AML Analyst

Ziina; Dubai; On-site; AED 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Ziina is seeking an AML Analyst to protect its platform from money laundering and other financial crimes while scaling. The role combines strong investigative work with a risk-based mindset and collaboration with Fraud, Risk, Product and Compliance teams.

You will handle AML cases end-to-end, contribute to process improvements, and help automate monitoring and reporting. The ideal candidate has experience in fintech/payments and excellent English communication, with Arabic a plus.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of AML experience and transaction monitoring in fintech/payments.
• Strong AML/CFT/CPF knowledge and risk-based investigations.
• Experience reviewing alerts and documenting outcomes clearly.
• Ability to work independently and own cases in fast-paced env.
• Fluent English; Arabic language a plus.

Responsibilities

• Review and investigate transaction monitoring alerts and high-risk behavior across consumer and merchant accounts.
• Assess customer activity against profiles and typologies.
• Draft STR/SAR and other AML reports.
• Identify AML red flags and evolving typologies.
• Collaborate with Fraud, Risk, Product, and Compliance to improve controls.
• Maintain clear case notes and investigation summaries for audits.

Skills

AML investigations

Transaction monitoring

Data analysis

English writing

Arabic (plus)

Tools

SQL

Python

goAML

Job description

About Ziina

Ziina’s mission is to bring financial freedom to every person in the Middle East. We are building MENA’s consumer and SMB financial platform, starting with a peer-to-peer and merchant wallet. Our team have backgrounds from Apple, Uber, Stripe, Klarna, Revolut, Yandex, and Nubank. Ziina’s payments volumes have grown by 10x YoY for the last two years. The team have built a product that is beloved by the UAE with a 4.8 star rating in the app store and is the recipient of 8 international design awards, including the Red Dot Award and the UX Design Award.

Our last round was a $22 million Series A from top-tier investors globally including Altos Ventures, Fintech Collective, Activant, Long Journey Ventures and Y Combinator. Our angel investors include early employees and executives at Revolut, Stripe, Venmo, Brex, Checkout.com, Notion, and Deel.

The Role

We’re looking for an AML Analyst to help protect Ziina’s platform from money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing, and financial crime abuse as we continue to scale.

This role is ideal for someone who combines strong investigative skills with a risk-based mindset, and who understands that AML is not just about case handling, but about continuously improving controls, reducing risk exposure, and enabling safe growth.

You’ll work closely with Fraud, Risk, Product, and Compliance teams, handling AML cases end-to-end while contributing to process improvements and automation initiatives.

What You’ll Own:

Core AML & Transaction Monitoring

• AML Case Investigations: Review and investigate transaction monitoring alerts, unusual activity, and high-risk behaviors across consumer and merchant accounts

• Risk-Based Assessments: Assess customer activity against expected behavior, KYC/KYB profiles, and known typologies

• STR/SAR Preparation: Draft high-quality internal STR/SAR and other AML reports, accelerate the cases to second line of defense when reporting is required.

• Red Flag Identification: Identify AML red flags, emerging typologies, and potential predicate offenses

• Policy Adherence: Ensure investigations are conducted in line with internal policies, regulatory expectations, and local AML/CFT requirements

Process Improvement & Collaboration

• Continuous Improvement: Identify gaps or inefficiencies in AML workflows and propose improvements

• Cross-Functional Work: Partner with Fraud, Product, Engineering, and Operations teams to reduce AML risk upstream

• Automation Support: Contribute to initiatives aimed at automating AML reviews and improving monitoring quality

• Trend Analysis: Analyse historical cases to identify trends, patterns, and risk drivers

• Documentation Excellence: Maintain clear, structured case notes and investigation summaries suitable for audit and regulatory review

• Metrics & Reporting: Support AML reporting and dashboards to provide visibility on risk exposure and operational performance

About You

Must-Have Experience

• 2+ years of experience in AML, financial crime investigations, and transaction monitoring within fintech, payments, or financial services

• Strong understanding of AML/CFT/CPF concepts, risk-based investigations, and transaction monitoring

• Experience reviewing alerts, investigating unusual activity, and documenting outcomes clearly

• Ability to work independently and take ownership of cases in a fast-paced environment

• Strong written communication skills in English, Arabic is a Plus.

• Ability to analyse large datasets and identify patterns, trends, and anomalies

What Would Amaze Us

• You see AML as a preventive and strategic function, not just case handling

• You naturally think in risk trade-offs and customer impact

• You proactively flag emerging risks before they become incidents

• You’re comfortable operating with ambiguity and building structure as you go

• You take ownership and don’t wait to be told what needs fixing

Nice to Have

• Experience with regulatory reporting tools such as goAML

• Experience working with data to support investigations (SQL/Python)

• Experience in high-growth fintech or payments environments

• Knowledge of CBUAE AML/CFT/CPF regulations and regional typologies

• Professional certifications (CAMS, ICA, CFCS)

• Arabic language proficiency