Director, Illicit Finance Policy

Position description

Director, Illicit Finance Policy

Location: Washington D.C. preferred

Status: Full-time, Exempt

Reports to: Executive Director

 

Position Summary: 

We are seeking a senior-level professional to lead The Sentry’s policy work across the globe. 

 

Engagement and Stakeholder Relationships: 

 

• The incumbent oversees the formulation of all policy work related to The Sentry’s focus countries, working with country teams and experts across the organization.
• The incumbent oversees organizational efforts to influence policy through strategic outreach and engagement in various jurisdictions around the globe, based on The Sentry’s investigative findings and the incumbent’s expert-level understanding of leveraging existing tools to increase pressure and encourage the global fight against financial crimes linked to human rights abuses and grand corruption. This includes direct engagement with governments and financial institutions in Washington, New York, European capitals, and across Africa and other regions, as well as coalition-building and other indirect forms of engagement and advocacy.
• In addition, the incumbent serves as the senior subject matter expert on the strategic use of various targeted financial pressures, including “network” sanctions and anti-money laundering (AML) measures, that have global application.     
• The incumbent has an extensive understanding of and experience in how policy, regulatory, and private sector stakeholders are critical for the successful use of these financial tools of pressure and how they support peace, human rights and good governance. 
• The incumbent understands US, UK and European financial pressures at an expert level and has a sufficient understanding of multilateral and regional tools and initiatives and is able to contribute to public discourse on these issues with expert-level authority. 
• The incumbent has a working knowledge of financial crimes compliance processes and procedures at financial institutions and experience engaging or working with the banking sector.

 

Policy Thought Leadership and Publications:

 

• The incumbent provides support and direction on strategies for using financial pressure, compliance practices, and legal tools to achieve our country policy objectives in order to systematically integrate the use of these tools into the policy and investigative work of The Sentry.  
• The incumbent drafts and contributes to memos, advisories, briefings, op-eds, and other written products on tools of financial pressure and related policy issues. 
• The incumbent engages in frequent public appearances and represents the organization in press interviews and at public events. 

 

Team Performance Management and New Relationships:

 

• The incumbent leads a team spread across the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa.  
• The incumbent identifies new opportunities for The Sentry to generate impact by persuasively influencing decision-makers in governments and financial institutions, including by developing new partnerships for the organization with civil society organizations and think-tanks, global and regional banks, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and FATF-style regional bodies. 
• The incumbent is ultimately responsible for the overall performance of their team in achieving organizational objectives and is directly responsible for the management and performance of the Illicit Finance Policy team. 

 

Required Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills, and Ability:

• Master’s degree or other higher degree. 
• At least twelve years of experience in policy related to sanctions/AML within the US government, United Nations system, other governments, and/or financial institutions.
• Experience engaging staff and senior leadership of government agencies, financial institutions, and civil society organizations. 
• Experience managing a team.
• Excellent writing, editorial, oral communication, and presentation skills; good track record of publications.       
• Experience making effective presentations and speaking publicly.
• Team player with superb interpersonal, organizational, and management skills, including the ability to manage numerous tasks simultaneously and maximize employee contributions.
• A high level of personal energy, dependability, creativity, and commitment. 
• Ability to collaborate and work effectively in a fast-paced environment. 
• Good humor and general problem-solving skills. 
• Organized, disciplined, and proactive.
• Works well under deadlines.
• Commitment to The Sentry’s missions and goals.

 

Preferred experience:

 

• Demonstrated commitment to peace and human rights consistent with the mission of The Sentry.
• Knowledge of issues related to The Sentry’s countries of focus.     
• Experience contributing to efforts designed to improve and sustain positive organizational culture and DEI principles.      
• Experience with media engagement.
• Experience with donor engagement.

 

 

Salary Range: $120,000 - $180,000 (plus benefits)

 

Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package that includes 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for employees (and their families). Employees are able to enroll in 401k retirement plan and are eligible for a 3% automatic contribution and up to a 3% employer match on 401k contributions. Employees are also eligible for pre-tax transportation benefits. Employees will receive 120 hours of vacation time, 80 hours of health leave, up to 2 days of casual leave, and 20 hours of volunteer leave annually. Employees will also receive 13 paid holidays throughout the calendar year. Employees are eligible for 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave after 90 days of employment.”

 

 

To apply: Submit a resume and cover letter to [email protected] Please include “Director, Illicit Finance Policy” in the subject line of your email.

 

Hiring Statement: The Sentry is a project of New Venture Fund (NVF), a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grant-making programs. NVF is committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and enables each of us to realize our potential. NVF’s work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin,

political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and all other classifications protected by law in the locality and/or state in which you are working.

 

COVID-19 Policy: To center the safety and well-being of its employees, New Venture Fund requires that any employee who is required to conduct in-person activities for their job must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 within four weeks of their start date. This position may require candidates to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Accommodations may be sought and approved in accordance with the law by contacting human resources at [email protected].

 

About The Sentry: The Sentry is an investigative and policy organization that seeks to disable multinational predatory networks that benefit from violent conflict, repression, and kleptocracy. Pull back the curtain on wars, mass atrocities, and other human rights abuses, and you’ll find grand corruption and unchecked greed. These tragedies persist because the perpetrators rarely face meaningful consequences. The Sentry aims to alter the warped incentive structures that continually undermine peace and good governance. Our investigations follow the money as it is laundered from war zones to financial centers around the world. We provide evidence and

strategies for governments, banks, and law enforcement to hold the perpetrators and enablers of violence and corruption to account. These efforts provide new leverage for human rights, peace, and anti-corruption efforts. Launched in 2016, The Sentry produces hard-hitting investigative reports and dossiers on individuals and entities connected to grand corruption and violence. We advocate for the use of

tools of financial and legal pressure, including anti-money laundering and illicit finance

measures, targeted network sanctions, criminal prosecutions, compliance actions by banks and other private companies, and asset recovery. As a result of our work, money laundering routes have been exposed and shut down, assets have been frozen, travel has been banned, and corrupt networks have been cut off from the international financial system. Through strategic partnerships with governments, global banks, and other private and public organizations, The Sentry has succeeded in creating real consequences for many of the officials and commercial actors perpetuating and profiting from war, mass atrocities, and other human rights abuses.