Team Lead, AML Operations
Wealthsimple
In this role, you will:
- Lead and develop a team of AML analysts, supporting their growth through coaching, regular 1:1s, feedback, and career conversations.
- Set expectations and prioritization: communicate team and company goals, help analysts manage their workload, and adapt to shifting priorities.
- Review and approve high-priority or complex investigations, ensuring adherence to internal AML policies and regulatory standards.
- Champion operational excellence by monitoring team metrics (case turnaround, QA scores), analyzing trends, and acting on process or workflow gaps.
- Utilize and help train the team on blockchain analytics tools, and support analysts in escalation and technical troubleshooting.
- Act as a subject matter expert in financial crime (traditional fiat and/or cryptocurrency), staying up-to-date on typologies, regulatory changes, and emerging risks.
- Drive improvement and innovation by proposing and piloting enhancements to alerts, casework, and overall risk strategy for fiat and crypto activity.
- Ensure clear communication with stakeholders: giving proactive updates, escalating issues, and following through to resolution.
- Foster a learning culture by leading regular knowledge-sharing or calibration sessions, supporting ongoing training, and spotlighting growth opportunities.
What does the ideal candidate look like?
- A hands-on leader and coach: strong at guiding others, giving feedback, and helping people stretch into new skills.
- Passionate about AML: in-depth understanding of fiat and/or digital asset transaction monitoring, typologies, and regulatory best practices.
- Accountable for results: data-driven, able to track and explain team performance, and agile in addressing emerging bottlenecks.
- Comfortable with ambiguity and change: pro-actively finds improvement opportunities and leads the team through new workflows, system rollouts, or policy changes.
- A great communicator: skilled at translating complex findings into plain language, and keeping both analysts and management informed.
- Resilient and resourceful: sees challenges as chances to grow, and acts as a calm anchor in fast-evolving or high-pressure situations.
Qualifications:
- 4+ years of experience in AML/CTF, with 2+ years of hands-on crypto AML experience (e.g., at a crypto exchange, blockchain analytics provider, or fintech offering digital assets).
- 1-2+ years in a team leadership role, coaching or managing direct reports in an operational environment.
- Subject-matter expertise in AML controls, typologies, and compliance frameworks (FATF, FINTRAC, etc.).
- Direct experience conducting investigations and preparing, filing, and reviewing Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs), Large Virtual Currency Transaction Reports (LVCTR), Electronic Funds Transfer Reports (EFTR), and other regulatory reports.
- Strong operational rigor: proven track record of meeting SLAs, overseeing QA, and driving process improvements.
- Proficient with crypto on-chain analytics tools (e.g., Chainalysis, TRM Labs, Elliptic).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Nice to haves:
- Certifications in Chainalysis, TRM Labs, Elliptic, or financial crime designations (e.g., CAMS, CFE, CFCS).
- Experience at a regulated crypto exchange or blockchain analytics firm.
