Financial Crimes Compliance Associate

Vestwell is seeking a Financial Crimes Compliance Associate to be part of our growing Legal and Compliance Team In this role you will take ownership of day-to-day fraud detection and anti-money laundering operations across all three of our business lines to manage fraud risk and comply with regulatory requirements You will report to the Manager of Financial Crimes Compliance and will work cross-functionally and in close collaboration with our Client, Operations and Services Teams The role will have a significant impact by understanding, analyzing and controlling key risk for the company as we continue to scale As a Financial Crimes Compliance Associate, you will serve as a strategic, exempt individual contributor responsible for monitoring, analyzing, and mitigating financial crime risk This role requires independent judgment, strong analytical skills, and the ability to interpret and apply regulatory requirements to protect the company and its clients You will collaborate across teams to ensure accurate escalation, investigation, and resolution of suspicious activity while supporting compliance initiatives Fraud Detection & Analysis: Analyze daily high-risk fraud indicators and surveillance reports to identify suspicious activity, applying critical thinking and regulatory knowledge to assess potential risk Typology Development: Identifying emerging fraud patterns and trends, and communicate them for adaptations to reporting and training materials Regulatory Interpretation: Interpret applicable financial crimes and anti-money laundering regulations, applying them to business operations and client activity to ensure compliance and mitigate risk Escalation & Reporting: Review, research, and respond to escalated surveillance and screening alerts. Prepare detailed escalation memos to alert clients or internal stakeholders of potential suspicious activity Collaboration & Issue Resolution: Partner with Client, Operations, and Services Teams to track, research, and resolve inquiries, complaints, and escalations related to potential financial crimes Data Logging & Reporting: Maintain accurate records of suspicious activity investigations and prepare data for management and client reporting Process Improvement & Compliance Projects: Collaborate on improving procedures, workflows, and platform features to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of security reviews. Support Legal and Compliance team initiatives to scale financial crime mitigation strategies Independent Judgment: Exercise discretion and analytical judgment when reviewing alerts, escalating issues, and recommending procedural or operational improvements Benefits Competitive health coverage A dedicated Employee Wellbeing Committee Generous vacation, safe/sick time, and leave policies Strong focus on learning & development Hybrid work environment A great 401(k) plan! Strong critical-thinking skills, with the ability to analyze information, identify patterns, and make sound, evidence-based decisionsAbility to manage time effectively, set priorities, and meet deadlinesExcellent verbal and written communication skillsExperience with research tools like LexisNexisComfort working in a fast-paced start-up environment with a substantial degree of autonomyA Bachelor’s degree in business, finance and/or criminal justiceExperience performing fraud detection or anti-money laundering functionsExceptional analytical and detail-oriented aptitude; a high degree of accuracy is requiredProficiency with productivity tools, especially JIRAExperience working at a financial institution or fintech or high growth startupExperience drafting SARs or responding to FinCEN 314(a) requestsFamiliarity with identity-verification platforms such as Plaid or Persona