Reporting to the Senior Manager Sanctions & Compliance, The Sanctions & Compliance Analyst is responsible for supporting the organization's Financial Crime Compliance framework by ensuring adherence to local and international sanctions regimes, Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Counter-Terrorist Financing (CTF), and Proliferation Financing (PF) regulations. The role is critical in safeguarding the organization against financial crime risks by maintaining effective sanctions screening controls, customer due diligence measures, and transaction monitoring processes.The incumbent will oversee the screening of customers, transactions, business partners, vendors, and other relevant parties against regulatory watchlists, sanctions lists, politically exposed persons (PEP) databases, adverse media sources, and internal risk indicators. This includes identifying, investigating, and escalating potential sanctions and compliance alerts in accordance with internal policies, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices.
The role requires continuous monitoring of evolving sanctions regulations issued by global authorities such as the United Nations (UN), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), European Union (EU), His Majesty's Treasury (HMT), and other applicable regulatory bodies to ensure the organization's controls remain effective and compliant. The Analyst will assess potential exposure to sanctioned individuals, entities, countries, and sectors while providing timely risk-based recommendations to management.Additionally, the Sanctions & Compliance Analyst will collaborate with cross-functional teams within Agile squads to strengthen financial crime controls, support regulatory audits and examinations, conduct partner compliance reviews and investigations, and contribute to the development and enhancement of sanctions compliance programs, policies, procedures, and screening systems. The role also involves delivering guidance and awareness initiatives to promote a strong compliance culture across the organization.By proactively identifying and mitigating sanctions and financial crime risks, the Analyst will help ensure that the organization's products, services, and platforms are not used to facilitate money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing, sanctions evasion, fraud, corruption, or other illicit activities, while protecting the organization from regulatory, legal, financial, and reputational risks.
ResponsibilitiesSanctions Screening & Alert Management
• Review and investigate sanctions screening alerts generated from customer onboarding, payments, partner onboarding, and customer databases.
• Perform name screening against applicable sanctions, watchlists, politically exposed persons (PEP), and adverse media databases.
• Differentiate true matches from false positives and document rationale for decisions.
• Escalate confirmed or potential sanctions matches in line with internal procedures.
Investigations & Risk Assessment
• Conduct comprehensive investigations on customers, transactions, and counterparties.
• Assess sanctions, AML, CFT, and reputational risks associated with alerts and cases.
• Gather and analyze customer information, transactional activity, and supporting documentation.
• Recommend appropriate risk mitigation measures and control actions.
Regulatory Compliance & Governance
• Ensure compliance with local and international sanctions regulations (UN, OFAC, EU, UK HMT, and other applicable regimes).
• Support the implementation and monitoring of sanctions compliance policies and procedures.
• Maintain awareness of regulatory changes and sanctions developments.
• Ensure all investigations and decisions meet regulatory and audit standards.
Case Management & Documentation
• Maintain accurate and complete records of investigations, reviews, and decisions.
• Prepare detailed case summaries, management reports, and escalation memos.
• Ensure timely closure of alerts and cases within established service level agreements (SLAs).
• Support regulatory examinations, audits, and compliance reviews through high-quality documentation.
Training & Continuous Improvement
• Promote awareness of sanctions compliance obligations across the organization.
• Support training initiatives for staff on sanctions, screening, and financial crime risks.
• Contribute to process enhancement projects and automation initiatives.
• Share lessons learned and emerging typologies to strengthen the compliance framework.
Monitoring, Controls & Testing
• Participate in the testing and validation of sanctions screening systems and controls.
• Identify control weaknesses, process gaps, and areas for improvement.
• Support periodic reviews of screening rules, parameters, and risk-based controls.
• Contribute to quality assurance activities and compliance monitoring programs..
Sanctions List & Blacklist Management
• Maintain and update sanctions lists from global and local regulators
• Manage customer, partner and internal blacklist databases
• Ensure timely updates and synchronization of screening systems
Stakeholder Engagement & Advisory
• Provide sanctions and compliance guidance to business units and operational teams within Agile squads.
• Respond to sanctions-related queries and targeted financial sanctions notices from the Financial Reporting Centres
• Support the implementation of compliance initiatives and remediation actions.
Health and Safety
•Uphold the company code of conduct, policies and procedures, ensuring integrity and accountability in every aspect of your work.
•All employees have a responsibility to adhere to safety, health, and wellbeing policies, guidelines and procedures in all actions and decisions
• Bachelor’s degree in Law, Finance, Business or related field
• Professional certifications such as: CAMS (Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist), CGSS (Certified Global Sanctions Specialist), ICA Certificate/Diploma in AML or Financial Crime Compliance or CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner)
• At least 2 years experience in Financial Crime Compliance, AML, or Sanctions Compliance
• Good knowledge of global sanctions regimes and regulatory requirements (OFAC, UN, EU, local regulators)
• Experience working within a regulated financial institution.
• Experience participating in sanctions model validation, tuning, or screening optimization initiatives.
If you feel that you are up to the challenge and possess the necessary qualification and experience, kindly proceed to create/ update your candidate profile on the recruitment portal, fill in your necessary work experiences and then Click on the apply button. Remember to attach your resume.
About UsSafaricom is the leading technology company in East Africa. Our purpose is to transform lives by connecting people to people, people to opportunities and people to information. We keep over 60 million customers connected across Kenya and Ethiopia, and play a critical role in the society, supporting over 1.13 million jobs both directly and indirectly while our total economic value was estimated at KES 1.1 trillion ($ 8.5 billion) for the 12 months through March 2025.
Listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and with annual revenues of close to KES 388 billion as at March 2025, Safaricom provides connectivity through wide range of technology. Our 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G network in aggregate covers over 99% of Kenya’s population.
We run the world’s largest mobile payment system and Africa’s largest Fintech, M-PESA, the world’s first mobile money transfer system. By empowering millions of customers to transact, save or borrow money through their mobile phone, M-PESA has driven financial inclusion in Kenya to 84.8% of the adult population in 2024, from a low of 26.7% in 2006, and generated over KES 161 billion in revenue as at FY25.
Our subsidiary, Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia, has deployed world class network and services to contribute to Ethiopia’s digital transformation.
Safaricom is an equal opportunity employer, actively recruiting staff from different backgrounds reflecting the communities that we serve. We are committed to equal gender representation at all levels.
As part of our ongoing commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we continue to work towards improving energy and resource efficiency in our network and facilities to reduce carbon emissions and our fuel consumption. We remain committed to becoming a Net Zero carbon-emitting company by 2050.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Law, Finance, Business, or a related field
- At least 2 years of experience in financial crime compliance, AML, or sanctions compliance
- Knowledge of global sanctions regimes and regulatory requirements, including OFAC, UN, EU, and local regulators
- Experience working within a regulated financial institution
- Experience participating in sanctions model validation, tuning, or screening optimization initiatives
- Professional certification such as CAMS, CGSS, ICA AML or Financial Crime Compliance, or CFE
What We Do
Safaricom is the leading provider of converged communication solutions in Kenya. In addition to providing a broad range of first-class products and services for Telephony, Broadband Internet and Financial services, Safaricom seeks to uplift the welfare of Kenyans through value-added services and support for community projects. With over 29 Million subscribers and an estimated market share of 67%, the Company has the widest modern mobile network coverage in Kenya and prides in its experienced shareholders, attractive tariffs, a nationwide network of effective dealers, high caliber staff and management enabling it to maintain its position as the region’s mobile market leader. M-PESA has over 23 million subscribers, supported by a nationwide agent network of over 156,000 outlets. M-PESA is the world's most developed biggest mobile payment system. Facts about Safaricom • Employs over 5,500 staff directly and over 500,000 indirectly • Has approximately 4,945 network sites across the country • 50% of employees and 32% of senior management working at Safaricom are women. • Has the largest call center in Sub-Saharan Africa Our people are our most valuable asset and are key to the achievement of our vision of transforming lives. This is reflected in our commitment to creating a working environment that supports our staff. We offer employees a wellness programme, crèche facilities, access to subsidized gym facilities, leisure amenities, regular social events, competitive salaries and career opportunities. We give back to the society through the Safaricom Foundation. Since inception, the foundation has disbursed 2 billion shillings in different initiatives that provide sustainable community-based solutions, contributing towards Kenya’s development agenda, and the Millennium Development Goals. Safaricom is a key member and supporter of the B Team and the B Team – Africa, alliances of business leaders who are committed to responsible and sustainable business practices.
