Sanctions Investigations Officer

About the role

The Sanctions Investigations Officer is responsible for adjudicating name‑screening alerts and conducting true‑match investigations across the bank. The role owns freeze and blocking decisions and fulfills the sanctions reporting obligations to UAE authorities. Reporting directly to the MLRO within the AML/CFT function, the officer ensures compliance with local and international sanctions regimes.

Key responsibilities

• Adjudicate name‑screening alerts generated during customer onboarding, ongoing monitoring and payment processing.
• Investigate potential true matches, document evidence and make disposition decisions.
• Execute freeze and blocking actions on confirmed matches within regulatory timeframes.
• Prepare and submit sanctions reporting, including funds‑freeze reports under Cabinet Decision 74/2020.
• Maintain sanctions lists, screening configurations and whitelisting controls in collaboration with technology teams.
• Handle escalations, tune false‑positive rates and ensure quality assurance of screening decisions.
• Escalate suspected sanctions‑evasion activity for SAR filing and STR consideration.
• Deploy AI‑enabled screening optimisation and machine‑learning models to reduce false positives and prioritise high‑risk alerts.

Required profile

• Minimum 6 years of experience in sanctions or financial‑crime investigations within banking or financial services, including team leadership.
• Deep knowledge of CBUAE and UAE targeted financial sanctions, Cabinet Decision 74/2020, UN/OFAC/EU sanctions regimes and FATF standards.
• Professional AML certification such as CGSS or CAMS preferred.
• Must meet CBUAE Fit & Proper requirements and any controlled‑function eligibility criteria.

Required skills

• Name‑matching and true‑match investigation techniques.
• Sanctions screening across onboarding, ongoing and payment flows.
• Understanding of UN, OFAC and EU sanctions regimes.
• FATF standards compliance.
• AI‑enabled screening optimisation and advanced analytics.
• Alert triage and false‑positive tuning.
• Freeze and blocking procedures under Cabinet Decision 74/2020.
• Knowledge of CBUAE and UAE targeted financial sanctions.