Senior Associate – Financial Crimes Audit & Issue Validation Testing

Position Summary

We are seeking a Senior Associate-level Financial Crimes Audit, Issue Validation, and AML Surveillance Testing Consultant to support financial crimes audits, regulatory validation activities, control testing, and surveillance effectiveness reviews within highly regulated financial institutions.

This role combines hands‑on audit and issue validation execution with increased ownership of testing quality, regulatory defensibility, and control effectiveness assessment across AML, sanctions, KYC, transaction monitoring, and broader financial crimes programs.

The ideal candidate will bring strong experience performing financial crimes audits, compliance testing, issue validation, or second‑line validation work within complex banking environments. In addition to traditional audit testing capabilities, the ideal consultant will have exposure to AML transaction monitoring systems, surveillance controls, data quality validation, control design assessments, and the ability to independently challenge control effectiveness and remediation sustainability.

Candidates with experience evaluating transaction monitoring logic, data flows, surveillance controls, or system‑driven AML processes within large financial institutions are highly desired.

• Execute financial crimes audit and issue validation testing across AML, sanctions, KYC, transaction monitoring, surveillance, and related financial crimes programs.
• Review and interpret policies, procedures, control documentation, and operational workflows, conduct walkthroughs, and process mapping.
• Map applicable laws, rules, regulations, and internal policy requirements to relevant controls, monitoring processes, and surveillance activities.
• Develop and execute detailed test scripts and validation procedures aligned to regulatory and internal policy requirements.
• Conduct testing of control design and operating effectiveness and document results in regulator‑ready work papers.
• Validate remediation activities and corrective action plans for sustainability, root‑cause resolution, and ongoing control effectiveness.
• Identify, elevate, and clearly communicate issues, control gaps, surveillance weaknesses, and testing observations.
• Support reviews involving AML transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, KYC/CDD controls, alert generation processes, and surveillance effectiveness.
• Analyze how financial crime controls operate across business processes, operational workflows, and supporting systems.

• Support quality review efforts by ensuring testing documentation is complete, consistent, and defensible.
• Assist in maintaining strong regulatory mapping between applicable AML regulations, guidance, and internal controls.
• Provide thoughtful challenge to testing conclusions, control effectiveness assessments, and remediation efforts where appropriate.
• Contribute to improving testing methodologies, validation approaches, documentation standards, and audit consistency across engagements.
• Support stakeholder discussions, audit leadership updates, and potential regulatory inquiries or reviews.
• Assist with identifying emerging financial crime risks, control deficiencies, and monitoring gaps within complex banking environments.

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, Business, Information Systems, or related field.
• 8+ years of financial crimes audit, compliance testing, issue validation, or financial crimes risk management experience within financial services.
• Experience supporting AML, sanctions, KYC, transaction monitoring, or broader financial crimes compliance programs.
• CAMS, CFE, CISA, or similar financial crimes/audit certification strongly preferred.
• Strong documentation and workpaper preparation skills with the ability to produce regulator‑ready deliverables.
• Ability to independently manage multiple testing work streams in fast‑paced regulatory environments.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and proficiency with SQL or similar query languages strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of financial crimes risk areas, control frameworks, testing methodologies, and issue remediation…