Sanctions Screening Tuning Specialist FircoSoft

About the Role

Capitex is seeking a Sanctions Screening Tuning Specialist with 0-1 years of experience to join its financial crime compliance function in Riyadh. This full-time role focuses on enhancing the effectiveness of the institution's sanctions screening capability, specifically through the tuning of the FircoSoft platform. The specialist will be responsible for assessing, calibrating, and optimizing the FircoSoft screening environment across customer and payment screening processes.

Role Context and Impact

The effectiveness of sanctions screening in the Saudi market significantly depends on how the filter processes Arabic names, including transliteration variants, romanization schemes, name particles, honorifics, and orthographic differences between Arabic-script and Latin-script records. This role requires both platform expertise to tune the FircoSoft engine and linguistic judgment to differentiate between false positives and genuine risks. Professional fluency in Arabic is central to this function.

Key Responsibilities

• Assess the existing FircoSoft configuration, including matching algorithms, rules, thresholds, good-guy/exception lists, and screening scope for customer and transaction/payment screening.
• Tune filter parameters and matching logic to reduce false positives while maintaining sanctions risk coverage, providing documented pre- and post-tuning analysis.
• Optimize Arabic name-matching performance, addressing transliteration handling, romanization variants, name particles, and script-conversion behavior across watchlists and customer data.
• Review list management processes, including sanctions list ingestion, versioning, update mechanisms (UN, OFAC, EU, UK, and local/SAMA-directed lists), and the governance of exceptions and whitelisting.
• Conduct effectiveness testing of screening outcomes using above-the-line/below-the-line methodologies, documenting methodology, results, and recommendations for model validation and regulatory scrutiny.
• Support improvements to alert workflow and operating models, focusing on alert quality, hibernation/suppression logic, escalation paths, and investigator feedback loops.
• Coordinate with Compliance, Screening Operations, Technology, and vendors, presenting findings and recommendations to senior stakeholders in both Arabic and English as required.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Essential: Hands-on FircoSoft tuning experience, including filter configuration, matching algorithms, rules, and threshold calibration.
• Essential: Professional fluency in Arabic and English, with practical experience in Arabic name-screening challenges such as transliteration, romanization variants, and script matching.
• Essential: Strong knowledge of sanctions compliance, including UN, OFAC, EU, and UK regimes, screening obligations, and governance expectations for filter effectiveness.
• Essential: Experience in screening effectiveness testing and documentation to a standard suitable for model validation, audit, and regulatory review.
• Essential: Experience within a banking or financial institution, with stakeholder management skills to collaborate across Compliance, Operations, Technology, and vendor teams.
• Preferred: Experience in Saudi Arabia or the wider GCC region, with familiarity with SAMA supervisory expectations for sanctions screening.
• Preferred: Exposure to ISO 20022 / SWIFT MT-MX message screening and payment-flow screening architecture.
• Preferred: Experience with complementary screening or monitoring platforms and data analysis tools (*, SQL).
• Preferred: ACAMS, ICA, or equivalent certification.

Work Environment

This is a full-time position based in Riyadh, where the specialist will work within the institution's financial crime compliance function. The role involves coordination with various internal departments and external vendors.

Application Process

Candidates interested in this Sanctions Screening Tuning Specialist role are encouraged to apply. Salary details will be discussed during the interview process.