Financial Crimes Compliance Manager

Who We Are

First Fed is a local community bank on an exciting growth trajectory with 17 locations including 12 full-service branches in Western Washington. First Fed was recognized by the Puget Sound Business Journal as a Best Workplace and a Top Corporate Philanthropist. By popular vote, First Fed received awards for Best Bank in The Best of the Northwest, Best Banker in Readers’ Choice by Cascadia Daily News, and Peninsula Daily News named us Best Bank on the Olympic Peninsula. We also received a Best-In-State bank award from Forbes.

For over 100 years First Fed has served our customers and communities throughout the PNW. We’ve donated over $9 million to non-profit organizations in the past 8 years through our foundations, sponsorships, direct donations, and matched employee donations. Our amazing team has volunteered over 25,000 hours in the past 5 years – many by using our benefit of 3 paid volunteer days per year!

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds – our diversity makes us stronger. Join our award-winning team!

Our Values

Optimism: We are positive and decisive. We believe the future will be better than the past. Our attitude demonstrates persistence which leads to success.

Initiative: We are self-starters and find innovative solutions. We are courageous, entrepreneurial, and passionate. We take action for good.

Respect: We include individuals from diverse backgrounds and with different perspectives. We are committed to honoring and serving others.

Growth: We learn and adapt so we can continually improve. We believe in personal growth through grit and determination.

Ownership: We are invested in our endeavors. We are accountable and take responsibility for our actions and decisions.

Position Purpose

The Financial Crimes Compliance (Investigation and Operations) Manager supports First Fed’s Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT)/ Anti-Money Laundering (AML), the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), USA PATRIOT Act, the Bank Protection Act, and the Bank’s fraud compliance programs by managing day-to-day investigations and operations within the Risk and Compliance department. This role oversees the BSA & Fraud team responsible for reviewing alerts, conducting investigations, preparing case documentation, assisting with and preparing Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) filings, and Quality Assurance (QA). While the position provides leadership and subject-matter expertise, overall program governance, regulatory interpretation, and strategic decision-making remain the responsibilities of the BSA Officer.

Essential Functions

Investigations & Case Oversight

• Manage and perform investigations related to potential money laundering, fraud, terrorist financing, elder financial exploitation, sanctions concerns, and other suspicious activity.
• Review complex or escalated cases, ensuring thorough analysis of customer activity, transaction patterns, and supporting documentation.
• Oversee SAR drafting, data accuracy, and quality before final review by the BSA Officer.
• Maintain well-documented case files that meet internal expectations and regulatory standards.

Team Supervision & Workload Coordination

• Supervise the team of BSA & Fraud Specialists; assign work, balance caseloads, and ensure timely completion of reviews.
• Provide coaching and training to strengthen investigative techniques, documentation quality, and regulatory comprehension.
• Support the BSA Officer by providing team updates, risk summaries, and operational insights.

Operational Compliance Support

• Conduct ongoing reviews of AML system detection parameters to validate model effectiveness in identifying high-risk customers and capturing potential money laundering and fraud activity; recommend adjustments to enhance accuracy and regulatory compliance.
• Ensure investigative processes comply with BSA, AML, OFAC, and related regulatory requirements.
• Identify emerging trends or red flags and communicate them to the BSA Officer for potential policy or system enhancements.
• Assist in maintaining procedures for alert investigations, case documentation, and SAR workflows.
• Participate in internal and external audits, exams, and independent testing by gathering documentation and responding to requests for information.
• Oversee the work completed by BSA Specialists, including alert to case recommendations, SAR recommendations, and alert triage.
• Developing and executing a Quality Assurance (QA) program, including a scorecard.
• Support processes related to the gathering and maintenance of data throughout the customer lifecycle, including Know Your Customer (KYC), Customer Due Diligence (CDD) and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) processes, including remediation of any data gaps.
• Support the BSA/AML, Sanctions, and Fraud risk assessments.
• Support the development of key metrics to measure the performance of the financial crimes compliance program.

Cross-Department Collaboration

• Provide guidance to front-line staff and business units on investigative requirements, red flags, and escalation procedures.
• Work with fraud, operations, and branch teams to resolve alerts or gather information relevant to investigations.
• Support communication with law enforcement and other financial institutions (e.g., 314(b) requests) upon request and under the direction of the BSA Officer.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Criminal Justice, Business, or related field—or equivalent banking experience.
• 4–7 years of experience in BSA/AML investigations or financial crimes compliance.
• Solid understanding of BSA/AML, OFAC, and related regulatory frameworks.
• Strong analytical, investigative, and written communication skills.
• Experience supervising or mentoring analysts, even in an informal leadership capacity.
• Familiarity with common community-bank AML systems (e.g., Verafin, Fiserv, Abrigo, or similar).

Preferred

• CAMS, CFE, CFCS, or similar certification.
• Prior experience in a community bank or regional bank environment.
• Experience preparing SARs or supporting exam and audit processes.

Physical Requirements:

The work requires the ability to operate office machines and equipment, such as personal computers, printers, copying machines and telephones. The work requires the ability to communicate clearly with customers, coworkers, and others in person, in writing and on telephones. Work activities involve combinations of sitting/standing for extended periods.

Pay Range

• The pay range for this position is $72,026.24 - $122,444.61
• The typical hiring range for this position is $72,026.24 – $82,650.11
• The incentive plan for this position is the Officer Incentive plan. It is paid out annually with a 10 % target payout.
• Employees will be eligible for our benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, paid time off, retirement plans (401k with company match and Employee Stock Ownership Plan), gym membership reimbursement, discounts on our banking products, and more! Additional information on our benefits package can be viewed at https://www.ourfirstfed.com/careers

As a community Bank, we know the power in bringing people together from all walks of life. Our communities are beautiful and strong because of their diversity, and it’s important to us that all of our locations reflect the unique diversity of the places we live and work. We are passionate about hiring the very best talent and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran

First Fed invites all qualified interested applicants to apply for our career opportunities. If you are a person with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation to use our online job search or application tools, please email Human Resources via sierra.stack@ourfirstfed.com or call 360-417-3182. Note: This contact information is reserved solely for job seekers requesting accessibility assistance or accommodation in the application process. Messages left for other purposes may not receive a response.

We are required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.