Senior Sanctions Investigations Lead (AI-Driven)

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

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