Director/Head of Financial Crimes Investigations, North America

*Our Financial Crimes Compliance team is responsible for ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations in the countries where we operate.* is seeking an experienced and strategic leader to join our compliance team as the North America Head of Financial Crimes Investigations. This critical role will manage an experienced group of investigators conducting complex sanctions/AML, fiat/crypto investigations, timely filing suspicious activity reports and proactively identifying risks and typologies. The successful candidate will ensure robust defenses against money laundering, terrorist financing, fraud, sanctions violations, and other illicit financial activities, while ensuring compliance with global regulatory requirements and industry best practices. Reporting directly to the Head of Financial Crimes, the Head of Financial Crimes Investigations will work with senior leadership, regulators, and internal stakeholders to safeguard the firm’s integrity and reputation. About the role: Come join the North America Compliance Financial Crimes team. The North America Head of Financial Crimes Investigations will work remotely and will closely assist and directly report to the Head of Financial Crimes. The North America Head of Financial Crimes Investigations will assist with various assignments supporting the Compliance Program of the Company for the regional North America clients (US & Canada). ### Responsibilities - **Manage Investigations:** Own and manage the end-to-end review, investigation, and disposition of Level 2/escalated cases and Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) filing processes for North American entities. Lead and mentor a team of experienced investigators conducting complex investigations to the highest regulatory standards. - **Blockchain & Fiat Analytics:** Oversee investigations leveraging traditional AML transaction monitoring alongside advanced blockchain analytics software (e.g., Chainalysis, TRM Labs) to trace customer blockchain transaction activity and identify suspicious fund flows, sanctions evasion, or mixing services. - **Regulatory Support:** Continuously support the local Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) and / or BSA / Compliance Officer. Support responses to regulatory inquiries, examinations, internal audits, and law enforcement requests (e.g., subpoenas) involving digital assets and complex financial crime. - **Cross-Functional Collaboration:** Partner with Data Science, Engineering, and Compliance teams to evaluate the performance of transaction monitoring rule sets. Provide feedback to refine detection scenarios, optimize alert efficiency, and ensure coverage of emerging money laundering and terrorist financing typologies. Regularly coordinate with Compliance Operations Management to review quality of Level 1 alert dispositions and escalations. - **Program Strategy & Metrics:** Develop, monitor, and report on a suite of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) for internal stakeholders and executive leadership. Proactively analyze trends in suspicious behavior to guide programmatic adjustments and scale operations. - **Performance Management:** Oversee service level agreements and quality indicators to ensure consistent performance in the team. Forecast staffing requirements, drive the recruitment of top investigative talent, and develop robust training programs. ### Requirements - 5+ years of relevant experience in AML/CFT investigations, transaction monitoring, customer due diligence and risk assessment, etc. - 3+ years of experience in a leadership or people management role, building and scaling teams within a crypto exchange, digital asset fintech, or complex financial institution. - Extensive, hands-on experience managing complex crypto/fiat transactional investigations, including drafting and reviewing SARs to FinCEN/FinTRAC and other regulatory standards. - Direct experience utilizing blockchain analytics tools (e.g., Chainalysis, TRM Labs) and enterprise case management platforms. - Broad and deep understanding of financial crime typologies specific to virtual currencies (e.g., darknet markets, ransomware, pig butchering scams, unhosted wallets, and mixing services). - Strong operational focus with the ability to structure ambiguous problems, manipulate data, and synthesize actionable insights for executive reporting. - Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to translate complex crypto and compliance issues for both technical and non-technical audiences. - Preferred: Professional certifications such as CFE, CFCS, or specialized blockchain compliance certifications (e.g., CCAS, CRC) are highly preferred.