Senior Compliance Officer Onboarding, AML/KYC (temporary, 4-6 months)
As a Senior Compliance Officer in this role, you will act as the primary liaison for the Relationship Managers, addressing all inquiries related to due diligence and AML/KYC procedures throughout client prospecting, onboarding, and ongoing management. Your responsibilities encompass active involvement in the entire onboarding process, including proactive identification, assessment, and mitigation of potential compliance risks. Additionally, you will advise Relationship Managers, verify due diligence requirements, and conduct independent reviews. Your support extends to assessments and periodic reviews across the client lifecycle, including specialized due diligence for high-risk clients. Furthermore, you'll be instrumental in establishing clear communication channels within the Compliance Department and the first Line of Defense.
Your key responsibilities will include:
- Conducting KYC (Know Your Client) and CDD (Client Due Diligence) reviews for new account openings and periodic reviews, ensuring compliance with internal policies and external regulations such as CDB20, VQF Regulation, and AML rules across low to high-risk clients
- Ensuring accurate documentation of new and existing accounts, including special considerations like PEP status, sanctions compliance, and reputational risk management
- Serving as the point of contact for AML escalations related to transaction monitoring and negative media screening
- Reviewing and investigating complex cases involving potential compliance or reputational risks and devising and implementing mitigation strategies
- Supporting the submission of suspicious activity reports to the MROS in a timely and accurate manner
- Providing guidance to Relationship Managers on KYC and CDD matters
- Identifying and assessing reputational or AML risks associated with accounts, and proposing ways to mitigate them in line with the company's risk-based approach and relevant regulations
- Initiating escalation procedures for high-risk prospects or existing clients by evaluating KYC accuracy and completeness, summarizing identified risks, and proposing remediation measures where possible
- Conducting additional inquiries by collaborating with front units, performing adverse information and transaction monitoring checks, and reviewing corroborating evidence
- Engaging with stakeholders across the company on compliance-related issues
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in law, economics, finance, or a related field
- Minimum of 5 years of Compliance experience in a Swiss financial institution or audit/consulting firm
- Profound understanding of Swiss AML regulations and due diligence obligations (CDB20, AMLA, AMLO-FINMA, VQF-R)
- Thorough knowledge of various investment vehicle structures (e.g., personal holding company, partnership, trust/foundations, underlying companies, funds, etc.)
- Experience in client onboarding, transaction monitoring, and sanctions screening
- Previous exposure to using the go-AML tool for submitting suspicious activity reports to the MROS is advantageous
- Strong organizational skills with a proven ability to meet deadline.
- Interest in blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and familiarity with the FinTech industry is a plus
- Fluent in English and German, with proficiency in additional languages highly desirable
- Excellent communication skills and ability to adapt to a fast-paced business environment
