High Risk Assessment Specialist

Overview Wise is a global technology company, building the best way to move and manage the world’s money. More about our mission and what we offer. Role & Job Purpose As a Risk Assessment Specialist, you will play a critical role in ensuring Wise’s adherence to regulatory and compliance standards. You will be responsible for mitigating risks associated with high risk customers, while maintaining compliance with AML/CTF regulations, and internal policies according to Wise’s risk appetite. This role has an advanced understanding of inherent risks tied with complex business structures, various customer types and activities, country-specific risks and their appropriate mitigating strategies. This position is a great opportunity for individuals interested in deepening their expertise in the KYC/AML domain. Job Responsibilities Act as an end point for all escalations from other compliance operations teams, assessing customers’ risks and applying risk based approach methodologies; Mentor and consult other compliance operations teams and act as a subject matter expert in complex cases; Perform risk assessment and enhanced due diligence on complex and high risk customers, document and provide thorough analysis on potential risks and apply appropriate mitigation measures by analyzing their business activities, compliance programs and controls; Review and analyze documentation, such as AML, Sanctions, EDD, KYC, and Acceptable Use policies (customers under review), comparing them against Wise’s policies and internal risk-based approach; Assess the customer’s potential reputational and financial crime risk to Wise from Sanctions, PEP, and adverse media perspective; Develop new and better risk mitigation methods and improve our compliance framework and controls while collaborating with Product and FinCrime; Escalate and report compliance concerns to Financial Crime Oversight and other compliance teams where necessary; Communicate with internal and external partners/stakeholders to facilitate scalable, compliant business onboarding growth; Work closely with other functions to onboard high risk companies, update on review statuses, communicate compliance concerns, and answer queries from relevant stakeholders; Collaborate with product teams, operational leads, and compliance teams to manage operational impact of changes, increase operational efficiencies, and improve the customer experience; Be accountable for the quality assurance of the Risk Assessment team, making decisions within the policy framework and evolving processes with compliance; Distill concerns or issues from operational incidents and report findings to senior management with recommended actions to address deficiencies; Support team leads on ad-hoc project work and participate in enhancing the compliance knowledge of colleagues; Assist the team at regional level with deep dives and audits as required. Qualifications Excellent verbal and written English skills (additional language skills are a plus) with the ability to clearly articulate your thoughts; A minimum of 3+ years of relevant industry experience, ideally in financial services, compliance roles or at a financial services regulator; Ability to work autonomously within a limited variety of well-defined procedures and practices; Ability to take difficult decisions, work with uncertainty, deal with unknowns, and coordinate various sources of information; Ability to apply risk-based approach in work and identify gaps in policies and processes, liaising with teams to resolve issues; Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, strong organizational skills, attention to detail, analytical abilities, and ability to meet strict deadlines in a fast-paced environment; Proactive, resourceful, and able to work in a diverse, collaborative environment; Understanding of regional and global regulatory requirements and risk-based approaches; Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities and stakeholder management; Comfortable working in a rapidly changing and complex work environment. Nice To Have Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, Law, or related field Certifications: ICA, CAMS, or equivalent (EDD/AML focused) Additional Information For everyone, everywhere. We’re people building money without borders — without judgement or prejudice. We believe teams are strongest when diverse, equitable and inclusive. We’re proud to have an international team, and we celebrate our differences. Inclusive teams help us live our values and ensure every Wise person feels respected and empowered. If you want to learn more about working at Wise, visit Wise.Jobs. Keep up to date with life at Wise on LinkedIn and Instagram. #J-18808-Ljbffr