarding, enhanced due diligence, and negative news processes for Morgan Stanley. Team: Technology Strategy and Solutions – Head of Control Functions Delivery Technology Strategy and Solutions (“TSS”) is the internal team responsible for enabling and delivering technology solutions for the 1L FCR department. TSS partners with internal 1L FCR teams, Global Financial Crimes (“GFC”), Platforms, Technology, Operations and Business stakeholders to design, build, enhance, and support the systems that enable AML KYC, screening, onboarding, and other client-risk processes within the first line of defense. TSS delivers end-to-end technology solutions for 1L FCR, including requirements development, conceptual design, functional specifications, user acceptance testing, deployment coordination and production/post-production support. TSS is organized into distinct delivery domains aligned to how work is executed and scaled across the business, including Enterprise Design, Channel Delivery, Control Functions Delivery, and Quality Oversight. The Head of Control Functions Delivery oversees technology builds and enhancements supporting core AML KYC control functions under 1L FCR, including: • KYC Office processes (e.g., enhanced due diligence, quality control) • Risk and Controls processes (e.g., screening, customer activity reviews, governance) This position requires extensive, proven experience in AML KYC and financial crimes control environments within a large financial institution. Candidates must demonstrate a track record of leading large-scale implementations, including a mix of technology builds and enhancements, regulatory-driven initiatives, program uplifts, global standards rollouts, and operational optimization efforts. The role demands seasoned judgment developed through direct experience operating in highly regulated environments, including the ability to make well-informed, defensible decisions and manage complex stakeholder dynamics across Business, Technology, Risk, Compliance, and Operations. In addition to deep AML KYC and implementation expertise, the Head of Control Functions Delivery carries primary responsibility for supporting and advancing operational optimization efforts across high-volume control functions. This position is expected to lead thoughtful modernization efforts, including workflow refinement, automation, AI enablement, and data-driven enhancements that materially improve efficiency and scalability while preserving regulatory defensibility and control effectiveness.

Requirements

12-15+ years of experience in AML KYC, financial crimes risk management, or technology delivery supporting control environments within a large financial institution
Demonstrated track record of leading complex, large-scale implementations, including technology builds and enhancements, regulatory or policy-driven initiatives, and operational optimization efforts
Experience managing portfolios of concurrent initiatives, including defining scope, sequencing work into phased delivery (e.g., MVP and subsequent release), and aligning multi-year roadmaps to business priorities
Strong working knowledge of AML KYC regulatory requirements and how they translate into practical operating models, including onboarding, due diligence, screening, monitoring, and governance controls
Direct experience leading workflow redesign, automation, AI enablement, or data enrichment initiatives within control functions (required)
Demonstrated risk management judgment, including the ability to make defensible, risk-based decisions that balance regulatory integrity with operational practicality
Experience operating in matrixed environments and influencing senior stakeholders across Business, Technology, Risk, Compliance, and Operations
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Technology or a related field
Strong risk-based decision-making capabilities in highly regulated environments
Ability to translate regulatory, policy and operational requirements into clear, scalable build plans and implementation approaches
Demonstrated ability to structure complex initiatives into phased, executable delivery plans aligned to business priorities
Executive-level communication skills, including experience presenting complex implementation plans and trade-offs to senior leadership and governance forums
Strong ownership mindset with the ability to resolve issues, remove blockers, and maintain execution pace across multiple concurrent initiatives
Experience developing and leading high-performing teams, including mentoring senior professionals and establishing clear performance expectations

Responsibilities

Own the end-to-end book of work for the Control Functions Delivery team, including planning, prioritization, and execution across current-year and multi-year initiatives aligned to Firm and Division priorities
Manage team capacity and resource planning to ensure appropriate skill alignment, workload balance, and delivery coverage
Lead delivery of system builds and enhancements supporting 1L FCR’s KYC Office and Risk and Controls processes, including platform integrations, workflow changes, system replacements, regulatory- and policy-driven updates, and other control-related initiatives
Partner with cross-functional stakeholders across 1L FCR, GFC, Business, Technology, Compliance and Operations to define requirements and solution approaches
Make day-to-day decisions on requirements, design, implementation approach, sequencing, and issue resolution across active initiatives
Serve as the escalation point for delivery risks and execution challenges, ensuring timely resolution and forward momentum
Coordinate release planning and align with cross-functional stakeholders to support rollout timing, communications, training requirements, and operational readiness
Address production-related issues and post-release stabilization in partnership with TSS Quality Oversight, Platforms, Technology and Operations
Drive workflow redesign, process re-engineering, automation, AI enablement, and data enrichment initiatives across control functions, ensuring measurable efficiency gains while maintaining regulatory integrity
Lead implementation and scaling of approved workflow optimization and AI initiatives through build, deployment, stabilization, and ongoing performance oversight, including monitoring, tuning, and refinement as operational conditions evolve
Ensure automation and technology enhancements are fully embedded within existing control operating models, including review layers, quality control processes, escalation protocols, and governance structures
Oversee realization of operational efficiency improvements associated with workflow redesign and automation initiatives, including tracking of impact against defined performance targets (e.g., throughput, cycle time, reduction in manual processing)
Maintain accountability for control integrity as processes are modernized, ensuring regulatory expectations, policy requirements and audit standards are met as operating models evolve
Ensure cross-team alignment when initiatives impact other TSS delivery areas, including Channel Delivery and Enterprise Design
Provide executive-ready reporting on portfolio status, risks, dependencies, and execution progress to senior 1L FCR leadership
Represent the team in senior governance forums and support internal audit and regulatory engagements related to system and control implementation
Lead and develop senior professionals, establish delivery standards and accountability expectations, and contribute to talent development and succession planning within the domain