Engineering Senior Manager, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Technologies

M&T Bank; Buffalo (NY); On-site; USD 168,000 - 279,000; Full time

Job summary

M&T Bank is seeking an experienced senior leader to direct AML technology and financial crime platforms in Buffalo, NY. You will guide engineering teams across multiple disciplines, set strategic direction, and ensure scalable, secure, and compliant solutions that detect money laundering and related risks.

Responsibilities include partnering with AML Operations, Risk, Compliance, and Cybersecurity, driving talent development, budget management, and advancing modernization using cloud-native tech

Qualifications

• Minimum 13 years of combined education and/or work experience.
• At least 4 years engineering/architecture experience.
• 9 years technology management and program leadership with people management.
• Proficiency with project management, word processing, presentation, and spreadsheets.
• Understanding AML, Financial Crimes, Compliance Operations terminology.
• Experience leading multiple teams across different geographies.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop engineering managers, software engineers, architects, data engineers, and support teams for AML platforms.
• Oversee AML capabilities including Transaction Monitoring, Suspicious Activity Detection, Customer Risk Scoring, Alerting, Case Management, Investigations workflows.
• Establish engineering standards and governance across AML solutions.
• Drive workforce planning, performance management, talent development, and succession planning.
• Collaborate with AML Operations, Financial Crimes, Risk, Data Analytics, Compliance, Cybersecurity, Audit and Business leaders.
• Manage budgets and vendor analyses to ensure delivery of appropriate end products.
• Develop and manage multiple cost center budgets and ensure platform availability and security.
• Lead modernization of AML platforms using cloud-native technologies and CI/CD/SRE practices.
• Promote innovation to improve detection and reduce false positives and costs.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Regulatory knowledge

Executive communication

Education

Master's Degree

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

NICE Actimize

Verafin

Oracle FCCM

SAS AML

Fiserv

Job description

• Extensive experience with enterprise Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Financial Crimes, and Transaction Monitoring platforms.
• Extensive experience leading engineering teams responsible for developing and supporting highly available, scalable, and secure AML technology solutions that detect money laundering, terrorist financing, sanctions evasion, and other financial crimes.
• Expertise in AML transaction monitoring, customer risk scoring, investigations, case management, suspicious activity detection, regulatory reporting, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and financial crime operations support.
• Extensive experience running development and engineering initiatives using Agile practices.
• Experience with modern development tools, cloud-native architectures, data engineering platforms, and enterprise integration patterns.

Scope of Role

Manages the activities and strategic direction of the Department including indirectly managing several diverse types of Technology teams. Responsible for the budget of multiple cost centers spanning concurrent development streams. Provides long and short-term strategic direction for the entire Department, multiple applications and/or cost centers. Serves as primary contact to Divisional peers, Technology leadership team, Management Group and business partners. Oversees development and career planning for all team members.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead and develop high-performing engineering managers, software engineers, architects, data engineers, and support teams responsible for AML technology platforms.
• Lead the implementation, operation, and enhancement of AML technology capabilities including:
  • Transaction Monitoring
  • Suspicious Activity Detection
  • Customer Risk Scoring
  • Alert Generation and Prioritization
  • Alert Dispositioning
  • Automated Case Creation
  • Case Management
  • Investigations Workflow
  • Regulatory Reporting Support
  • Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) Integration
  • Network Analytics
  • Entity Resolution
  • Customer and Account Monitoring
  • Watchlist Monitoring
  • Behavioral Analytics
  • AML Risk Modeling
  • Financial Crimes Analytics
  • Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) Support
• Establish engineering standards, operational excellence practices, and technology governance across AML solutions.
• Drive workforce planning, performance management, talent development, succession planning, and employee engagement initiatives.
• Foster strong partnerships with AML Operations, Financial Crimes, Risk Management, Data Analytics, Compliance, Cybersecurity, Audit, and Business leaders.
• Manage vendor/product analyses and recommendations to ensure delivery of the most appropriate end product based on available resources, inclusive of budget.
• Develop and manage multiple cost center budgets.
• Ensure AML platforms meet availability, resiliency, scalability, security, and performance objectives.
• Provide operational accountability for mission-critical transaction monitoring and investigations platforms operating in a 24x7 environment.
• Establish and manage platform SLAs, SLOs, operational metrics, and service management practices.
• Lead modernization of AML platforms utilizing cloud-native technologies.
• Implement engineering best practices including CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), platform observability, and automation.
• Drive adoption of advanced analytics, machine learning, graph analytics, and real-time financial crime monitoring technologies.
• Champion innovation that improves AML detection effectiveness while reducing operational costs and false positives.
• Coordinate activities with other managers as required to support efforts of mutual interest.
• Manage the implementation of customer technology consistent with Division standards and long-range plans, seeking opportunities to leverage these across other teams as applicable.
• Ensure activities managed adhere to all Department and Technology standards and procedures, including documentation requirements to protect Bank interests and serve as a reference source.
• Manage and ensure the recommendation of systems designs based on business and technology requirements.
• Manage identification of issues and concerns throughout the process and ensure they are investigated and resolved.
• Manage monitoring project plans of assigned teams to ensure they remain on track and identify issues that may result in delays.
• Remain current on activities outside assigned teams that may impact activities of the teams or systems managed.
• Exercise usual authority of a manager concerning staffing, performance appraisals, promotions, salary recommendations, performance management, and terminations.
• Understand and adhere to the Company's risk and regulatory standards, policies, and controls in accordance with the Company's Risk Appetite.
• Design, implement, maintain, and enhance internal controls to mitigate risk on an ongoing basis.
• Identify risk-related issues requiring escalation to management.
• Promote an environment that supports diversity and reflects the Bank's brand.
• Maintain internal control standards, including timely implementation of audit findings, examiner recommendations, and regulatory commitments.
• Manage a high-performance AML platform in a highly resilient manner with minimal downtime.
• Complete other related duties as assigned.

Education And Experience Required

• A combined minimum of 13 years’ higher education and/or work experience, including a minimum of 4 years’ engineering and/or architecture experience and 9 years' technology management / program leadership experience including people management
• Proficiency with project management, word processing, presentation, and spreadsheet applications.
• Capable of working on multiple projects of a complex nature.
• Experience on large system enhancements, implementations, and production problem resolution.
• Complete understanding of the system development life cycle.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Familiarity with enterprise application development software and hardware platforms.
• Understanding of AML, Financial Crimes, Compliance Operations, and their associated terminology.
• Prior experience encouraging teamwork and serving as a role model while leading others.
• Understanding of technical, business, operational, and regulatory impacts of a project or problem.
• Confidence leading multiple teams in different geographic locations and time zones.
• Prior experience presenting to senior management.
• Experience supporting highly available transaction monitoring, case management, and investigations platforms.
• Strong understanding of:
  • AML Transaction Monitoring
  • Suspicious Activity Management
  • Customer Risk Scoring
  • Investigations and Case Management
  • Regulatory Reporting Workflows
  • Entity Resolution
  • Watchlist Monitoring
  • Data Management and Data Lineage Controls
  • Financial Crime Detection Technologies

Education And Experience Preferred

• Master's Degree.
• Minimum of 12 years' technology management or large program leadership experience.
• Minimum of 10 years' technology experience in AML, Financial Crimes, Compliance Technology, or Risk Technology.
• Experience leading enterprise AML modernization programs within banking, financial services, fintech, or regulated industries.
• Experience implementing and managing platforms such as NICE Actimize AML, Verafin, Oracle FCCM, SAS AML, Fiserv, or equivalent transaction monitoring solutions.
• Experience supporting Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) operations and investigations.
• Experience implementing artificial intelligence, machine learning, and graph analytics solutions within AML environments.
• Experience with customer risk scoring, transaction monitoring models, and alert optimization.
• Experience reducing false positives and improving investigator productivity.
• Experience designing real-time monitoring and detection capabilities.
• Experience supporting model validation, audit remediation, and regulatory examinations.
• Experience defining AML technology strategy and presenting roadmaps to executive leadership.
• Experience managing vendor relationships, technology budgets, and strategic platform investments.
• Understanding of multiple business areas and financial crime compliance functions.
• Proven mentoring and leadership capabilities from a project and organizational leadership perspective.
• Experience with skills, applications, and functions across AML technology ecosystems.
• Good understanding of the Bank's application framework and enterprise architecture standards.
• Awareness of the Bank's business plan and strategic objectives with the ability to shape direction.
• Mastered knowledge and focus of the AML ecosystem, including support for strategic initiatives outside of normal business-as-usual (BAU) activities.
• Self-motivated and able to motivate others.

M&T Bank is committed to fair, competitive, and market-informed pay for our employees. The pay range for this position is $167,600.00 - $279,400.00 Annual (USD). The successful candidate’s particular combination of knowledge, skills, and experience will inform their specific compensation.

Location

Buffalo, New York, United States of America