Global Financial Crimes Risk and Controls Assessment Director

We're seeking someone to join our team as a Risk and Controls Assessment (RCA) Specialist in Legal and Compliance.

In the Legal & Compliance division, we assist the Firm in achieving its business objectives by facilitating and overseeing the Firm's management of legal, regulatory and franchise risk. This is a Director level position within the Global Financial Crimes (GFC) Strategy team.

Since 1935, Morgan Stanley is known as a global leader in financial services, always evolving and innovating to better serve our clients and our communities in more than 40 countries around the world.

• Manage and enhance the end to end RCA lifecycle, including AML Red Flags assessments, risk evaluations, and control effectiveness scoring.
• Establish and support governance for transaction monitoring scenarios and risk factors, including ownership, review cadence, and escalation.
• Drive continuous improvement of the RCA methodology through standardization, technology enablement, and advanced analytics.
• Conduct qualitative and quantitative reviews of transaction monitoring scenarios, including product and service level gap analysis.
• Evaluate scenario effectiveness through structured testing and analysis of non alerted suspicious activity.
• Maintain a comprehensive controls framework to identify, assess, and remediate control gaps.
• Partner with GFC Advisory, Business Units, Technology, and control teams to execute RCA activities and remediation efforts.
• Prepare and contribute to materials for senior management, governance forums, internal audit, and regulators.

• 5+ years of experience in AML, risk management, or control functions within a large financial institution
• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree or certifications (e.g., CAMS, CISA) preferred
• Proven contributor to complex AML control, testing, and assessment initiatives
• Strong knowledge of AML and sanctions risks, transaction monitoring frameworks, and risk/control taxonomies
• Experience with AML detection platforms (e.g., Actimize, SAS, Oracle); advanced analytics or ML a plus
• Highly organized with strong analytical and critical thinking skills
• Effective communicator, able to engage senior stakeholders and cross‑functional teams
• Self‑directed, resilient, and solutions‑oriented in fast‑paced, evolving environments

At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients – helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that’s differentiated – and we’ve done that for 90 years. Our values – putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back – aren’t just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what’s best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries.

At Morgan Stanley, you’ll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work‑life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry.

There’s also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work.

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Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a workforce that is diverse in experience and background. Our recruiting efforts reflect our strong commitment to a culture of inclusion, where individuals are hired, developed, and advanced based on their skills and talents.

Our workforce reflects a broad cross‑section of the global communities in which we operate, bringing a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives, and experiences.

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