BSA Specialist

General Description
The BSA Specialist assists and supports the Bank's BSA Officer and Assistant BSA Officer with BSA/AML-compliance related functions and responsibilities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
1. Serve as a day-to-day operator and subject-matter resource for the Bank’s BSA/AML and fraud monitoring platform (Verafin), including system configuration, alert management, and case workflow.
2. Monitor, review, and disposition BSA/AML alerts, applying risk-based analysis to determine appropriate escalation, investigation, or closure.
3. Investigate suspicious activity identified through system alerts and internal referrals, preparing thorough case documentation to support SAR filing decisions.
4. Assist the BSA Officer with the preparation and filing of SARs and CTRs through FinCEN’s BSA E-Filing system, and review and reconcile CTR information, large cash transactions, cash-related general ledger transactions, and the monetary instrument log.
5. Tune detection rules and thresholds in coordination with the BSA Officer to reduce false positives and align monitoring with the Bank’s risk profile, identifying process automation opportunities where appropriate.
6. Assist with Customer Due Diligence (CDD) and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD), including customer risk-rating and ongoing monitoring of high-risk relationships.
7. Maintain BSA records, spreadsheets, and document tracking systems, including new customer/account entry, document indexing, and core-system field review.
8. Generate and analyze monitoring reports and dashboards to support BSA Committee, Board, regulatory examination, and audit reporting.
9. Respond to internal BSA inquiries, support examination preparation, assist with BSA/AML training and periodic risk-assessment updates, and perform other duties as assigned by the BSA Officer or Chief Risk & Strategy Officer.
 

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Broad knowledge of such fields as accounting, marketing, business administration, finance, etc. Equivalent to a four-year college degree.

EXPERIENCE GENERAL
Minimum of 3 years related experience and/or training.

Additional Information
Must provide excellent customer service consistent with Service with HEART standards to all customers - internal and external. Must have strong organization skills, as well as the ability to pay close attention to detail. Must be able to multitask and prioritize. Must maintain confidentiality of customer and bank information at all times. Will have the opportunity to represent the bank at community events and in civic organizations. Must ensure compliance with all internal controls, established bank policies and procedures, and U.S. laws and regulations.

Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, Finance, Business Administration, Information Systems, or a related field is preferred. Three (3) to five (5) years of experience in BSA/AML compliance, fraud detection, or financial crime investigation within a banking or financial services environment. Prior experience with a BSA/AML monitoring platform, Verafin or Jack Henry Financial Crimes Defender, is strongly preferred.