Compliance Model Validation Expert

K2 Intelligence, LLC; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

K2 Integrity in Washington, DC hybrid role seeks an experienced compliance professional with deep expertise in transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, and blockchain analytics program design. You will lead rule design, validation, and governance across tradfi and crypto clients, translating complex requirements into scalable, defensible methodologies.

You will validate analytics used by banks, stablecoins, and payments firms, collaborating with data science and engineering to ensure

Qualifications

• 7+ years in AML model validation, transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, and financial crimes compliance.
• Bachelor’s degree or international equivalent in a relevant field.
• Strong fluency in model risk management and regulatory methodology including OCC Bulletins, NY-DFS Part 504, FFIEC manuals, and OFAC frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Own MRM and model validation engagements end-to-end, aligned with OCC 2026-13 and NY-DFS Part 504.
• Develop and maintain model governance documentation and audit-ready workpapers.
• Design transaction monitoring rules and screening coverage tailored to client activity and geographies.
• Lead AI-enabled testing, data lineage analysis, and threshold calibration.

Skills

AML model validation

Transaction monitoring

Sanctions screening

Blockchain analytics

Regulatory guidance

Data analytics

Stakeholder management

SQL queries

AI governance

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Chainalysis

TRM Labs

Elliptic

Job description

K2 Integrity is seeking an experienced compliance professional with deep subject matter expertise in transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, and blockchain analytics program design (rule setting, governance, pre/post implementation testing) and model risk management/ validation. Sitting within FCRM Advisory, this individual will serve as the practice’s go-to subject-matter expert and project execution lead across several cross-functional areas (traditional finance, fintech, crypto verticals). This individual will be responsible for designing and optimizing detection rules, validating model performance, documenting methodologies, and ensuring compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, including the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) Part 504 annual certification requirements and other applicable U.S. AML/BSA, OFAC, FinCEN, FFIEC, and industry best practices. This is a rare seat for a practitioner who is genuinely bilingual across traditional finance (tradfi) and crypto. You will validate the analytics that banks, stablecoin issuers, and payments firms rely on to detect financial crime — from Actimise and Oracle Mantas to Chainalysis, TRM Labs, and Elliptic — and translate a fragmented set of client needs into a consistent, defensible, and scalable methodology that the firm can deploy at speed and at margin. What sets this role apart: we are looking for someone who can do both tradfi and crypto — not one or the other. The ideal hire pairs deep, hands-on experience validating blockchain-analytics rule settings with rigorous TM rule design and coverage assessment discipline, has already built a scalable methodology, and actively leverages AI to deliver better, faster, and more defensible outcomes. This is a hybrid role out of our D.C. office.

Job requirements

• 7+ years of experience in AML model validation, transaction monitoring rule design, sanctions screening, model risk management, and financial crimes compliance, with at least 2 years of hands‑on experience in blockchain‑analytics settings/model review, including validating and configuring blockchain‑analytics rule settings (Chainalysis, TRM Labs, Elliptic, or comparable)
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field or international equivalent
• Strong knowledge of model risk management standards / regulatory methodological fluency including:
  • OCC Bulletin 2026-13 (Model Risk Management: Revised Guidance) and its risk-based, principles-based approach (and SR 11-7 / OCC 2011-12)
  • DFS Part 504
  • FFIEC BSA/AML Examination Manual
  • OFAC “Framework for OFAC Compliance Commitments” and sanctions screening expectations
• A mixture of consulting and in‑house expertise, with hands‑on experience across both crypto/digital-asset firms and traditional financial institutions
• Demonstrated experience performing coverage assessments tailored to a client’s risk profile, designing transaction monitoring scenarios, rule implementation, and alert optimization methodologies
• Demonstrated experience in sanctions screening rule tuning and list governance
• Experience supporting regulatory examinations and annual compliance certifications
• Excellent analytical, documentation, and stakeholder management skills
• Hands‑on platform experience across traditional TM, sanctions screening, and blockchain analytics systems
• Strong technical and data skills, including ability to independently write and review queries to support ATL/BTL testing, rule replication, and data‑lineage validation
• Strong understanding of statistical validation techniques, data analysis, and model performance metrics
• Familiarity with Snowflake, Databricks, or comparable warehouses; Tableau/Power BI for outcomes analysis and reporting
• AI governance mindset: thinks about AI governance and is comfortable reasoning about how model‑risk principles apply to AI/ML systems preferred
• Prior experience with fraud risk models and graph analytics preferred
• AI/ML literacy sufficient to validate ML‑based TM or fraud models under model‑risk principles (bias, drift, explainability) preferred
• A portable book of work or referral relationships from a prior industry or consulting seat preferred

Job responsibilities

• Own MRM and model validation engagements end-to-end — pre- and post-implementation testing, ongoing validation, and periodic re-validation — aligned to current interagency guidance, including OCC Bulletin 2026-13 and state standards such as NY-DFS Part 504
• Apply a risk-based, materiality-driven approach consistent with OCC Bulletin 2026-13, tailoring the depth of validation and effective challenge to the complexity and materiality of each model and the client’s risk profile
• Develop and maintain model governance documentation, validation reports, and audit-ready workpapers
• Apply data analytics and statistical analysis to validate the efficacy and appropriateness of a quantitative model, including parameter and threshold testing, data quality and lineage analysis, etc.

Model Risk Management & Model Validation

• Own MRM and model validation engagements end-to-end — pre- and post-implementation testing, ongoing validation, and periodic re-validation — aligned to current interagency guidance, including OCC Bulletin 2026-13 and state standards such as NY-DFS Part 504
• Apply a risk-based, materiality-driven approach consistent with OCC Bulletin 2026-13, tailoring the depth of validation and effective challenge to the complexity and materiality of each model and the client’s risk profile
• Develop and maintain model governance documentation, validation reports, and audit-ready workpapers
• Apply data analytics and statistical analysis to validate the efficacy and appropriateness of a quantitative model, including parameter and threshold testing, data quality and lineage analysis, etc.

Blockchain-Analytics Tool Validation (priority focus)

• Hands‑on validation, configuration, and tuning of tools such as Chainalysis (KYT), TRM Labs, Elliptic (Lens), and Merkle Science, including rule library configuration, exposure/typology thresholds, risk‑scoring logic, and integration into TM and case‑management workflows
• Serve as the firm’s credible SME on validating crypto models and blockchain‑analytics settings

Transaction Monitoring Program Design & Tuning

• Design and calibrate rule sets and perform coverage assessments that map TM/sanctions coverage to the client’s specific business activity, products, customers, and geographies (never a one‑size template)
• Lead threshold calibration, above‑/below‑the‑line (ATL/BTL) testing, and pre- and post‑implementation validation, through to ongoing monitoring
• Translate risk assessments into defensible detection scenarios and document the rationale for coverage decisions
• Partner with Compliance, Financial Crimes, Risk, Data Science, Product, and Engineering teams to implement and enhance monitoring and screening capabilities

Sanctions Screening Validation

• Validate and tune sanctions screening systems — list management, fuzzy‑matching parameters, threshold tuning, filter logic testing, and name‑matching algorithm review (ideally with experience across a variety of vendors)

Methodology, AI Enablement, and Cross-Training Expertise

• Scalable methodology ownership: build, maintain, and continuously improve a consistent, repeatable methodology across MRM, validation, TM design, and sanctions tuning
• AI‑enabled delivery: leverage AI to improve the speed, consistency, and defensibility of testing, sampling, and documentation, positioning the practice for the emerging AI model‑validation adjacency
• Team development and cross‑training: upskill existing resources to scale delivery
• Client‑facing polish: present findings with authority to CCO/BSAO stakeholders, boards, and regulators
• Market Eminence: Monitor emerging financial crime typologies, regulatory guidance, and industry practices to continuously enhance detection capabilities, and contribute to firm thought leadership as needed

Minimum Salary:$130,000 | Maximum Salary: $190,000