Finance role
BSA / AML (Bank Secrecy Act / Anti-Money Laundering) Officer Recruiters
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
Financial Headhunters: Determining operational boundaries for transaction monitoring and deciding if specific relationships pose unacceptable risk.
This is what we do all day: recruit accounting, finance, banking and insurance professionals.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- Controller
- CFO
- VP Finance
- FP&A Director
- Accounting Manager
- Director of Accounting
- Assistant Controller
- Tax Director
- Treasury Manager
- Internal Audit Director
- Senior Accountant
- Financial Analyst
- Head of Financial Reporting
- Commercial Lender
- Chief Credit Officer
- Business Systems Finance Lead
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Accounting, finance, banking and insurance
- We reach people who aren’t on job boards
- Replacement terms on standard searches
01
What does this hire really come down to?
This role functions as the final authority on financial crime risk tolerance within your specific institutional structure. While the Board sets policy, this person defines the operational boundaries for your BSA, AML, and OFAC programs. They decide whether a transaction pattern triggers a Suspicious Activity Report or if a customer relationship poses an unacceptable compliance risk to your charter.
The work involves translating complex FinCEN and regulatory expectations into daily task lists for staff. They must identify gaps in your monitoring software settings and calibrate the risk scoring for your specific customer base. If your institution handles high-risk niches like money service businesses or complex commercial accounts, this hire must determine the specific documentation requirements for those segments.
We ask candidates: How do you justify your threshold settings during a regulatory exam? Describe a time you blocked a transaction that your business development team wanted to push through. What specific internal controls do you implement to prevent manual override abuse in your wire transfer or cash handling systems?
When scoping this role, we must define the exact balance between daily transaction monitoring and long-term regulatory strategy. Ask candidates to walk you through their specific process for conducting a gap analysis when they first join a new firm. If they cannot produce a sample risk assessment or explain how they adjusted threshold settings in their last monitoring software, they lack practical experience. We need evidence that they have managed a full exam cycle from initial request list to final closure. Ask them to describe a specific instance where they identified a control weakness that the previous BSA Officer missed. If they suggest hiring external consultants to perform standard tasks like annual tuning or SAR writing, they are not the right fit for this hands-on operational role. Verify that they understand the specific documentation requirements for your unique customer base rather than relying on generic industry templates.
02
What do we check before you see anyone?
We conduct these six checks to confirm they meet operational standards:
Before you meet a candidate we discuss your specific audit history to categorize your current program maturity. We ask them to describe the exact documentation process they used to resolve their last MRA. We focus on the trade-off between strict risk aversion that slows loan growth and a lean approach that invites exam findings. We verify if they authored their own risk assessment or relied on a template provider. We test their ability to identify specific high-risk transaction patterns unique to your customer segments rather than reciting general regulatory rules. We demand they explain the technical limitations of their previous monitoring software.
- 01Regulatory Exam HistoryWe review their track record in recent audits. We look for specific outcomes related to Consent Orders or MRAs in their previous oversight roles.
- 02Technical Software MappingWe confirm their experience with specific AML monitoring systems. They must explain how they tuned the alert thresholds to reduce false positives while capturing true risk.
- 03Regulatory Knowledge DepthWe probe their knowledge of the Bank Secrecy Act and USA PATRIOT Act. They must identify recent updates to reporting requirements without hesitation.
- 04Risk Assessment MethodologyWe verify their experience building enterprise-wide risk assessments. They need to show how they mapped business units to inherent risk profiles.
- 05Investigation CapabilityWe test their process for managing SAR filings. They must be able to describe their documentation standard for investigations that do not result in a filing.
- 06Compliance LeadershipWe verify they report directly to the Board or Audit Committee to separate their oversight from business unit influence.
03
Where do we find them?
We source candidates from retail banks, credit unions, and independent trust companies. We specifically target individuals currently working in compliance departments at institutions of similar asset size. Candidates who move often leave due to limited career progression at their current firm or because they have completed a remediation cycle and desire a fresh environment. We also look for professionals in internal audit who want to transition into active program management.
04
Which hiring mistakes should you watch for?
- 01Hiring a candidate who only knows how to execute tasks but cannot manage the policy framework or exam preparation cycle.
- 02Prioritizing general management experience over specific knowledge of FinCEN requirements for your specific customer asset classes.
- 03Failing to confirm whether the candidate has the technical competency to manage the software parameters or if they rely entirely on outside consultants.
05
The search in three steps
- 01We define the risk profile of your specific portfolio and identify the necessary depth of AML expertise required.
- 02We screen candidate lists against your specific regulatory history and software environment to filter for immediate capability.
- 03We hold interviews focused on their history of defending a compliance program during direct regulatory inquiries.
How your BSA / AML Officer search runs
How does The Six-Step Search work?
One sequence, from a well-defined seat to a shortlist you can judge.
Search Calibration
We start with a call about the seat, the books, the owners and the people the hire will work with. We learn what the role must fix in the first year and what would make a candidate wrong even if the resume looks right.
You get: A written search brief: scope, must-haves, deal-breakers and the pay range, agreed with you.
Market Mapping
We map the companies and institutions where the right people already work: similar size, similar ownership, similar complexity, in your market and in others.
You get: The target list of companies and institutions we will search, reviewed with you before outreach.
Professional Contact Intelligence
We find direct ways to reach the people on the map. Most are employed and not reading job boards, so reaching them takes real research.
You get: Direct routes to people who are not on job boards, researched for your search.
Persistent Personalized Outreach
We call and write to people individually and follow up. Interest varies, so we discuss the actual opportunity rather than promising a particular response.
You get: One-to-one conversations about your actual role, followed up, never a mass email blast.
Live Candidate Qualification
We speak with every candidate before you do. We check scope, systems, reporting lines, compensation expectations, location and why they would move.
You get: Only candidates we have spoken with, checked on scope, systems, pay, location and motive.
Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You receive a short written brief on each finalist covering what they have done, where they are thin and what they want. Then we help with interviews, references and the offer.
You get: A short written brief on each finalist, plus help with interviews, references, counteroffer risk and the offer.
Questions people ask
Is money due while you identify an officer to define my financial crime boundaries?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
How does the BSA/AML Officer role differ from internal audit?
The BSA/AML Officer implements and manages the daily control environment, whereas internal audit evaluates the adequacy and effectiveness of those controls. This person holds operational decision rights regarding suspicious activity.
Can this role be handled on a fractional basis?
Interim or fractional executive needs for this function should be directed to our Interim Executives division. Permanent placements follow our standard contingency process.
How do you verify if a candidate is qualified for our specific asset size?
We filter candidates based on their prior experience within institutions that share similar regulatory oversight thresholds and complexity levels. We confirm their specific exposure to relevant exam cycles.
What is the fee for a BSA / AML Officer search?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The fee and terms are agreed in writing before we start.
How soon will I see a BSA / AML Officer shortlist?
It depends on the seat, the location and the pay. We give you an honest read after the calibration call and we do not promise dates we cannot control.
What about counteroffers on a BSA / AML Officer hire?
We ask every BSA / AML Officer candidate early why they would move and what their employer might do to keep them. Counteroffer risk goes in the written brief before you make an offer.
What is your guarantee?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What don't you do?
We do not post your BSA / AML Officer job and forward whoever applies. We do not send stacks of unscreened resumes, and we do not recruit outside accounting, finance, banking and insurance.
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Tell us about the seat.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
Not ready to start a search?
Get a practical read on the talent market or the job description. No fee or obligation.
What does the published pay data show?
$80,730 national annual median. SOC 13-1041: Compliance Officers.
Closest proxy, not a separately measured title. BLS does not publish BSA / AML Officer wages separately. Its occupational data describe a broader set of duties and cannot isolate this role or its incentive arrangements.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Released 2026-05-15. This is not a separately measured salary for this exact title.
Read the full salary guide