Vertical Head Sanctions and Screening

YES BANK; Goregaon; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

YES BANK seeks a senior sanctions leader to drive risk assessment, thematic reviews, and regulatory response across the bank’s sanctions program. You will shape risk appetite, embed controls in products and customer lifecycles, and guide rapid actions during geopolitical updates.

You will lead the sanctions screening roadmap, oversee model enhancements, governance across policies, and mentor a team of analysts to uphold compliance with global and local regulations.

Qualifications

• Min 12-15 years of Banking experience with 4-5 years in sanctions management.
• Strong knowledge of global sanctions regimes and regulatory actions.
• Experience leading sanctions screening and risk assessment teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead sanctions risk assessments, thematic reviews, and emerging risk evaluations.
• Oversee sanctions screening programs across customers, transactions, and trade flows.
• Maintain sanctions policy, SOPs, and governance frameworks.
• Provide training and mentorship to analysts; drive KPIs.

Skills

Sanctions risk assessment

Regulatory compliance

Risk management

Stakeholder management

Tools

AMLOCK

Job description

• Lead the sanctions risk assessment, periodic thematic reviews, and emerging risk evaluations (e.g., geopolitical triggers
• Develop and maintain the Bank-wide, Sanctions Risk Appetite and embed it in products, processes, and customer lifecycle.
• Establish business continuity and contingency protocols for sanctions screening.
• Provide strategic direction for rapid response mechanisms during urgent geopolitical/regulatory updates (OFAC, EU, UK-HMT, UN).
• Oversee technology roadmap for sanctions screening, including model enhancements, AI/ML functionality, tuning strategies, and case-prioritization frameworks.
• Review of Banks sanction and screening SOPs / policy/ Framework at frequent interval and recommend and advise latest development on latest regulation from the statutory bodies.
  

• Lead the sanctions risk assessment, periodic thematic reviews, and emerging risk evaluations (e.g., geopolitical triggers
• Develop and maintain the Bank-wide, Sanctions Risk Appetite and embed it in products, processes, and customer lifecycle.
• Establish business continuity and contingency protocols for sanctions screening.
• Provide strategic direction for rapid response mechanisms during urgent geopolitical/regulatory updates (OFAC, EU, UK-HMT, UN).
• Oversee technology roadmap for sanctions screening, including model enhancements, AI/ML functionality, tuning strategies, and case-prioritization frameworks.
• Review of Banks sanction and screening SOPs / policy/ Framework at frequent interval and recommend and advise latest development on latest regulation from the statutory bodies.
  

Recommending and advising corrective measures /steps in implementation of latest rule, regulation issued / published by

• Lead the sanctions risk assessment, periodic thematic reviews, and emerging risk evaluations (e.g., geopolitical triggers
• Develop and maintain the Bank-wide, Sanctions Risk Appetite and embed it in products, processes, and customer lifecycle.
• Establish business continuity and contingency protocols for sanctions screening.
• Provide strategic direction for rapid response mechanisms during urgent geopolitical/regulatory updates (OFAC, EU, UK-HMT, UN).
• Oversee technology roadmap for sanctions screening, including model enhancements, AI/ML functionality, tuning strategies, and case-prioritization frameworks.
• Review of Banks sanction and screening SOPs / policy/ Framework at frequent interval and recommend and advise latest development on latest regulation from the statutory bodies.
• Recommending and advising corrective measures /steps in implementation of latest rule, regulation issued / published by local as well as international statutory bodies. E.g. press release from US treasury, EU, UN, FATF etc. at BOD to check potential sanction implementation with immediate effect.
• Review of Negative list and advise the addition / deletion of the respective list basis recent development.
• Follow-up with the respective IT team / stakeholder for deliverable of enhancement in the respective entity screening product processor.
• Own and update the Sanctions Policy, Screening Framework, and associated SOPs.
• Define QC/QA frameworks, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and timeliness of sanctions disposition
• Oversee scenario tuning for name, payment, trade, and customer screening models
• Ensure robust data-quality governance (lists, attributes, matching logic, phonetic parameters, fuzzy matching thresholds).
• Strengthen adverse media/negative news workflows and deploy risk‑segmented screening controls.
• Ensure all sanction-related escalations follow structured risk-justification and documentation standards.
• Perform analysis against True / False match received through AMLOCK / entity screening product processor. Review and advise the correct disposition.
• Recommending and advising corrective actions with regards to such customers, wherein customers are dealing money laundering through trade-based transactions or dealing with sanctioned entities, individuals or countries.
• Conduct internal and external outreach for enhanced due diligence review, adverse media news PEPs, SIE and SIP screening.
• Ensure Trade transactions and remittance are aligned with customer line of business are following applicable law, rules, regulations (local and international) and corporate policy.
• Lead Sanctions screening for customers, transactions, trade flows, wires, Swift/RTGS/NEFT, fintech partners, and correspondent banking relationships.
• Oversee sanctions list sourcing, enrichment, validation, and governance (UNSC, UAPA, WMD, UN, OFAC, EU, UK-HMT, Ministry of JAPAN, Ministry of Singapore and applicable domestic lists).
• Manage high-risk escalations to AML Head/PO and provide expert guidance on complex sanction cases.
• Conduct post-incident reviews (missed matches, delayed alerts, or screening system exceptions).
• Provide sanctions advisory for new products, APIs, digital channels, and cross-border partnerships.
• Ensure strong screening controls for UPI, cards, wallets, trade finance, and cross-border payments.
• Maintain high levels of compliance awareness and knowledge to effectively support enhance due diligence and other related areas of responsibility.
• Update conclusion to business and involved stakeholders about existing / newly on boarded customers where risk tolerance is exceeded based on analysis.
• Escalate and recommend customers for closure to senior management, wherein customers are involved with material sanctions.
• End to End management of Trade Based Money Launder Alert Life cycle.
• Timely advice on L2 and L3 escalations
• Approvals for STR / CBWTR and other regulatory reportings.
• Lead and mentor a team of sanctions analysts, reviewers, and specialists.
• Drive resource planning, competency mapping, and skill development for sanctions specialists.
• Implement performance dashboards, case quality metrics, and productivity KPIs
• Drive a culture of compliance-first behavior, documentation discipline, and professional integrity
• Provide specialized training on sanctions typologies, global regulatory actions, and geopolitical risk indicators
• Build Strong Relationship with Business Head, Risk, compliance and regulatory team and other stakeholders.
• Act as a bridge between technical team and business leadership to ensure alignment on priorities.
  

Essential:

Min 12-15 years of experience in Banking and 4-5 years of recent experience in managing Sanctions.

Preferred:

15 years of experience in Banking and minimum 6 years of recent experience in managing Sanctions.