Sanctions Specialist

TekWissen•Jersey City, NJ

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Sanctions Specialist reviews and tracks business transactions and activities for compliance with international regulations, laws, and ordinances. The role identifies and investigates potential sanctions violations, researches applicable regulations, gathers evidence to determine root causes, documents incidents, assesses transaction and operational risks, and helps keep the organization informed about international law and sanctions updates. The specialist performs Level 2 reviews of transactions referred to the OFAC Exception queue, manages queues to meet deadlines, and investigates payments held for regulatory reasons. The role analyzes investigation findings to determine appropriate payment actions and works with U.S. and Group Financial Services, Legal, and Treasury on wire transfer searches and case investigations. It also validates vendor-added file uploads to filtering systems, maintains local-list entities as requested, checks payment transparency compliance, contributes to the operational permanent control framework, prepares reports, and recommends procedural changes as appropriate.

Requirements

Associate or bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
2–3 years of experience in OFAC and sanctions investigations.
Strong understanding of regulatory awareness and applicable regulations.
Proficient knowledge and understanding of OFAC processes and procedures.
Knowledge of funds transfer operations and applicable rules and regulations, including CHIPS, Fedwire, SWIFT, LYNX, and ACH.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Attention to detail and accuracy.
Self-motivation and ability to multitask in a high-volume, fast-paced environment.
Basic knowledge and understanding of MS Word, MS Excel, MS Outlook, and MS PowerPoint.

Nice To Haves

ACAMS or ACSS certification.

Responsibilities

Perform Level 2 reviews of transactions referred to the OFAC Exception queue and manage queues to meet deadlines.
Investigate payments held for regulatory reasons pending additional information, and monitor cases to ensure follow-ups and responses are handled promptly.
Analyze investigation information and determine the appropriate course of action for payments.
Work with U.S. and Group Financial Services, Legal, and Treasury on wire transfer searches and case investigations when necessary.
Ensure transactions escalated for Level 2 review comply with external and internal regulations and policies.
Validate vendor-added file uploads to filtering systems to ensure list changes, additions, and deletions are updated accurately.
Add, modify, or delete entities on the local list as requested by the USFS team.
Ensure payments comply with the client group payment transparency policy.
Contribute to the client operational permanent control framework.
Prepare and analyze reports as needed.
Recommend procedural changes when appropriate.
Review and track business transactions and activities for compliance with international regulations, laws, and ordinances.
Identify and investigate sanctions violations, research relevant regulations, and collect evidence to identify root causes.
Document and archive sanctions violation incidents for future reporting, transaction processing, and reference.
Analyze risks associated with transactions and operations and determine appropriate solutions.
Stay informed about international law and sanctions updates.