Financial Crime Analyst

Bretton AI Inc; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Bretton AI Inc is seeking investigators in San Francisco to combat financial crime. You will analyze transactions and customer activities while utilizing advanced AI tooling. Successful candidates will possess strong analytical writing skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work independently. The role provides the opportunity to shape product developments based on real-world investigations.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent experience in an analytical field.
• Strong writing skills that withstand scrutiny.
• Ability to work independently while following detailed instructions.

Responsibilities

• Investigate transactions and customer activity.
• Work alerts using established AML procedures.
• Write clear narratives that hold up to scrutiny.

Skills

Strong written analysis skills

Attention to detail

Judgment under ambiguity

Comfort with AI tools

Education

Degree in finance, accounting, criminology, economics, business, law, political science, or related field

Tools

SQL

Job description

About Bretton AI

Bretton AI is the leading AI agent platform for financial services. Companies like Robinhood, Mercury, and Gusto trust us to automate mission‑critical work, starting with anti‑money laundering (AML) and counter‑terrorist financing investigations.

We've raised over $95M from Greylock, Y Combinator, Thomson Reuters Ventures, and other top‑tier investors. We're based in downtown San Francisco and our team comes from world‑class organizations like SpaceX, Google, Netflix, Stripe, Plaid, and more.

The Role

Financial crime is one of the largest hidden problems in the global economy. Money laundering alone moves an estimated $2 trillion through the financial system every year, funding everything from sanctions evasion to human trafficking to terrorism.

We're hiring investigators to catch it. You'll dig into transaction patterns, trace money across counterparties, and decide whether what you're looking at is a false alarm or something worth escalating. You'll also work with the most advanced AI tooling in the industry. Bretton's AI does the routine work, such as pulling data, surfacing red flags, and drafting first‑pass narratives, so you can spend your time doing what investigators do best: noticing what doesn't add up, asking the next question, and making the call.

You'll also be the closest connection our Product and Engineering teams have to real‑world investigations. What you notice in the work directly shapes what gets built next. Edge cases you flag become new AI capabilities. Patterns you surface drive the product roadmap. You won't just be using the most sophisticated AI tooling in financial crime, you'll be the reason it gets better.

This is real investigative work, on real cases, with real stakes. If you want a front‑row seat to the most consequential AI work happening in financial crime, this is it.

What You'll Do

• Investigate transactions, counterparties, and customer activity to figure out what's really going on
• Work alerts using established AML procedures, separating false positives from genuine red flags
• Use Bretton's AI agents to accelerate research, transaction analysis, and narrative drafting, then bring your own judgment to what the AI surfaces
• Write clear, defensible narratives that hold up to quality assurance and regulatory scrutiny
• Document your findings in the case management system to a high standard
• Partner directly with Product and Engineering, surfacing edge cases, gaps, and opportunities that shape Bretton's roadmap

What Success Looks Like

Month 1: Onboard, learn the relevant procedures, and start working live cases with structured support. Build deep familiarity with the work you'll do at Bretton.

Month 2: Hit steady‑state production with strong quality scores. Handle routine work independently and bring sharp questions to complex cases. Start contributing to procedural calibration discussions and product feedback loops.

Month 3: Become a trusted contributor on the team. Your hands‑on insights shape how our AI evolves. Strong performers are positioned for extended engagements and expanded scope as our financial crime team grows.

What We’re Looking For

We're hiring at multiple levels. Whether you're early in your career or bring years of investigative experience, we want to hear from you.

• A degree in finance, accounting, criminology, economics, business, law, political science, or a related analytical field, or equivalent professional experience
• Strong written analysis skills. Your writing is clear, structured, and stands up to scrutiny
• Sharp attention to detail and the instinct to notice when something doesn't add up
• Sharp judgment under ambiguity. You know when to dig deeper, when to elevate, and when to close
• Comfort working independently in structured procedural environments. You can follow detailed instructions without losing the bigger picture
• Genuine curiosity about how financial crime actually works and how to stop it
• Comfort working alongside AI tools. You understand both their power and their limits, and you naturally verify outputs rather than accepting them on faith
• Legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship

Bonus Points

• CAMS certification (Certified Anti‑Money Laundering Specialist) or equivalent
• Hands‑on AML case investigation experience, including SAR drafting
• Working knowledge of money laundering typologies, red flag indicators, and US Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) requirements
• Experience training, calibrating, or onboarding analyst teams
• Perspective from working across multiple institution types: bank, fintech, consultancy, BPO, or regulator
• Familiarity with SQL or basic data analysis
• Coursework or internship experience in financial regulation or banking