Vice President - Financial Crimes Risk Intelligence & Assessment Office

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm that conducts its business through three principal business segments—Institutional Securities, Wealth Management (WM), and Asset Management. Morgan Stanley provides comprehensive financial advice and services to its clients including brokerage, investment advisory, financial and wealth planning, credit and lending, deposits and cash management, annuities, insurance, retirement, and trust services.

As a market leader, the talent and passion of our people is critical to our success. Together, we share a common set of values rooted in doing the right thing, putting clients first, leading with exceptional ideas and a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Morgan Stanley can provide a superior foundation for building a professional career – a place for people to learn, achieve, and grow.

Department Profile: 

The Financial Crimes Policy Engagement and Risk Intelligence & Assessment Office supports the firm’s ability to make risk-based financial crimes decisions and execute Financial Crimes Policies consistently by delivering risk intelligence, policy engagement and guidance, and strategic solutions that strengthen controls and reduce operational inefficiencies across Wealth Management, E*TRADE, U.S. Banks, and Investment Management business lines.

A core component of the function is program-wide financial crimes risk identification & assessment team that leverage tools, analytics, and risk intelligence to evaluate large-scale datasets (e.g., customer populations, due diligence attributes, screening, transactions, product/channel exposure, and geographic risk), identify emerging trends and typologies, and translate insights into actionable control enhancements, risk mitigation, and governance reporting aligned to a risk-based approach

Responsibilities: 

The Financial Crimes Risk Intelligence & Assessment Officer VP is responsible for supporting and executing the Firm’s First Line Financial Crimes program for WM and U.S. Banks. The role will be responsible for executing the strategic direction of the Financial Crimes programs and performing advisory, governance and other oversight responsibilities, with a primary emphasis on tool-enabled, portfolio/program-level risk assessment and the ability to convert data signals into defensible risk decisions and control actions consistent with a risk-based framework. This position will work closely with the business, the second- and third-line stakeholders, to ensure the business is compliant with all relevant Financial Crimes standards, policies, procedures and applicable laws and regulations.

The role partners with Business, Technology, Compliance, Legal, Operations, and Risk Management teams to translate financial crime risk drivers, typologies and regulatory expectations into actionable control requirements (e.g., due diligence standards, escalation thresholds, documentation requirements, customer risk rating logic, and monitoring triggers) and embed them into operational workflows, tooling, and governance.

The Financial Crimes risk officer VP will: 

Assess Financial Crimes risks from new and existing clients to recommend, agree, and communicate risk mitigation action plans, supported by clear documentation, investigative logic, and appropriate escalation narratives.

Execute program-wide financial crimes risk assessments (portfolio/thematic) across customer types, products/services, delivery channels, and geographies; synthesize results into prioritized insights and measurable mitigation actions and manage risk through thematic coverage (latent & emerging risk), heightened risk and high-risk portfolio reviews, and targeted deep dives to test hypotheses derived from trend/typology indicators and external risk intelligence.

 Utilize financial crimes tools and analytical outputs at scale (e.g., KYC/EDD tooling, case management, adverse media/negative news platforms, screening outputs, transaction monitoring alerts, customer risk rating models, and MI dashboards) to identify patterns, anomalies, control gaps, and shifts in exposure; convert analytics outputs into risk decisions, client-level action plans, control enhancements, and credible escalation narratives for senior management and/or governance and oversight forums.

Apply a financial crimes investigative background (e.g., investigations, intelligence-led reviews, complex EDD) to identify, articulate, and operationalize trends and typologies, using tools directly and/or partnering with analytics/data teams that perform large-scale analysis; incorporate external typology and red-flag intelligence (e.g., FinCEN advisories/alerts and other public risk intelligence) into monitoring hypotheses, thematic reviews, training content, and escalation criteria.

 Demonstrate knowledge of U.S. AML/CFT and BSA/AML supervisory expectations, including application of a risk-based approach to KYC, customer risk assessment, and financial crimes control design; enhance the Firm’s Financial Crimes program requirements and controls by developing guidance and strengthening first-line procedures designed to operate consistently at scale across high-volume populations, and ensure First Line compliance with all relevant Financial Crimes regulations, standards, and policies.

Design, engage with, and report metrics for First Line Financial Crimes activities, including portfolio risk indicators, trend reporting, typology-based insights, and control performance measures.

Conduct cross-border financial crime risk analysis by evaluating international legal and regulatory expectations affecting foreign and internationally connected clients, products, and transactions; assess how jurisdiction-specific risks and typologies (e.g., corruption exposure, sanctions touchpoints, transparency/beneficial ownership limitations, complex ownership structures, high-risk industries) influence U.S. AML/KYC requirements and control calibration.

Promote innovative, “multiple-lens” risk identification and “outside-the-box” thinking within a controlled risk framework—triangulating typology intelligence, tool outputs, portfolio analytics, process walkthroughs, control testing observations, and frontline feedback, challenging assumptions and testing alternative hypotheses to detect financial crimes risk earlier and more consistently across the portfolio.

Apply an investigative mindset to convert analytics outputs into risk decisions, client-level action plans, control enhancements, and promote innovative and “multiple-lens” risk identification—triangulating typology intelligence, tool outputs, portfolio analytics, process walkthroughs, control testing observations, and frontline feedback to identify non-obvious vulnerabilities and emerging threats.

In addition, other Key responsibilities include:

Collaborate closely with critical internal stakeholders (Senior Business Leaders, Second Line, Technology, and Internal Audit) and with cross-functional partners (Compliance, Legal, Operations, and data/analytics teams) to align interpretation, drive requirements, and deliver scalable control enhancements across business lines.

Assist in decision-making over transactions and activities that may pose Financial Crimes risk to the First Line, including defining escalation pathways, documenting risk acceptance rationale, and identifying compensating controls.

Map international risk considerations to U.S. AML/KYC requirements, including designing risk mitigants and compensating controls where foreign documentation practices, registries, or legal constraints create gaps relative to U.S. expectations (e.g., enhanced verification steps, additional documentary requirements, tailored escalation/approval pathways).

Demonstrate knowledge of beneficial ownership requirements and ownership/control structure analysis, including processes reasonably designed to obtain, document, and maintain beneficial ownership information for legal entity customers consistent with U.S. requirements and evolving regulatory direction.

Support responsible adoption of approved AI-enabled capabilities for financial crimes risk identification and decision support by helping define use cases, requirements, controls, validation considerations, and documentation standards consistent with model risk management expectations.

Drive “outside-the-box” thinking within a controlled risk framework—challenging assumptions, testing alternative hypotheses, and using multiple approaches (data-driven and investigative) to detect financial crimes risk earlier and more consistently across the portfolio.

Required Experience and Qualifications:

7+ years of relevant experience with BSA/AML regulations within the financial services industry and/or at a financial services regulator (e.g., FINRA, SEC, OCC, Federal Reserve Bank, etc.).

Required: Financial crimes investigative background (e.g., investigations, intelligence-led reviews, complex EDD, suspicious activity typology development) with demonstrated ability to identify and communicate trends/typologies using financial crimes tools and/or by partnering with analytics/data teams conducting large-scale assessments.

Experience performing Financial Crimes risk assessments for client relationships and thematic reviews, including portfolio/program-wide approaches aligned to a risk-based framework.

Experience implementing and executing Financial Crimes Program requirements, translating regulatory expectations and typology insights into operationally executable first-line controls, procedures, and governance routines.

Knowledge of Financial Crimes laws/regulations and best-practice First Line procedures, including risk-based customer due diligence consistent with supervisory expectations.

Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, or related field.

Master’s degree in business, finance, law, or related field (plus).

ACAMS (CAMS) or equivalent AML certification/license.

Desired: experience working with model/tool risk, governance, or validation partners for AML/BSA-supporting systems, including documentation and control expectations for tool-enabled decisioning.

Ability to:

Operate effectively in a high-paced, high-profile environment.

Analyze, synthesize, and communicate clearly (verbal and written), including explaining typologies, data signals, and investigative rationale to non-technical stakeholders.

Translate complex concepts into actionable outcomes (e.g., turning tool outputs/portfolio analytics into control enhancements, escalation thresholds, and operating guidance).

Identify issues, investigate root causes, and deliver comprehensive solutions that improve scalability, reduce operational friction, and strengthen risk coverage.

Demonstrate leadership, manage teams, and influence without direct authority.

Maintain strong work ethic, integrity, and professionalism, handle highly confidential information with discretion.

Think innovatively within a risk-based framework—formulate hypotheses, test typology signals, and use multiple methods (investigations, analytics, and process/control analysis) to identify financial crimes risk in more than one way.

Additional Skills:

Strong time management and planning skills.

High proficiency in MS Office (Excel/PowerPoint/Word/Access).

Comfort working with large datasets and analytical outputs (dashboards/MI, segmentation, trending) and translating analytics into clear risk actions; able to partner effectively with data/analytics teams to turn insights into action.

Exposure to AI applications/concepts for financial crimes is desirable, including understanding limitations/risks (data quality, bias, explainability) and the need for governance, validation, and controls for AI/model-supported risk identification and decision support.

Innovative thinking and continuous improvement mindset—identify opportunities to enhance tool usage, streamline investigative decisioning, and strengthen risk detection coverage using traditional and emerging analytical methods.

Familiarity with external typology and red-flag publications (e.g., public advisories/alerts) and the ability to operationalize them into monitoring hypotheses, training, and risk assessments.

Comfort working with large datasets and analytical outputs (e.g., dashboards/MI, segmentation, trending) and partnering effectively with data/analytics teams to turn insights into action. 

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MORGAN STANLEY:

At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients – helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that’s differentiated – and we’ve done that for 90 years. Our values - putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back - aren’t just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what's best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you’ll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. There’s also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work.

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New York: Expected base pay rates for the role will be between $115,000 and $205,000 per year at the commencement of employment. However, base pay if hired will be determined on an individualized basis and is only part of the total compensation package, which, depending on the position, may also include commission earnings, incentive compensation, discretionary bonuses, other short and long-term incentive packages, and other Morgan Stanley sponsored benefit programs.

Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a workforce that is diverse in experience and background. Our recruiting efforts reflect our strong commitment to a culture of inclusion, where individuals are hired, developed, and advanced based on their skills and talents.

Our workforce reflects a broad cross-section of the global communities in which we operate, bringing a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives, and experiences.

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