Senior AML Compliance Counsel - USDS

TikTok USDS Joint Venture; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 192,000 - 339,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) match

Parental leave

Disability coverage

Paid holidays

Job summary

TikTok USDS Joint Venture is seeking a senior AML Compliance Counsel to lead the AML/CTF program and provide strategic guidance across functions. The role requires experience with sanctions, AML, and regulatory compliance in a multinational context, with the ability to operate across time zones.

The successful candidate will partner with payments, product, security, privacy, and internal audit teams to implement compliant solutions, train staff, and stay ahead of evolving regulatory changes.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate from an ABA accredited law school; licensed to practice in the U.S.
• In-house compliance experience with a multinational company; sanctions/AML/Bank Secrecy Act expertise.
• Strong analytical skills and judgment; able to explain regulatory impacts on business decisions.
• Excellent oral and written communication; adaptable across audiences and time zones.

Responsibilities

• Advise on AML/CTF compliance program and foster a culture of compliance.
• Lead initiatives to meet global AML and sanctions laws and regulations.
• Collaborate with payments compliance, product, security, internal audit, and business teams to operationalize compliance.
• Work with government relations on regulatory changes in AML/sanctions.
• Maintain AML/CTF policies and procedures and training programs.
• Provide internal training and education to key stakeholders as needed.

Skills

Analytical mindset

Regulatory expertise

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven approach

Travel readiness

Education

Juris Doctorate (ABA-accredited)

Licensed to practice in the U.S.

Job description

Responsibilities

About the Team Our Legal and Compliance team provides key support for all TikTok USDS Joint Venture's innovative initiatives, state-of-the-art products, and integrated platforms. We help our technological and business teams enable their vision by providing integrated legal and compliance guidance and support.

We are looking for a senior AML Compliance Counsel to join our Legal and Compliance team. We are seeking an experienced AML compliance attorney with direct experience in financial crime areas including anti-money-laundering and sanctions, who also possess a data-driven mindset. The ideal candidate is willing to work in a fast-paced environment with cross-functional teams in different time zones, and enjoys the challenges and opportunities of novel issues across a variety of jurisdictions with an open-minded mentality to tackle issues which we may not see before.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for evaluating, supporting, and influencing a culture of compliance throughout the organization, as well as counseling, assessing, and supporting an efficient Anti-Money Laundering/Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) compliance program.
• Advise and drive compliance initiatives and programs to comply with applicable global anti-money laundering and sanctions laws and regulations.
• Partner closely with cross-functional teams, including payments compliance, tech & product, security & privacy, internal audit, and various business verticals to implement and operationalize the aforementioned compliance initiatives and programs; and continuously advise on the improvement of technical solutions to monitor, analyze, and report suspicious activity.
• Counsel and work closely with global government relations teams in preparing for impending regulatory changes or revisions to anti-money laundering and sanctions areas.
• Improve and maintain AML/CTF policies and procedures.
• Conduct internal compliance training and education programs from time to time with key stakeholders.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate from an ABA accredited law school and qualified to practice law in the U.S.
• Proven combined legal and compliance in-house experience with a multinational company, possessing advanced knowledge and recognized expertise in areas relevant to sanctions, AML, Bank Secrecy Act, payments, money transmission, financial regulations, financial crimes schemes, etc. Acts as a trusted advisor on complex legal issues. Strong familiarity with regulatory and other related agencies.
• Demonstrates expert-level analytical skills and exceptional judgment in addressing complex and nuanced issues and is able to articulate how legal decisions relevant to the company and the industry are impacted by the regulatory environment and trends, and makes appropriate recommendations to the business.
• Possess the highest standard of ethics and a positive attitude in learning and willing to pick up new knowledge and skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills; understands client needs, requirements, and key concerns; adapts communication style and approach to maximize impact across a range of audiences.
• Handles conflicts empathetically, addressing issues openly and constructively.
• Willing to travel and work in different time zones.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment while demonstrating flexibility, commitment to teamwork, and a willingness to change assignments to meet clients' needs.
• Ability to manage heavy workload volume and meet critical deadlines with little supervision. Anticipates clients needs and delivers with timeliness, accurately sensing the urgency and sensitivity to the situation.
• Demonstrates an in-depth understanding of the clients' business, industry and organization and shows support for delivery of the product, services and initiatives of the organization.
• Demonstrates ability to redirect issues to appropriate resources.
• Proactively identifies problems or issues and takes lead in resolving issues.
• Demonstrates creativity in finding solutions and uses good judgment in doing so.
• Demonstrates ability to influence and enlist support.

About USDS

TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC is dedicated to the safety and security of millions of Americans who create, discover, and connect with what they love on the apps we operate. The Joint Venture has been established in compliance with the Executive Order signed by President Trump on September 25, 2025. Our foundation is a comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity program we operate under defined safeguards to protect national security and secure U.S. user data, apps and the algorithm. We safeguard the U.S. content ecosystem, holding decision-making authority for trust and safety policies and moderation. USDS Joint Venture helps ensure Americans can continue to express their creativity, discover new hobbies and interests, and build thriving communities and businesses on a global scale.

On-site presence across teams allows the company to operate with greater speed, alignment, and agility — especially in areas like real-time decision-making, team development, and integrated execution. As such, the company is shifting from a hybrid work model to a fully in-person schedule up to 5 days a week.

Why Join Us

Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and bring joy - a mission we work towards every day. We strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. By constantly iterating and fostering an “Always Day 1” mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.

Diversity & Inclusion

TikTok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.

USDS Reasonable Accommodation

USDS is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/USDS-RA

Job Information

【For Pay Transparency】 Compensation Description (Annually) - Washington, DC

The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $ 191700 - $ 338580 annually.

Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.

Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).

The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.