Sanctions Investigations Officer

Confidential; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 350,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential in the United Arab Emirates is seeking a Sanctions Investigations Officer to lead name-screening adjudication and true-match investigations across banking activities. The role owns freeze and blocking decisions and sanctions reporting from inception and reports to the MLRO within the AML/CFT function.

Required are 6+ years in sanctions or financial-crime investigations, deep expertise in screening and true-match procedures, and knowledge of CBUAE guidance plus Cabinet 74/2020 and

Qualifications

• 6+ years in sanctions or financial-crime investigations within banking or financial services.
• Deep expertise across sanctions screening, name-matching, true-match investigation, and freeze/blocking procedures.
• Knowledge of CBUAE and UAE targeted financial sanctions expectations, Cabinet Decision 74/2020, UN/OFAC/EU sanctions regimes, and FATF standards.
• Exposure to AI-enabled screening optimization, alert triage, and advanced analytics.
• Experience with automated or AI-enabled screening services and analytics.

Responsibilities

• Adjudicate name-screening alerts across onboarding, ongoing screening, and payment screening.
• Investigate potential true matches, documenting evidence and reaching disposition decisions.
• Execute freeze and blocking actions on confirmed matches within required timeframes.
• Fulfil sanctions reporting obligations to UAE authorities, including funds-freeze reporting.
• Maintain sanctions lists, screening configurations, and whitelisting controls with Technology.
• Handle escalations, false-positive tuning, and quality assurance of screening decisions.
• Escalate suspected sanctions-evasion activity for SAR Filing & Reporting to MLRO.
• Maintain sanctions case records and audit trails to meet regulatory requirements.
• Deploy AI-enabled screening optimisation and machine-learning models to sharpen name-matching and prioritise high-risk alerts.

Skills

Sanctions screening

Name-matching

True-match investigation

Freeze/Blocking procedures

AI-enabled screening

Advanced analytics

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree

CBUAE Fit & Proper requirements

CGSS or CAMS certification (preferred)

Job description

The Sanctions Investigations Officer runs name-screening alert adjudication and true-match investigation across the bank. The role owns freeze and blocking decisions and the sanctions reporting obligation from inception. It reports directly to the MLRO within the AML/CFT function.

Key responsibilities:

• Adjudicate name-screening alerts across customer onboarding, ongoing screening, and payment screening.
• Investigate potential true matches, documenting evidence and reaching disposition decisions.
• Execute freeze and blocking actions on confirmed matches within required timeframes.
• Fulfil sanctions reporting obligations to the relevant UAE authorities, including funds-freeze reporting under Cabinet Decision 74/2020 on targeted financial sanctions.
• Maintain sanctions lists, screening configurations, and whitelisting controls with Technology.
• Handle escalations, false-positive tuning, and quality assurance of screening decisions.
• Escalate suspected sanctions-evasion activity to SAR Filing & Reporting for STR consideration by the MLRO.
• Maintain sanctions case records and audit trails to meet regulatory requirements.
• Deploy AI-enabled screening optimisation and machine-learning models to sharpen name-matching, reduce false positives, and prioritise high-risk alerts for faster, more accurate adjudication.
• Leverage AI-driven analytics to detect sanctions-evasion typologies and network patterns across customers and transactions, strengthening true-match investigation and escalation quality.

Required Skills & Experience:

• 6+ years in sanctions or financial-crime investigations within banking or financial services, including team leadership.
• Deep expertise across sanctions screening, name-matching, true-match investigation, and freeze/blocking procedures.
• Track record building or running sanctions investigation and screening processes in a regulated environment.
• Knowledge of CBUAE and UAE targeted financial sanctions expectations, Cabinet Decision 74/2020, UN/OFAC/EU sanctions regimes, and FATF standards.
• Exposure to AI-enabled screening optimization, alert triage, and advanced analytics.
• Able to think beyond traditional, manual sanctions processes; brings experience of automated or AI-enabled screening services, and advanced alert triage and analytics.

Qualifications & Certifications (Preferred)

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline preferred.
• A professional sanctions or AML certification (e.g. CGSS or CAMS) is preferred.
• Candidates must meet CBUAE Fit & Proper requirements, and any applicable controlled-function eligibility criteria where required.