Head of Global Sanctions

Job Description:

Head of Global Sanctions

The Role

The Head of Global Sanctions is the senior executive responsible for leading Fidelity’s global economic sanctions program across all business lines and jurisdictions. This role sets the strategic direction, ensures robust governance and oversight, and drives enterprise‑level sanctions risk management in an increasingly complex global regulatory landscape.

You will report to the Global Head of Fidelity’s Financial Crimes Compliance program and serve as the firm’s sanctions authority, accountable for U.S. OFAC compliance and alignment with global sanctions regimes, including those issued by the UK, EU, Canada, Switzerland, and the UN—where cross‑jurisdictional divergence and increased regulatory activity require heightened coordination.

You will lead the design, execution, and continuous enhancement of Fidelity’s sanctions program, supporting strategic priorities, operational resilience, and regulatory expectations amid aggressive global enforcement trends, including rising penalties, expanded gatekeeper liability, and broader scrutiny of financial intermediaries.

Key Responsibilities:

Program Strategy, Design & Governance

• Set and continuously refine the global sanctions strategy in a regulatory environment marked by growing enforcement intensity, increased cross-border divergence, and expansion of sanctions beyond traditional targets to include logistics, cyber networks, and facilitation structures.

• Oversee an enterprise-wide sanctions program aligned with OFAC and parallel global authorities, ensuring a risk‑based, forward‑looking framework designed to detect and mitigate sanctions exposure across all Fidelity entities and clients.

• Establish and maintain program governance, including policies, standards, procedures, and escalations.

• Oversee and coordinate global sanctions governance in partnership with business‑unit AML and Sanctions Officers, ensuring alignment on risk management priorities, governance standards, and executive communications.

Screening, Investigations & Decisioning

• Provide executive oversight and final‑level decisioning for complex customer, transaction, investment, and third‑party sanctions escalations. Ensure controls adequately address expanding enforcement expectations for financial intermediaries, investment managers, brokers, and gatekeepers.

Risk Assessment & Controls

• Lead global sanctions risk assessments to identify emerging exposures, including non‑U.S. sanctions programs increasingly diverging from U.S. actions (e.g., Canada, Switzerland, EU expanding designations while U.S. growth slows). Identify and implement program enhancements across people, processes, and technology.

Technology, Analytics & Data Enablement

• Champion advanced screening tools, data science applications, machine‑learning detection capabilities, and continuous optimization of systems and models. Partner with Technology and Platform Strategy teams to drive automation to support scalability and reduce false positives in a rapidly evolving threat landscape, including risks associated with fintech, crypto, digital assets, and cross‑border payment technologies.

Metrics, Reporting & Regulatory Engagement

• Develop and present comprehensive sanctions reporting, trend analysis, and program health indicators to Executive Committees, Senior Leaders, Audit and regulators. Act as Financial Crimes Compliance’s representative with domestic and international regulators, law‑enforcement bodies, and industry groups.

Enterprise Partnership & Leadership

• Influence and collaborate with senior leaders across Compliance, Legal, Risk, Technology, Investments, Brokerage, Global Security, and Audit. Lead, mentor, and develop a high‑performing global sanctions team, ensuring technical expertise, analytical depth, and readiness for evolving regulatory demands.

The Expertise and Skills You Bring

• 12+ years of sanctions compliance experience at a large financial institution, regulatory agency, consultancy, law firm, or equivalent.

• Deep knowledge of global sanctions regimes, including OFAC, UK HMT, EU, UN, and Canadian sanctions, as well as familiarity with their increasing divergence and cross‑border implications.

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