Operations Manager

eTeam; Lisboa; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

eTeam in Lisbon, Portugal, is seeking a senior AML Transaction Monitoring Operations Manager to oversee multiple team leads and the daily delivery of cryptocurrency AML investigations for a crypto exchange.

You will manage operational rhythms, ensure quality and timely dispositions, and coordinate with compliance, legal, product, and client teams to translate case trends into actionable improvements.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in AML monitoring or related field in finance or crypto.
• 3+ years leading team leads, supervisors, or analysts.
• Ability to drive procedures and risk-based decisions.
• Knowledge of BSA/OFAC/FinCEN guidance for digital assets.
• Understanding of crypto transactions and blockchain basics.
• Experience with blockchain analytics platforms.

Responsibilities

• Oversee team leads responsible for AML investigators across deposits, withdrawals, transfers, and fiat funding.
• Manage daily/weekly operating rhythm: staffing, targets, escalation queues, aging cases.
• Serve as senior escalation point for complex investigations (sanctions, fraud, cross-border activity).
• Ensure standards for case review, evidence, policy adherence, and dispositions.
• Coach leads on workload, escalation handling, and stakeholder communication.
• Oversee QA/QC, identify errors, drive calibrations and corrective actions.
• Monitor performance, aging inventory, and service-level adherence; prepare executive updates.
• Identify typologies, ensure issues are escalated and tracked to resolution.
• Collaborate with compliance, legal, product, tech, and client teams on issues and improvements.
• Lead procedure updates, training materials, and change management for new typologies.
• Maintain audit-ready case files with evidence and rationale for dispositions.

Skills

AML monitoring

Team leadership

Operational performance management

Regulatory compliance knowledge

Communication skills

Analytical reasoning

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

OneNote

Teams

Case management systems

Investigative workflow tools

Job description

The Crypto AML Transaction Monitoring Operations Manager is responsible for overseeing multiple team leads and the day-to-day delivery of cryptocurrency AML transaction monitoring investigations for a cryptocurrency exchange. This role manages operational execution across investigator teams, monitors production and quality performance, resolves escalated workflow and case issues, and ensures alerts, escalations, SAR recommendations, and related deliverables are completed accurately, consistently, and within applicable service-level and regulatory deadlines. The Operations Manager serves as a senior operational point of contact for compliance leadership and client stakeholders, translating case trends, quality results, staffing needs, control issues, typology developments, and process risks into clear operating priorities and actionable improvements.

Position Responsibilities

• Oversee team leads responsible for AML transaction monitoring investigators reviewing cryptocurrency deposits, withdrawals, transfers, fiat funding activity, and customer account behavior.
• Manage daily and weekly operating rhythm across teams, including inventory allocation, staffing coverage, production targets, escalation queues, and aging case management.
• Serve as a senior escalation point for team leads on complex investigations involving blockchain tracing, high-risk typologies, sanctions exposure, fraud proceeds, darknet markets, scams, ransomware, mixers, chain hopping, and unusual cross-border activity.
• Ensure team leads apply consistent standards for case review, risk-based reasoning, evidence support, policy adherence, documentation quality, and final disposition recommendations.
• Coach and develop team leads on people leadership, workload management, escalation handling, quality feedback, investigator coaching, and communication with compliance stakeholders.
• Oversee quality assurance and quality control processes by monitoring results, identifying recurring errors, driving calibration, and ensuring corrective action plans are implemented across teams.
• Monitor operational performance, productivity, aging inventory, quality trends, escalation themes, staffing capacity, and service-level adherence; prepare executive-ready updates for project leadership, compliance stakeholders, and client management.
• Identify emerging typologies, repeated counterparties, linked accounts, process weaknesses, training needs, systemic control gaps, and operational risks; ensure material issues are escalated and tracked to resolution.
• Partner with compliance, sanctions, fraud, legal, product, operations, technology, and client management teams to resolve complex operating issues, clarify procedures, improve workflows, and support system or rule enhancements.
• Lead procedure updates, job aids, team lead guidance, investigator training materials, calibration sessions, and change management related to new typologies, policy guidance, system updates, or client expectations.
• Ensure teams maintain complete, consistent, and audit-ready case files, including supporting evidence, blockchain tracing outputs, screenshots or exports, calculations, and rationale for final dispositions.
• Perform other duties and operations leadership assignments as directed.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience conducting, managing, or overseeing AML transaction monitoring, suspicious activity, sanctions, fraud, or KYC/EDD for a financial institution, fintech, payment company, or cryptocurrency exchange.
• 3+ years of experience managing team leads, supervisors, quality reviewers, or financial crime operations analysts in a production-based environment.
• Demonstrated ability to manage operational performance, review complex investigation trends, challenge conclusions, provide direction to team leads, and drive consistent application of procedures and risk-based decisioning.
• Working knowledge of the Bank Secrecy Act, USA PATRIOT Act, FinCEN guidance, OFAC requirements, and risk-based AML, CDD, EDD, sanctions, and SAR obligations relevant to digital-asset businesses.
• Practical understanding of cryptocurrency transactions, wallets, addresses, transaction hashes, centralized exchanges, decentralized exchanges, stablecoins, bridges, smart contracts, and common digital-asset transaction flows.
• Experience using blockchain analytics or wallet-screening platforms to evaluate direct and indirect exposure, counterparty risk, transaction paths, attribution information, and illicit finance typologies.
• Strong ability to manage multi-team workload, track productivity and quality metrics, identify aging inventory or operational bottlenecks, and communicate operating priorities clearly.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex transaction activity, risk indicators, quality findings, staffing needs, service-level performance, and operational trends to senior compliance stakeholders.
• Strong analytical reasoning, attention to detail, organization, judgment, and ability to make sound decisions under established deadlines.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent relevant work experience.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Teams, case management systems, and investigative workflow tools.

Highly Preferred Qualifications

• 2+ years of hands-on experience managing or overseeing investigation teams for a cryptocurrency exchange, digital-asset platform, wallet provider, fintech, or other virtual asset service provider.
• Prior operations manager, engagement manager, managed services delivery, workflow management, or people leadership experience in an AML, investigations, or financial crime operations environment.
• 2+ years' experience with blockchain analytics platforms such as Chainalysis, TRM Labs, Elliptic, or comparable tools. Chainalysis is preferred.
• Experience overseeing teams that use blockchain analytics platforms such as Chainalysis, TRM Labs, Elliptic, or comparable tools. Chainalysis experience is preferred.
• Experience supporting audits, regulatory inquiries, law enforcement requests, senior client reporting, or operational governance related to suspicious activity investigations or crypto-related financial crime risk.
• ACAMS, CFCS, CCI, CCAS, Chainalysis certification, or another relevant AML or cryptocurrency investigations certification.