AML Compliance Specialist

About Rippling

Rippling gives businesses one place to run HR, IT, and Finance. It brings together all of the workforce systems that are normally scattered across a company, like payroll, expenses, benefits, and computers. For the first time ever, you can manage and automate every part of the employee lifecycle in a single system. Take onboarding, for example. With Rippling, you can hire a new employee anywhere in the world and set up their payroll, corporate card, computer, benefits, and even third-party apps like Slack and Microsoft 365—all within 90 seconds.

Based in San Francisco, CA, Rippling has raised $1.4B+ from the world’s top investors—including Kleiner Perkins, Founders Fund, Sequoia, Greenoaks, and Bedrock—and was named one of America's best startup employers by Forbes.

We prioritize candidate safety. Please be aware that all official communication will only be sent from @Rippling.com addresses.

Rippling is seeking an AML Compliance Specialist to join our growing Legal & Compliance team. In this role, you will serve as a subject-matter expert within our Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), driving day-to-day transaction monitoring and financial crime investigations.

Your primary mission will be conducting thorough investigative research and data analysis to identify, evaluate, and mitigate financial crime risks across Rippling’s ecosystem. The ideal candidate blends sharp investigative instincts with clear, defensible narrative writing, thrives in a high-velocity environment, and operates with the highest standards of integrity.

What You Will Do

• Alert Triage & Disposition: Review, investigate, and decision transaction monitoring alerts generated across Rippling’s products with precision and efficiency.
• Complex Investigations: Conduct end-to-end investigative research on suspicious activity, synthesizing internal transactional records, customer data, and external open-source intelligence (OSINT).
• Narrative & Report Writing: Draft comprehensive, objective investigation summaries and risk assessments covering money laundering, terrorist financing, sanctions evasion, fraud, tax evasion, and bribery/corruption.
• Regulatory Filings: Prepare and submit Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) and equivalent international regulatory filings in accordance with strict statutory deadlines.
• Process Optimization & Governance: Develop and maintain FIU standard operating procedures (SOPs), investigative playbooks, and typology documentation.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Partner cross-functionally with Legal, Risk, Operations, and Product teams to escalate critical risks and provide actionable compliance feedback.
• Program Evolution: Support ad-hoc compliance initiatives, audit preparations, and rule-tuning feedback loops to continuously improve monitoring logic.

What You Will Need

• 4+ years of hands-on AML/BSA compliance experience, with a heavy emphasis on transaction monitoring, complex casework, and alert decisioning.
• Demonstrated SAR drafting experience, including end-to-end narrative writing and direct filing experience.
• Multi-jurisdictional exposure, understanding AML/CTF reporting frameworks and thresholds across multiple global regions (e.g., FinCEN, FinTRAC, AUSTRAC, or UK/EU FIUs).
• Strong analytical and investigative mindset, with proven ability to interpret complex financial data patterns and draw sound conclusions.
• Exceptional written communication skills, specifically in translating nuanced investigative findings into structured, defensible narratives.
• High execution velocity, with the organizational discipline to manage high case volumes independently without compromising quality.
• Bachelor’s degree.

Nice to Have

• Active professional certification such as CAMS, CFE, or CFCS.
• Prior experience at a high-growth fintech, payments platform, or payroll provider.
• Working knowledge of SQL, data visualization tools, or modern compliance technology suites.

Additional Information

Rippling is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, or any other legally protected characteristics, Rippling is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities who need assistance during the hiring process. To request a reasonable accommodation, please email accommodations@rippling.com

Rippling highly values having employees working in-office to foster a collaborative work environment and company culture. For office-based employees (employees who live within a defined radius of a Rippling office), Rippling considers working in the office, at least three days a week under current policy, to be an essential function of the employee's role.

This role will receive a competitive salary + benefits + equity. A variety of factors are considered when determining someone’s compensation–including a candidate’s professional background, experience, and location. Final offer amounts may vary from the amounts listed below.

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