The role:

The Anti-Money Laundering (AML) First Line of Defense Big Business Banking Senior Manager role is a control-owning role responsible for ensuring SoFi’s Big Business Banking team implements effective, risk-based AML and sanctions controls in line with regulatory expectations, internal risk appetite, and business strategy.

This role sits within the Member Business Unit and reports to the AML First Line of Defense Lead, serving as a senior AML risk partner to Product, Engineering, Operations, and Risk. The role is accountable for translating AML policy and regulatory requirements into scalable business processes and technology, owning key AML risk decisions, and ensuring the business is prepared for audits, independent testing, and regulatory examinations.

This position requires strong independent judgment, comfort making and defending risk-based tradeoffs, and the ability to embed compliance into product design and day-to-day operations while supporting responsible growth.

What you’ll do:

AML Program Ownership & Risk Management

• Own the First Line AML control framework for designated businesses, including onboarding, periodic reviews, and event-driven reviews of complex and high-risk customers.

• Define and own AML requirements for new products, services, and partnerships, ensuring controls are embedded into product design and technology from inception.

• Serve as the primary author and approver of AML relationship summaries and risk assessments used to gate onboarding and ongoing service decisions.

• Ensure customer and transaction monitoring frameworks (including on-chain monitoring, where applicable) align to documented risk profiles and expected activity.

Risk Appetite Enforcement & Decision-Making

• Apply SoFi’s AML risk appetite in practice, including identifying prohibited or restricted customer types and escalating exceptions when warranted

• Make and defend risk-based decisions on customer onboarding, expansion of services, enhanced monitoring, remediation, or exit.

• Proactively identify emerging risks and drive mitigation plans before they become audit, regulatory, or operational issues.

Regulatory, Audit & Exam Readiness

• Lead First Line responses to internal audits, independent testing, risk assessments, and regulatory examinations, including ownership of issue remediation.

• Ensure documentation, rationale, and control execution are consistent, defensible, and exam-ready.

• Partner closely with AML Compliance (Second Line) to obtain concurrence on high-risk relationships and material changes.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Influence

• Act as the AML subject matter expert and risk partner to Product, Engineering, Design, Operations, and Risk, ensuring AML controls scale with business growth.

• Translate regulatory expectations into clear technical and operational requirements for monitoring, data capture, and controls.

• Drive prioritization of AML initiatives and support leadership decision-making on tradeoffs between risk, customer experience, and business objectives.

• Build and scale a high-performing AML First Line team Big Business Banking team, defining roles and operating standards to support complex, high-risk businesses and regulatory expectations.

Strategy, Technology & Continuous Improvement

• Own key AML risk management technology relationships supporting First Line processes, including transaction and blockchain monitoring tools.

• Stay ahead of emerging AML, sanctions, and digital asset risk trends, advising leadership on strategic implications.

• Contribute to company-wide objectives by solving ambiguous, complex risk problems in creative and practical ways.

What you’ll need:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, or a related field.

• 8+ years of experience in AML, financial crime risk management, compliance, risk, strategy, or regulated financial services.

• Demonstrated experience owning and implementing AML controls within a regulated financial institution.

• Strong understanding of BSA/AML regulatory expectations, including OCC exam standards.

• Experience working with technical and product teams to implement risk and compliance requirements.

• Comfort making independent, defensible risk decisions in high-growth, evolving environments.

• Highly analytical, detail-oriented, and able to clearly articulate risk narratives to senior leadership and regulators.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to influence without direct authority.

Nice to have:

• MBA or advanced degree

• CAMS/CFE certification preferred (or willingness to become certified within one year of start date)