Senior Associate, AML Compliance

Posted Thursday, September 3, 2026 at 5:00 AM

Our Story

Founded in 2008, Hightower is a wealth management firm that provides investment, financial and retirement planning services to individuals, foundations and family offices, as well as 401(k) consulting and cash management services to corporations. Hightower's capital solutions, operational support services, size and scale empower its vibrant community of independent-minded wealth advisors to grow their businesses and help their clients achieve their financial vision.

Based in Chicago with advisors across the U.S., we operate as a registered investment advisor (RIA). Hightower Securities is our affiliated broker-dealer (BD).

Your Future Team

Hightower’s Compliance Department strives to provide industry-leading support to the firm’s advisor teams. We are passionate about serving as collaborators within all facets of the organization and focus on developing processes and strategies that are effective for advisors, their clients, and other middle- and back-office departments, while adhering to applicable regulatory requirements. This position is based in Chicago and follows a hybrid schedule, with employees working in the office Monday through Thursday and remotely on Friday.

The Senior Associate, AML Compliance is a dual-focus role with primary responsibility for administering the firm’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML) program under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) for its FINRA-regulated BD operations and the firm’s sanctions program for its RIA operations. This role also supports risk-based testing of selected BD and RIA compliance controls. The role requires a strong understanding of the differing regulatory obligations applicable to broker-dealers and registered investment advisers, including AML applicability, fiduciary obligations, disclosure requirements, and supervisory controls.

This position reports to the Executive Director, Compliance.

• Administer, maintain, and enhance the BD’s AML Program, including policies, procedures, and internal controls.
• Oversee the Customer Identification Program (CIP), Customer Due Diligence (CDD), and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD).
• Administer and monitor the firm’s sanctions program, including OFAC screening, potential-match review and escalation, and applicable recordkeeping.
• Review client transactions, transaction-monitoring alerts, exception reports, and surveillance outputs related to broker-dealer activity.
• Investigate potential suspicious activity and prepare, review, and file Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) with FinCEN.
• Manage AML-related regulatory requests, law enforcement inquiries, and information-sharing requirements, including Section 314(a) requests.
• Coordinate and deliver annual AML training to registered representatives and other applicable personnel.
• Oversee AML service providers, surveillance tools, and clearing firm relationships.

• Perform risk-based testing of selected compliance controls for BD and RIA requirements, including supervision, fiduciary duty, disclosures, conflicts of interest, communications, and recordkeeping.
• Conduct walkthroughs, sample testing, and root-cause analysis to assess control design and operating effectiveness.
• Prepare clear, regulator-ready testing reports with findings, risk ratings, and corrective action recommendations.
• Track remediation efforts, validate closures, and maintain testing documentation for regulatory review.

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• 3+ years of experience in compliance, supervision, or a related function, preferably with a broker-dealer or RIA. Specific BSA/AML experience required.
• Strong working knowledge of FINRA Rules 3310, 3110, and 3120;…