Financial Crimes Compliance Associate

Vestwell; Scottsdale (AZ); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work environment

Strong 401(k) plan

Generous vacation & leave policies

Learning & development

Job summary

Vestwell is seeking a Financial Crimes Compliance Associate to manage day-to-day fraud detection and anti-money laundering operations across all three business lines. You will report to the Manager of Financial Crimes Compliance and collaborate with our Client, Operations and Services Teams to control risk as we scale.

You will monitor, analyze, and mitigate financial crime risk with independent judgment and solid analytical skills, applying regulatory requirements to protect the company and its

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance and/or criminal justice.
• Experience performing fraud detection or anti-money laundering functions.
• Strong analytical and detail-oriented aptitude.
• Proficiency with productivity tools and reporting platforms.

Responsibilities

• Fraud Detection & Analysis: analyze high-risk indicators to identify suspicious activity.
• Typology Development: identify emerging fraud patterns and communicate them for reporting/training.
• Regulatory Interpretation: apply financial crime regulations to operations and client activity.
• Escalation & Reporting: review, research, and respond to alerts; prepare escalation memos.
• Collaboration & Issue Resolution: work with Client, Operations, and Services Teams on inquiries and escalations.
• Data Logging & Reporting: maintain records of investigations and prepare data for management reporting.
• Process Improvement & Compliance Projects: improve procedures and platform features to enhance reviews.
• Independent Judgment: exercise discretion in reviewing alerts and suggesting improvements.

Skills

Fraud detection

AML compliance

Regulatory interpretation

Analytical thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

SAR drafting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, finance and/or criminal justice

Tools

JIRA

LexisNexis

Job description

• Vestwell is seeking a Financial Crimes Compliance Associate to be part of our growing Legal and Compliance Team
• In this role you will take ownership of day-to-day fraud detection and anti-money laundering operations across all three of our business lines to manage fraud risk and comply with regulatory requirements
• You will report to the Manager of Financial Crimes Compliance and will work cross-functionally and in close collaboration with our Client, Operations and Services Teams
• The role will have a significant impact by understanding, analyzing and controlling key risk for the company as we continue to scale
• As a Financial Crimes Compliance Associate, you will serve as a strategic, exempt individual contributor responsible for monitoring, analyzing, and mitigating financial crime risk
• This role requires independent judgment, strong analytical skills, and the ability to interpret and apply regulatory requirements to protect the company and its clients
• You will collaborate across teams to ensure accurate escalation, investigation, and resolution of suspicious activity while supporting compliance initiatives
• Fraud Detection & Analysis: Analyze daily high-risk fraud indicators and surveillance reports to identify suspicious activity, applying critical thinking and regulatory knowledge to assess potential risk
• Typology Development: Identifying emerging fraud patterns and trends, and communicate them for adaptations to reporting and training materials
• Regulatory Interpretation: Interpret applicable financial crimes and anti-money laundering regulations, applying them to business operations and client activity to ensure compliance and mitigate risk
• Escalation & Reporting: Review, research, and respond to escalated surveillance and screening alerts. Prepare detailed escalation memos to alert clients or internal stakeholders of potential suspicious activity
• Collaboration & Issue Resolution: Partner with Client, Operations, and Services Teams to track, research, and resolve inquiries, complaints, and escalations related to potential financial crimes
• Data Logging & Reporting: Maintain accurate records of suspicious activity investigations and prepare data for management and client reporting
• Process Improvement & Compliance Projects: Collaborate on improving procedures, workflows, and platform features to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of security reviews. Support Legal and Compliance team initiatives to scale financial crime mitigation strategies
• Independent Judgment: Exercise discretion and analytical judgment when reviewing alerts, escalating issues, and recommending procedural or operational improvements

Benefits

• Competitive health coverage
• A dedicated Employee Wellbeing Committee
• Generous vacation, safe/sick time, and leave policies
• Strong focus on learning & development
• Hybrid work environment
• A great 401(k) plan!

Strong critical-thinking skills, with the ability to analyze information, identify patterns, and make sound, evidence-based decisionsAbility to manage time effectively, set priorities, and meet deadlinesExcellent verbal and written communication skillsExperience with research tools like LexisNexisComfort working in a fast-paced start-up environment with a substantial degree of autonomyA Bachelor’s degree in business, finance and/or criminal justiceExperience performing fraud detection or anti-money laundering functionsExceptional analytical and detail-oriented aptitude; a high degree of accuracy is requiredProficiency with productivity tools, especially JIRAExperience working at a financial institution or fintech or high growth startupExperience drafting SARs or responding to FinCEN 314(a) requestsFamiliarity with identity-verification platforms such as Plaid or Persona