Digital Assets Sanctions Screening Program Lead (Vice President)

We are seeking an experienced Vice President to join the Global Financial Crimes (GFC) Sanctions Screening Controls team which focuses on digital assets and blockchain-enabled sanctions screening activity.

In the Legal & Compliance division we assist the Firm in achieving its business objectives by facilitating and overseeing the Firms management of legal regulatory and franchise risk. This is a Vice President level position within the The Global Financial Crimes (GFC) Sanctions Screening Controls team is responsible for the design implementation and ongoing governance of the Firms sanctions screening control framework across reference data and transaction activity.

Since 1935 Morgan Stanley is known as a global leader in financial services always evolving and innovating to better serve our clients and our communities in more than 40 countries around the world.

In Global Financial Crimes you will play a critical role in identifying potentially suspicious activity protecting vulnerable individuals and safeguarding the integrity of the financial system. GFC coordinates day-to-day implementation of the Firms financial crime prevention efforts. Including governance oversight and execution of the Firms Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Sanctions Anti-Corruption

and Government and Political Activities Compliance programs.

What youll do in the role:

• Serve as the Firms subject matter expert and strategic owner for sanctions screening controls related to cryptocurrency digital assets and blockchain activity establishing an end to end audit ready 2LoD operating model with clear governance decision rights and 1LoD/Technology handoffs.
• Design implement and oversee the enterprise-wide crypto sanctions screening framework across the client lifecycle including scope definition coverage residual risk acceptance and ongoing effectiveness monitoring.
• Lead the implementation and integration of on-chain screening and blockchain analytics solutions ensuring alignment with existing sanctions infrastructure case management workflows and operational SLAs.
• Translate regulatory expectations into actionable requirements controls typologies and risk-scoring models with ongoing tuning to improve alert quality manage false positives and address emerging crypto-related sanctions risks.
• Provide regulator- and audit-facing leadership for cryptocurrency sanctions matters including OCC Federal Reserve OFAC and international regulators delivering clear control narratives evidence packages and remediation plans.
• Establish and maintain 2LoD-owned procedures testing QA MI/KPIs and audit-ready documentation to demonstrate control design effectiveness and governance.
• Manage blockchain analytics vendors and third parties including due diligence performance management independent validation coverage benchmarking and alignment with Global Third Party Risk Management requirements.
• Partner with senior GFC leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to shape strategy support new product approvals monitor sanctions evasion trends ensure operational resilience and drive continuous control enhancement.

What youll bring to the role:

• Bachelors degree in Business Finance Computer Science or related field (advanced degree preferred) with 7-10 years of experience in sanctions compliance AML or financial crime prevention within a regulated financial institution.
• Deep expertise in cryptocurrency blockchain and digital asset ecosystems (e.g. Bitcoin Ethereum stablecoins DeFi Layer 2 networks) and their related sanctions risks.
• Strong knowledge of global sanctions regimes (OFAC EU UN UK) and their application to virtual assets VASPs and cross border environments.
• Hands-on experience with blockchain analytics platforms (e.g. Chainalysis Elliptic TRM Labs) sanctions screening technologies and case management systems (e.g. NICE Actimize or equivalent).
• Proven ability to design implement and govern technology enabled compliance controls including operating model design control testing/QA model risk considerations and regulatory alignment.
• Demonstrated people and matrix leadership with experience driving delivery across Compliance Technology Operations and external vendors.
• Strong strategic analytical and technical acumen with the ability to anticipate regulatory trends assess complex blockchain data and evaluate vendor capabilities.
• Excellent communication judgment and collaboration skills with the ability to translate technical concepts for regulators senior management and non technical stakeholders in fast paced ambiguous environments.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MORGAN STANLEY:

At Morgan Stanley we raise manage and allocate capital for our clients helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way thats differentiated and weve done that for 90 years. Our values - putting clients first doing the right thing leading with exceptional ideas committing to diversity and inclusion and giving back - arent just beliefs they guide the decisions we make every day to do whats best for our clients communities and more than 80000 employees in 1200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley youll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. Theres also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work.

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Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a workforce that is diverse in experience and background. Our recruiting efforts reflect our strong commitment to a culture of inclusion where individuals are hired developed and advanced based on their skills and talents.

Our workforce reflects a broad cross-section of the global communities in which we operate bringing a variety of backgrounds talents perspectives and experiences.

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