In this role, you will
- Perform Sanctions Investigations & L2 Escalation Management
- Serve as the main escalation point for sanctions alerts and complex investigations, ensuring cases are thoroughly assessed and resolved in compliance with N26’s AFC framework.
- Review, analyze, and validate high-risk escalations ensuring appropriate decisions are made on potential true matches.
- Escalate confirmed sanctions hits to Sanction Compliance and MLROs ensuring structured documentation and audit readiness.
- Conduct quality reviews of L1 tasks, identifying areas for improvement and ensuring alignment with regulatory expectations.
- Maintain clear, structured documentation of investigations, justifications, and outcomes for regulatory, audit, and internal compliance reporting.
- Refine and enhance sanctions screening workflows to improve efficiency, reduce false positives, and strengthen risk mitigation.
- Collaborate with Sanctions Modelling & Testing (FCP teams) to fine-tune screening models and improve alert accuracy.
- Identify and drive improvements in escalation pathways, ensuring smooth handovers between L1, L2, and Sanctions Compliance.
- Support the drafting or suggest modification of work instruction for the Sanction Operational team
- Provide operational insights and support for audit responses and regulatory inquiries
- Follow and adapt to changes in international sanctions regulations and support internal teams in adapting processes accordingly.
- Assist in managing requests from financial institutions and authorities, ensuring timely and accurate reporting.
- Support onboarding and mentoring of junior team members, fostering a strong compliance culture.
- Contribute to internal Sanction learning initiatives to enhance expertise in sanctions risk management.
Background
- 2+ years of experience in sanctions operations, financial crime compliance, or AFC investigations within banking, fintech, or payments.
- Strong understanding of sanctions risks, screening methodologies, and case-handling processes, with expertise in investigations and escalations.
- Familiarity with sanctions screening tools, alert adjudication processes, and regulatory reporting requirements.
- Deep knowledge of global financial sanctions frameworks
- Experience working with regulatory inquiries, audits, and financial institution sanctions compliance requirements.
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Law, or a related field (preferred but not essential).
Skills
- Strong investigative and analytical skills, with the ability to assess complex sanctions risks and make sound decisions under pressure.
- Detail-oriented and compliance-focused, with a structured approach to documentation and reporting.
- Ability to manage multiple high-risk escalations simultaneously, prioritizing effectively.
- Experience in process optimization, with a proactive mindset for improving sanctions alert handling workflows.
- Good report writing skills, ensuring clarity and accuracy in investigation documentation.
- Basic data analysis capabilities (Excel, Google Sheets, or similar tools) to identify risk trends and process inefficiencies.
- Fluency in English is required (additional languages such as Spanish, Italian, German, French, Russian, or Arabic are a plus).
Traits
- Proactive, solutions-driven, and able to navigate complex regulatory landscapes.
- Stakeholder management skills, ensuring effective collaboration with Sanction Compliance and AFC colleagues
- Resilient in a fast-paced, high-risk environment
- Committed to continuous learning and challenging the status quo.
- Adheres strictly to internal escalation protocols and regulatory compliance standards.
