Sanctions Analyst

About the opportunity

We are seeking an experienced and highly analytical Sanctions Analyst to join our AFC Operations Department. In this key role, you will manage Sanction escalations and act as a primary point of contact (PoC) for Compliance Sanctions and MLROs.

At N26, we enforce international financial sanctions and global risk management frameworks to ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and internal policy requirements. As part of the AFC Sanctions team, you will play a critical role in investigations, regulatory escalations, and sanctions operations oversight, helping safeguard N26 against financial crime risks.

This role requires a deep understanding of sanctions risks, strong decision‑making capabilities, and the ability to drive process improvements in sanctions screening and escalation workflows. You will also collaborate closely with Sanctions Compliance, MLROs, and AFC leadership to ensure effective execution of N26’s global sanctions framework.

• Perform Sanctions Investigations & L2 Escalation Management

• Serve as the main escalation point for sanctions alerts and complex investigations, ensuring cases are thoroughly assessed and resolved in compliance with N26’s AFC framework.

• Review, analyze, and validate high‑risk escalations ensuring appropriate decisions are made on potential true matches.

• Escalate confirmed sanctions hits to Sanction Compliance and MLROs ensuring structured documentation and audit readiness.

• Conduct quality reviews of L1 tasks, identifying areas for improvement and ensuring alignment with regulatory expectations.

• Maintain clear, structured documentation of investigations, justifications, and outcomes for regulatory, audit, and internal compliance reporting.

• Refine and enhance sanctions screening workflows to improve efficiency, reduce false positives, and strengthen risk mitigation.

• Collaborate with Sanctions Modelling & Testing (FCP teams) to fine‑tune screening models and improve alert accuracy.

• Identify and drive improvements in escalation pathways, ensuring smooth handovers between L1, L2, and Sanctions Compliance.

• Support the drafting or suggest modification of work instruction for the Sanction Operational team

• Provide operational insights and support for audit responses and regulatory inquiries

• Follow and adapt to changes in international sanctions regulations and support internal teams in adapting processes accordingly.

• Assist in managing requests from financial institutions and authorities, ensuring timely and accurate reporting.

• Support onboarding and mentoring of junior team members, fostering a strong compliance culture.

• Contribute to internal Sanction learning initiatives to enhance expertise in sanctions risk management.

• 2+ years of experience in sanctions operations, financial crime compliance, or AFC investigations within banking, fintech, or payments.

• Strong understanding of sanctions risks, screening methodologies, and case‑handling processes, with expertise in investigations and escalations.

• Familiarity with sanctions screening tools, alert adjudication processes, and regulatory reporting requirements.

• Deep knowledge of global financial sanctions frameworks

• Experience working with regulatory inquiries, audits, and financial institution sanctions compliance requirements.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Law, or a related field (preferred but not essential).

• Strong investigative and analytical skills, with the ability to assess complex sanctions risks and make sound decisions under pressure.

• Detail‑oriented and compliance‑focused, with a structured approach to documentation and reporting.

• Ability to manage multiple high‑risk escalations simultaneously, prioritizing effectively.

• Experience in process optimization, with a proactive mindset for improving sanctions alert handling workflows.

• Good report writing skills, ensuring clarity and accuracy in investigation documentation.

• Basic data analysis capabilities (Excel, Google Sheets, or similar tools) to identify risk trends and process inefficiencies.

• Fluency in English is required (additional languages such as Spanish, Italian, German,…