Senior Sanctions Investigations Specialist

Balfour Beatty VINCI SYSTRA Joint Venture; Abu Dhabi; Remote; AED 320,000 - 520,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote within UAE

Professional development

Collaboration with compliance experts

Job summary

Balfour Beatty VINCI SYSTRA Joint Venture in the UAE is seeking a Senior Sanctions Investigations Specialist to lead complex investigations into sanctions screening alerts, restricted entities, and potential evasion. You will collaborate across compliance, legal, risk, and financial crime teams to establish facts and document findings.

The role emphasizes robust investigative reporting, evidence gathering, and control improvements while operating in a fully remote UAE framework.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or higher in a relevant field; master’s is advantageous.
• Minimum 5–8 years in sanctions/ AML investigations or regulatory compliance.
• Strong understanding of international sanctions and UAE obligations.

Responsibilities

• Lead investigations into sanctions matches and high‑risk transactions.
• Review screening alerts and perform enhanced investigations.
• Prepare comprehensive reports with findings and recommendations.
• Escalate concerns to senior management and coordinate with legal and AML teams.
• Maintain case files, documentation, and audit trails.
• Monitor sanctions updates and improve screening rules.

Skills

Sanctions investigations

AML investigations

Regulatory compliance

Case management

Open-source research

Risk assessment

Analytical reasoning

Education

Bachelor's degree in Law/Finance/Business

Master's in Financial Crime/Compliance (advantage)

Tools

Sanctions screening platforms

Investigative case management tools

Job description

We're Hiring: Senior Sanctions Investigations Specialist

Location: United Arab Emirates (Remote)

Employment Type: Full-Time

Experience Level: Senior-Level

Work Arrangement: Fully Remote

About Us

We are a UAE-based organization committed to maintaining strong compliance standards, financial integrity, risk management, and regulatory accountability across our business operations. We are seeking an experienced Senior Sanctions Investigations Specialist to investigate potential sanctions-related risks, assess complex alerts, and support compliance with applicable international sanctions regimes and UAE regulatory requirements.

The Role

The Senior Sanctions Investigations Specialist will lead complex investigations involving sanctions screening alerts, potentially restricted individuals and entities, high-risk transactions, and suspected sanctions evasion. The successful candidate will collaborate with compliance, financial crime, legal, risk management, and operational teams to establish facts, document investigative findings, recommend appropriate actions, and strengthen sanctions compliance controls.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead investigations into potential sanctions matches involving customers, counterparties, beneficial owners, suppliers, and other relevant parties.
• Review sanctions screening alerts generated by customer onboarding, transaction monitoring, payment screening, and ongoing due diligence systems.
• Conduct enhanced investigations into potentially sanctioned individuals, entities, vessels, financial institutions, and associated parties.
• Analyze ownership and control structures to identify indirect sanctions exposure and relationships with restricted parties.
• Assess potential sanctions evasion indicators, including complex transaction patterns, intermediary arrangements, unusual payment routes, and concealed counterparties.
• Investigate possible links to applicable sanctions lists and regimes, including United Nations, UAE, and other relevant international sanctions frameworks.
• Conduct open-source research and review reliable information sources to establish the identity, activities, and risk profiles of investigated parties.
• Evaluate screening results and distinguish true matches from false positives using documented, risk-based assessment procedures.
• Review transaction records, customer profiles, corporate documentation, payment details, and supporting evidence to establish investigative facts.
• Prepare comprehensive investigation reports outlining findings, supporting evidence, risk assessments, and recommended next steps.
• Escalate confirmed or unresolved sanctions concerns to authorized compliance, legal, and senior management personnel.
• Support decisions regarding transaction holds, relationship restrictions, account reviews, and regulatory reporting in accordance with applicable laws and internal procedures.
• Coordinate with legal, anti-money laundering (AML), counter-terrorist financing (CFT), fraud, and financial crime investigation teams.
• Maintain accurate case files, evidence records, investigation logs, and audit trails.
• Monitor regulatory updates, sanctions list changes, enforcement actions, and emerging sanctions evasion typologies.
• Identify weaknesses in sanctions screening processes and recommend improvements to detection rules, investigative workflows, and control frameworks.
• Support internal audits, regulatory examinations, compliance testing, and remediation activities.
• Provide guidance and technical expertise to junior investigators and sanctions operations staff.
• Prepare management reports on investigation volumes, case aging, risk trends, escalation outcomes, and control effectiveness.
• Handle sensitive information securely and maintain strict confidentiality throughout the investigative process.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Law, Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, International Relations, Criminology, or a related discipline.
• A master's degree or postgraduate qualification in Financial Crime, Compliance, Risk Management, or International Law is an advantage.
• At least 5-8 years of experience in sanctions investigations, AML investigations, financial crime compliance, transaction monitoring, or regulatory compliance.
• Strong understanding of international sanctions frameworks, restrictive measures, and sanctions screening principles.
• Familiarity with UAE sanctions-related obligations, applicable regulatory requirements, and relevant United Nations sanctions measures.
• Experience investigating complex corporate ownership structures, beneficial ownership, transaction flows, and potential sanctions evasion.
• Knowledge of customer due diligence (CDD), enhanced due diligence (EDD), politically exposed persons (PEPs), and adverse media investigations.
• Experience using sanctions screening, case management, transaction monitoring, and investigative research platforms.
• Strong analytical reasoning, investigative judgment, report-writing, and evidence assessment skills.
• Ability to interpret complex financial and corporate information and communicate findings clearly.
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to manage multiple investigations under strict deadlines.
• High ethical standards, sound judgment, and commitment to confidentiality.
• Relevant professional certifications, such as CAMS, CGSS, or other recognized financial crime and sanctions compliance qualifications, are an advantage.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Accuracy and quality of sanctions investigations and risk assessments.
• Timeliness of alert review, case escalation, and investigation closure.
• Quality and completeness of investigative documentation and supporting evidence.
• Effectiveness in identifying genuine sanctions exposure and potential evasion indicators.
• Reduction in unnecessary escalations and recurring false-positive issues, without compromising detection quality.
• Compliance with internal sanctions procedures and applicable regulatory obligations.
• Timely completion of corrective actions and audit recommendations.
• Quality of investigative findings and recommendations.
• Effectiveness of improvements to screening and investigation workflows.
• Stakeholder satisfaction and responsiveness to compliance inquiries.

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation based on qualifications and professional experience.
• Fully remote working arrangement within the UAE employment framework.
• Opportunities to investigate complex international sanctions and financial crime cases.
• Professional development and access to relevant compliance training.
• Collaboration with experienced compliance, legal, risk, and financial crime professionals.
• Career advancement opportunities in sanctions compliance, investigations, and financial crime risk management.
• A professional environment focused on integrity, accountability, confidentiality, and continuous improvement.