Sanctions Screening Lead - VP

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OVERVIEW OF THE DEPARTMENT/SECTION

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG) is one of the world’s leading financial groups. Headquartered in Tokyo and with over 360 years of history, MUFG has a global network with around 3,000 offices in more than 50 markets. The Group has over 180,000 employees, and offers services including commercial banking, trust banking, securities, credit cards, consumer finance, asset management, and leasing.

MUFG aims to be the world’s most trusted financial group through close collaboration among its operating companies, and to respond to all of the financial needs of its clients, serving society, and fostering shared and sustainable growth for a better world.

MUFG’s shares trade on the Tokyo, Nagoya, and New York stock exchanges.

Please visit our website for more information - mufgemea.com.

The Financial Crimes Office for EMEA (FCOE) in London is part of the Global Financial Crimes Division (GFCD) headquartered in New York. FCOE works to ensure the organisation conducts its business in such a way that we protect our reputation, our business, and our clients within the regulatory and legal framework. It is responsible for the establishment and maintenance of effective systems and controls to protect clients’ assets and to mitigate the risk that MUFG might be used to further financial crime.

The Regional EMEA Sanctions Team is structured across three core pillars: (i) EMEA Sanctions Investigations, (ii) EMEA Sanctions Advisory, and (iii) EMEA Sanctions Programs. This role sits within the EMEA Sanctions Investigations pillar. The Sanctions investigation pillar is responsible for both a) Trade Finance Investigations and b) overseeing the sanctions screening and investigations processes which are operated by established teams. This role is responsible for the sanctions screening and investigations process the majority of which is outsourced. The role holder is responsible for overseeing the processes and providing subject matter expertise to ensure ongoing compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, internal policies, and the firm’s risk appetite.

Key responsibilities include monitoring and investigating customer activity and transactions to identify potential exposure to sanctioned parties, as well as overseeing Level 1 and Level 2 Sanctions Alert Review activities performed by outsourced operations teams. The role is accountable for ensuring effective risk management, appropriate decision‑making, and the overall effectiveness of sanctions screening and alert review processes. This includes day‑to‑day process oversight, governance and issue management, training and oversight of review teams, and the development, maintenance, and enhancement of sanctions alert review procedures and documentation. The role requires strong working knowledge of Japanese, U.S., and EMEA sanctions regimes, including UK regulatory requirements.

NUMBER OF DIRECT REPORTS

0 direct reports, overseeing processes operation regionally and by an outsourced team of 40+

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE ROLE 

This role supports the execution of MUFG Bank’s financial crime risk appetite, policies, and regulatory obligations by overseeing sanctions screening and investigation activities across transactions and customers for EMEA. Operating within the EMEA Sanctions Investigations Team, the role holder is responsible for working with the outsourced screening and investigations teams to ensure ODC Teams identify, assess, and manage potential sanctions exposure arising from the sanction’s transaction filtering and name screening alert review processes.

The role provides hands‑on subject matter expertise through their oversight of the Level 1 and Level 2 Sanctions Alert Review Teams, ensuring alerts generated by sanctions screening systems are reviewed accurately, consistently, and in line with applicable sanctions regulations. Its core mandate is to safeguard the bank against sanctions breaches by ensuring the alert adjudication processes and teams operates as intended to prevent potential sanctions risks. Ensuring risks are identified promptly, investigated thoroughly, escalated appropriately, and resolved in accordance with internal policies and regulatory expectations.

The role plays a key part in managing operational effectiveness, including operational and workflow oversight, KPI and KRI adherence, volume and SLA management, staff supervision, training, and the maintenance of robust alert review documentation. The role also contributes to system data integrity, watchlist and customer data updates, and the ongoing optimisation of sanctions screening and investigation processes, with a focus on reducing false positives and enhancing control effectiveness.

Through close collaboration with global and regional sanctions colleagues, relevant business lines and compliance stakeholders, the role ensures consistent application of sanctions requirements on behalf of the region and supports informed decision‑making on higher‑risk transactions and customer relationships. The role balances technical sanctions expertise with strong leadership and operational judgement, enabling effective risk management within a complex and evolving regulatory environment.

The role requires a high degree of autonomy and a strong understanding of sanctions regulations and associated risks. It also demands solid knowledge of sanctions, transactions, payments, and the broader banking and regulatory environment, including staying informed on developments and their potential impact on MUFG.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

In addition to the duties described above, you will contribute to the work of the GFCD department in any other ways reasonably expected, including participation in projects and working groups and assisting with other priorities in the department or group as a whole. 

Sanctions Screening Team Lead: Key Responsibilities

• Ensure end‑to‑end monitoring and the effective investigation of customer activity and transactions to identify, assess, and manage potential exposure to sanctioned parties in line with applicable sanctions regulations. (e.g. Japan, US, EU and UK)
• Oversee the Sanctions Alert Review operations and processes, including day‑to‑day management, training, and supervision of screening staff, and the development and maintenance of sanctions alert review procedures and documentation.
• Oversee sanctions risk assessments on proposed transactions, payments, and customer relationships, ensuring appropriate escalation, documentation, and resolution.
• Collaborate closely with global and regional sanctions colleagues to review higher‑risk or complex transactions and ensure consistent application of sanctions standards across jurisdictions.
• Co-ordinate with the alert adjudication team leads to ensure process perfection, management of; workflows, alert volumes, and resource capacity to ensure all service level agreements are met while maintaining appropriate quality, consistency, and risk controls.
• Ensure sanctions screening systems and processes operate as intended and escalate any concerns to TEC teams for immediate resolution.
• Ensure compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act, JMOF, OFAC, EU, UK and EMEA local sanctions, Anti‑Boycott requirements, and other applicable global sanctions regulations, policies, and supervisory expectations.
• Resolve alerts and cases, coordinating with other departments and control functions as required, and ensuring appropriate escalation and communication of material sanctions risks.
• Identify and drive process improvement initiatives across investigations, decisioning, list management, and screening typologies to reduce false positives, address emerging risk patterns, and enhance operational effectiveness.
• Provide accurate management information and reporting on sanctions alert volumes, investigation outcomes, key risk indicators, and emerging trends to support governance and oversight.
• Ensure implementation and compliance with MUFG’s Global Policies, Standards, and Procedures governing the financial crime control framework across EMEA, with a focus on sanctions risk management and process efficiency.
• Align team practices with evolving regulatory requirements to ensure compliance.
• Collaborate with regional sanctions SMEs to manage sanctions risk effectively.
• Drive timely and effective resolution of all EMEA sanctions issues.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Functional / Technical Competencies:

Essential:

• Proven experience in and understanding of Sanctions
• Strong knowledge of and experience in banking
• A good understanding of Banking and Investment products
• Good understanding of financial crime risk in banking
• An excellent understanding of the concepts of risk management and control

Preferred:

• Experience in Payments
• Experience utilising commonly used tools for sanctions screening and reporting tools (e.g. Hotscan, Finscan, GCOP, etc.)

Specifics of role:

• Strong analytical skills and decision-making skills
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written & verbal
• Strong financial sanctions and payments knowledge in particular OFAC, EU and UK regulations
• The ability to operate with urgency and prioritise work accordingly
• Strong decision-making skills, the ability to demonstrate sound judgement
• Strong relationship building and management skills
• Stakeholder management in a matrixed environment

PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Solution oriented and results driven, with a strong sense of accountability
• Excellent communication skills
• Organised with a proactive, motivated approach.
• The ability to operate with urgency and to manage large workloads and tight deadlines
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy
• Strong decision-making skills, the ability to demonstrate sound judgement
• A structured and logical approach to work, encompassing creative and innovative thinking
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• A calm approach, with the ability to perform well in a pressurised environment

PERFORMANCE AND DUTIES

The role holder will be assessed in accordance with their employing entity’s performance framework and process with relevant input obtained from the dual hatting entity as relevant.

As duties and responsibilities change, the job description will be reviewed and emended in consultation with the role holder. The role holder will carry out other duties as are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the role as requested by their line manager or Department Head.

MANAGING CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

• The role holder will have responsibilities for both MUFG Bank and MUFG Securities EMEA plc.
• The role holder will be required to perform their duties and responsibilities on an entity neutral basis, without favour.
• The role holder is required to follow regulatory requirements applicable to ensure each business is appropriately supported and to maintain the legal entity integrity of each of MUFG Bank and MUS.
• Working terms are dictated by functional mandates, the terms of the Dual-Hat Arrangement Agreement in place between MUFG Bank and MUFG Securities EMEA plc and any other relevant agreements entered into between MUFG Bank and MUFG Securities EMEA plc.
• The role holder will have responsibility for identifying and resolving where there may be a difference or conflict in needs between MUFG Bank and MUFG Securities EMEA plc, escalating to their manager where required.

We are open to considering flexible working requests in line with organisational requirements.

MUFG is committed to embracing diversity and building an inclusive culture where all employees are valued, respected and their opinions count. We support the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion in recruitment and employment, and oppose all forms of discrimination on the grounds of age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and maternity, race, gender reassignment, religion or belief and marriage or civil partnership.

We make our recruitment decisions in a non-discriminatory manner in accordance with our commitment to identifying the right skills for the right role and our obligations under the law.