Senior Manager - Sanctions Compliance

The Senior Manager – Sanctions Compliance will lead the governance and oversight functions within the Sanctions and Financial Institutions (FI) Compliance department. This role ensures the implementation of robust compliance frameworks, effective risk management, and transparent reporting across the bank’s global operations. The position is responsible for driving compliance governance standards, overseeing regulatory and internal reporting, and aligning these activities with the bank’s strategic compliance objectives.

Key Responsibilities

- Compliance Governance Framework: Oversee and maintain a comprehensive compliance governance framework that supports effective risk management and regulatory adherence. Ensure governance structures align with global best practices and local regulatory requirements. Regularly review and enhance governance models to reflect regulatory changes and evolving business strategies.

- Oversight and Monitoring: Lead the development and execution of enterprise-wide compliance oversight programs, including thematic reviews, control testing, and risk assessments. Monitor the effectiveness of compliance controls, escalate material issues to senior management and governance committees, and ensure timely resolution of compliance gaps and audit findings.

- Regulatory and Internal Reporting: Manage the preparation and delivery of high-quality compliance reports for regulators, senior management, and board-level committees. Ensure consistency, accuracy, and completeness of reporting across jurisdictions and business lines. Develop dashboards and metrics to track compliance performance and identify emerging risks.

- Committee Management: Oversee the governance and operations of compliance-related committees such as the Compliance Committee and Regulatory Risk Committee. Coordinate meeting agendas, materials, minutes, and action tracking to facilitate effective decision-making and accountability. Promote cross-functional discussions to ensure alignment on compliance priorities.

- Quality Control: Lead quality control reviews across Sanctions and FI Compliance to ensure regulatory compliance and adherence to internal standards. Conduct quality control testing of investigations, screening decisions, advisory opinions, and FI compliance reviews. Identify control gaps and drive remediation efforts while maintaining quality metrics and governance reporting.

- Policy and Standards Oversight: Manage the lifecycle of compliance policies, including drafting, review, approval, dissemination, and periodic updates. Ensure policies are harmonized across jurisdictions and reflect current regulatory expectations. Lead policy awareness and training initiatives to foster a strong compliance culture.

- Stakeholder Engagement: Act as a strategic partner to business units, control functions, and senior leadership on governance and oversight matters. Collaborate with internal audit, legal, and risk teams to ensure coordinated compliance efforts. Serve as a key point of contact for regulatory inquiries and inspections related to governance and oversight.

- Operating Environment: Navigate a dynamic, multi-jurisdictional regulatory environment requiring coordination across global business lines and control functions. Manage competing priorities and regulatory expectations with agility, operating within the bank’s enterprise risk management and compliance frameworks while adhering to escalation procedures and decision-making hierarchies.

- Problem Solving: Analyze complex governance and oversight challenges, proposing structured solutions. Balance regulatory expectations with operational feasibility, anticipate governance risks, and implement mitigation strategies. Resolve cross-functional issues, drive consensus among stakeholders, and support process restructuring, outsourcing, and system development while maintaining robust compliance controls.

- Decision Making Authority: Make decisions on governance and oversight matters within defined thresholds. Recommend enhancements to compliance frameworks and escalate significant issues. Contribute to strategic decisions impacting compliance governance and the bank’s risk posture.

Required Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in Law, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
- Minimum of 10 years’ experience in compliance, governance, or risk management within financial services.
- Demonstrated experience with global or regional oversight responsibilities.
- Proven track record in managing compliance governance frameworks and regulatory reporting.
- Strong understanding of global regulatory frameworks and governance principles.
- Excellent communication, analytical, and stakeholder management skills.
- Strategic mindset with attention to detail and disciplined execution.
- High integrity, sound judgment, and ability to influence senior leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

- Advanced degree or professional certifications such as ICA, CAMS, CRCM, or CCEP.
- Familiarity with governance technology platforms and data analytics tools.

This role offers the opportunity to lead critical compliance governance functions in a global banking environment, contributing significantly to the bank’s risk management and regulatory adherence efforts.