Financial Crime Compliance Specialist

Klarna; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Klarna is seeking a Senior AML Compliance professional to strengthen financial crime controls in the US market. You will provide independent oversight of the AML framework in Second Line Compliance, applying regulatory judgement across key AML activities, including SAR review and filing, while partnering with AML Operations, MLROs, and senior stakeholders.

The role evolves from hands-on regulatory activity to analytical oversight of control design and outcomes across products and markets.

Qualifications

• Experience in AML, financial crime, or compliance within a regulated financial institution.

Responsibilities

• Review and approve SARs under MLRO delegation to ensure regulatory thresholds are met.
• Review investigations and SAR narratives for quality, completeness, and defensibility.
• Provide structured feedback to AML investigation teams on investigation quality and SAR narratives.
• Identify complex or sensitive cases requiring escalation to MLROs.
• Perform second-line oversight of AML controls, focusing on Transaction Monitoring effectiveness.
• Conduct thematic reviews across SAR outcomes, escalation decisions, and typologies.
• Assess whether AML risks are adequately covered across products and customer segments.
• Contribute to AML input for new products, material changes, and control enhancements.
• Analyse AML metrics and trends to identify control gaps or emerging risks.
• Support governance, documentation, and clear separation of responsibilities across AML teams.

Job description

About The Position

In this position, you will strengthen Klarna’s financial crime controls by providing independent, risk-based oversight of the Anti-Money Laundering framework within Second Line Compliance. You will apply sound regulatory judgement across key AML activities, including review and approval of Suspicious Activity Reports under MLRO delegation, while partnering closely with AML Operations, MLROs, and senior Compliance stakeholders. As Klarna evolves its AML operating model, you will initially contribute hands‑on to critical regulatory activities and progressively shift towards analytical oversight of control design, effectiveness, and outcomes across products and markets. You will help ensure that AML risks are well understood, appropriately mitigated, and clearly evidenced to regulators.

What You Will Do

• Review and approve Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) under MLRO delegation to ensure regulatory thresholds are met
• Review investigations and SAR narratives for quality, completeness, and defensibility
• Provide structured feedback to AML investigation teams on investigation quality and SAR narratives
• Identify complex or sensitive cases requiring escalation to MLROs
• Perform second-line oversight of AML controls, with a focus on Transaction Monitoring effectiveness
• Conduct thematic reviews across SAR outcomes, escalation decisions, and typologies
• Assess whether AML risks are adequately covered across products and customer segments
• Contribute to AML input for new products, material changes, and control enhancements
• Analyse AML metrics and trends to identify control gaps, emerging risks, or degradation
• Support governance, documentation, and clear separation of responsibilities across AML teams

Who You Are

• Support governance, documentation, and clear separation of responsibilities across AML teams
• Experience in AML, financial crime, or compliance within a regulated financial institution, such as a bank, fintech, payments company, or equivalent
• Strong hands‑on experience with SAR processes, including drafting, review, approval support, or filing, and understanding of applicable regulatory thresholds
• Demonstrated understanding of AML risk typologies, escalation criteria, and how regulatory expectations are applied in practice
• Proven ability to apply independent judgement in complex, sensitive, or ambiguous cases
• Experience reviewing the quality, completeness, and defensibility of investigations and regulatory narratives
• Excellent written communication skills, particularly in producing or reviewing clear, structured SAR narratives and regulatory explanations

Awesome to have

• Excellent written communication skills, particularly in producing or reviewing clear, structured SAR narratives and regulatory explanations
• Experience working in, or closely with, a second line of defence, compliance oversight, quality assurance, or risk function
• Exposure to transaction monitoring frameworks, scenario‑based monitoring, or assessment of transaction monitoring effectiveness
• Experience supporting MLROs, acting under MLRO delegation, or preparing materials for MLRO decision-making and escalation
• Experience performing thematic reviews, trend analysis, or control effectiveness assessments
• Familiarity with EU and US AML regulatory frameworks and supervisory expectations, including FIU processes and relevant regulatory guidelines
• Experience contributing to new product risk assessments, regulatory change implementation, or control enhancements

Klarna is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects our global customer base and to fostering a culture where everyone belongs. We provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, parental status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and identities. We consider qualified applicants with criminal history for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances. If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact [e-mail].

In accordance with applicable law, the salary range for this role is provided in the job posting. The salary offered will be determined by the candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and education. The salary range posted in the job advertisement refers to the base pay. Base pay is part of a total compensation package, which may also include equity rewards, monthly stipends for health and wellness, and benefits such as life insurance, medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents.