We are driven to do more. More for our customers and the financial professionals who offer our products. If you are driven to do more and love the challenge of pursuing more, Athene is your kind of company. You will find we offer more than the basics to create an inclusive and dynamic work environment at our various locations.
Purpose:
Provide strategic leadership for Athene USA’s Financial Crime Compliance Program, including the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Special Investigation Unit (SIU) teams. This role ensures the organization’s protection against money laundering, fraud, bribery, corruption, and related misconduct through a robust framework of governance, risk management, and regulatory engagement. This position will help to establish the strategic direction for Financial Crime compliance and partner closely with business and operational leaders to foster a culture of integrity and proactive risk management.Accountabilities:
Strategic Leadership & Oversight- Under the guidance of the Director Compliance, lead and develop a team of AML and SIU professionals, setting clear performance expectations and building a culture of excellence, accountability, and ethical behavior.
- Execute a forward-looking Financial Crime strategy aligned with regulatory expectations and business objectives.
- Serve as a liaison for financial crime compliance matters with regulators and law enforcement pertaining to investigation matters.
Program Governance & Risk Management
- Oversee AML and Fraud risk assessments and ensure ongoing enhancement of risk registers, transaction monitoring programs, and investigative processes.
- Approve and maintain AML, Fraud, and SIU policies and procedures consistent with legal and regulatory requirements.
- Ensure quality assurance reviews are conducted and findings are remediated effectively.
- Lead periodic management reporting on AML/SIU activity, including risk metrics, trends, and remediation progress.
- Manage key performance indicators (KPIs) and key risk indicators (KRIs) to monitor program effectiveness.
Investigations & Reporting
- Provide oversight for external fraud investigations, SAR filings, and law enforcement referrals.
- Ensure timely and accurate regulatory reporting, including suspicious activity reports, fraud summaries, and internal audit responses.
- Review significant cases, ensuring appropriate escalation and consistent application of investigative standards.
Partnerships & Culture
- Collaborate with Legal, Operations, Risk, and other business units to integrate compliance into operational processes.
- Represent the Compliance function in enterprise risk assessments and product reviews to identify emerging financial crime risks.
- Build and sustain trusted relationships with state and federal regulators, reinforcing Athene’s reputation for compliance integrity.
- Promote ongoing financial crime education, awareness, and ethical decision-making across the enterprise.
- Strategic agility with operational discipline.
- Inspires high-performing, compliance-oriented teams.
- Balances regulatory compliance with business practicality.
- Strong ethical compass and sound judgment under pressure.
- Communicates complex compliance matters with clarity and influence.
Qualifications and Experience:
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (JD, MBA, or related) preferred.
6+ years of progressive people-leadership experience within compliance or legal functions, including more than five years overseeing AML, Fraud, or SIU teams. Brings a minimum of 4+ years of compliance-specific expertise with a strong understanding of annuity and life insurance products, their operation, and key administrative considerations.
Strong knowledge of applicable regulatory frameworks, including Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), USA PATRIOT Act, OFAC, and state fraud requirements.
Proven experience developing and implementing risk-based compliance programs in the insurance or financial services industry.
Ability to function as a strategic partner to senior leadership and influence outcomes through collaboration and credibility.
Professional certifications such as CAMS, CFE, or CIFI strongly preferred.
Excellent verbal and written communication with the ability to influence across departments and persuasively build coalitions for new initiatives/ideas, which will include leading cross-functional activities of participants who do not report to the Compliance Senior Analyst.
Experience with compliance technology platforms and data-driven decision-making.
Drive. Discipline. Confidence. Focus. Commitment. Learn more about working at Athene.
Athene is a Military Friendly Employer! Learn more about how we support our Veterans.
Athene is committed to inclusion and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other status protected by federal, state or local law.
Top Skills
What We Do
Athene, through its subsidiaries, is a leading retirement services company that issues, reinsures and acquires retirement savings products designed for the increasing number of individuals and institutions seeking to fund retirement needs. The products offered by Athene include:
• Retail fixed, fixed indexed and registered index-linked annuity products;
• Reinsurance arrangements with third-party annuity providers; and
• Institutional products, such as funding agreements and group annuity contracts related to pension risk transfers.
Athene's subsidiaries include Athene Annuity & Life Assurance Company, a Delaware-domiciled insurance company, Athene Annuity and Life Company, an Iowa-domiciled insurance company, Athene Annuity & Life Assurance Company of New York, a New York-domiciled insurance company, Athene Securities, LLC, an Iowa-domiciled registered broker-dealer (member FINRA), and Athene Life Re Ltd., a Bermuda-domiciled reinsurer.
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The financial industry is ripe for change and Athene is leading the way. We’re determined to make retirement easier for you and other Americans by harnessing our passion, smarts and relentless spirit.
Learn how to become an Athene financial professional at www.athene.com/contact.
If you love a challenge and are driven to succeed, then Athene is your kind of company.







