Sanctions and Due Diligence Officer

Job Description

ZB Financial Holdings, is looking for a Sanctions and Due Diligence Officer to join our Compliance team. The successful candidate for this position will get an opportunity to work in a dynamic and exciting workspace which offers boundless opportunities for growth and contribute to the bank’s monitoring and reporting framework.

WHAT THE ROLE ENTAILS
The Sanctions and Due Diligence Officer is responsible for ensuring that the Bank adheres to international and local sanctions regulations, Customer Due Diligence (CDD), and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) requirements. The role will also be responsible for ensuring that outward and inward cross-border transactions are compliant with local and international sanctions requirements.

Duties and Responsibilities

WHAT YOU WILL DO
• Conduct detailed sanctions screening of customers, transactions, and counterparties against various regulatory lists and databases and maintain and update sanctions registers in line with latest developments.
• Perform enhanced due diligence (EDD) on high-risk clients, including risk assessments and transaction monitoring.
• Collaborate with business units to ensure effective risk management practices and compliance with internal policies and procedures.
• Assist in the preparation of comprehensive Enhance Due Diligence reports escalating as necessary to the
AML Compliance Officer.
• Stay up to date with changes in sanctions regulations, guidelines, and industry best practices, and assist in providing training to relevant staff on compliance updates.
• Screen outward and inward cross-border wire transfers for sanctions breaches or violations.
• Investigate and escalate potential sanctions matches for further review.
• Assist in implementing sanctions risk assessments and updating policies accordingly.
• Maintain detailed due diligence records for regulatory audits and compliance reviews.
• Assist in the development, implementation, and maintenance of sanctions and due diligence policies.
• Assist in conducting gap analysis to identify weaknesses in the Bank’s sanctions compliance programme and assist conduct training to enhance awareness of compliance risks.
• Conduct thorough reviews and investigations of both outgoing and incoming cross-border wire transfers that have been escalated due to potential matches against government sanction lists, including those of the OFAC, United Nations, European Union, and other relevant authorities.
• Conduct research to render appropriate advice on the various sanctions programs

Qualifications and Experience

PREFERED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Law, Business Administration, Risk Management, or a related field.
• Certifications such as Certified Anti-Money
Laundering Specialist (CAMS) or Certified Global Sanctions Specialist (CGSS) are an added advantage.
• At least 3 years of experience in a Compliance department of a financial institution.

COMPETENCES
• Strong knowledge of international and local sanctions regulations.
• Experience with due diligence and sanctions screening tools, transaction monitoring systems, and risk assessment frameworks.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Attention to detail in sanctions screening and due diligence checks.
• Strong communication and report-writing skills for internal and regulatory reporting.
• Ethical and confidential approach to handling sensitive customer information.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet regulatory deadlines
• Proven capability to work efficiently and autonomously, maintaining a sharp focus on detail while handling highly confidential and sensitive client information.