Senior Specialist – Payments AML & Sanctions Screening (Siron)

About the role

The Senior Specialist will lead the configuration, tuning and optimisation of Siron Embargo and KYC screening systems for a regulated banking client in Kuwait. The role focuses on payments‑related sanctions screening, ensuring high accuracy, system performance and compliance with international regulations.

Key responsibilities

• Configure and maintain Siron Embargo sanctions screening in production environments.
• Tune fuzzy‑matching algorithms, thresholds, field weighting and name‑normalisation logic to reduce false positives.
• Design payment‑type‑specific screening rules for SWIFT MT (MT103, MT202) and ISO 20022 (pacs.008, pacs.009) messages.
• Develop and execute extensive test cases for matching roles and screening scenarios.
• Support KYC/CIF screening configurations and manage false‑positive handling during onboarding and periodic reviews.
• Troubleshoot daily system issues, manage alert volumes and apply hot‑fixes.
• Ingest and validate sanctions lists (OFAC, EU, UN, UK) and produce documentation for thresholds and effectiveness metrics.
• Collaborate with Technology, Payments and Compliance teams and support internal audits and regulator reviews.

Required profile

• Minimum 10 years of experience in AML, sanctions screening or related banking functions.
• At least 3–5 years hands‑on experience with Siron Embargo in production.
• Strong understanding of SWIFT MT and ISO 20022 payment message formats.
• Deep knowledge of international sanctions regimes (OFAC, EU, UN, UK).
• Experience working in a regulated banking or financial institution.

Required skills

• Siron Embargo configuration and tuning
• Fuzzy matching, threshold and matching‑criteria setup
• Roles and permissions management
• SWIFT MT messages (MT103, MT202)
• ISO 20022 messages (pacs.008, pacs.009)
• Sanctions list ingestion (OFAC, EU, UN, UK)
• Payments ecosystem knowledge
• KYC screening configuration