• Vice President, Sanctions Officer

    Raymond James Financial, Inc. (St. Petersburg, FL)


    As the Vice President, Sanctions Officer, you will be the strategic and operational lead for the firm’s global sanctions compliance program. Reporting to the Chief AML Officer, you’ll be responsible for ensuring adherence to OFAC and international sanctions regulations and driving proactive risk-based initiatives to protect the firm from legal, regulatory, and reputational risk. This role sits at the intersection of regulatory leadership, program governance, and cross-functional collaboration.

    Key Responsibilities

    + Lead the end-to-end design, execution, and oversight of the firm’s sanctions compliance program

    + Establishes operational objectives and work plans.

    + Develops, maintains and monitors implementation of company policies that affect related operations.

    + Identifies key business risks and related processes to assess the effectiveness of controls and identifies deficiencies and enhancement opportunities.

    + Ensure firm-wide compliance with U.S. OFAC regulations and global sanctions regimes (EU, UN, UK, etc.)

    + Manage Maintains oversight of the effectiveness of the sanctions screening systems, including testing, tuning, and validation of watchlist filters

    + Serve as primary subject matter expert and escalation point for sanctions-related matters

    + Monitor regulatory developments and translate evolving requirements into internal controls and procedures

    + Collaborate with AML, Legal, Risk, and Business teams to embed sanctions awareness into enterprise operations

    + Lead investigations of potential sanctions breaches and oversee regulatory filings (e.g. OFAC voluntary self-disclosures)

    + Represent the firm in examinations and inquiries from regulators and banking partners

    + Deliver training and communications on sanctions risks, trends, and emerging threats

    + Manage internal audits and assist with periodic risk assessments and program reviews

    Knowledge:

    + Comprehensive understanding of U.S. and international sanctions regulations (e.g., OFAC, EU, UN, UK sanctions)

    + Familiarity with financial products and services across banking, securities, and payment industries

    + Strong knowledge of screening technologies, vendor solutions, and data governance

    Skills:

    + Strategic thinker with strong analytical and investigative acumen

    + Excellent written and verbal communication skills

    + Strong leadership, change management, and stakeholder engagement capabilities

    + Skilled in interpreting regulations and translating them in policy and process

    abilities:

    + Ability to make risk-based decisions in high-pressure situations

    + Capable of managing complex, cross-border compliance issues

    + Able to influence and lead across functions and geographies

    + Strong project management and process optimization capabilities