BSA Specialist

Who We Are

First Fed is a local community bank on an exciting growth trajectory with 15 locations including 11 full-service branches in Western Washington. First Fed was recognized by the Puget Sound Business Journal as a Best Workplace and a Top Corporate Philanthropist. By popular vote, First Fed received awards for Best Bank in The Best of the Northwest, Best Banker in Readers’ Choice by Cascadia Daily News, and Peninsula Daily News named us Best Bank on the Olympic Peninsula. We also received a Best-In-State bank award from Forbes.  

For over 100 years First Fed has served our customers and communities throughout the PNW. We’ve donated over $9 million to non-profit organizations in the past 8 years through our foundations, sponsorships, direct donations, and matched employee donations. Our amazing team has volunteered over 25,000 hours in the past 5 years – many by using our benefit of 3 paid volunteer days per year!  

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds – our diversity makes us stronger. Join our award-winning team!  

Our Values

Optimism:  We are positive and decisive. We believe the future will be better than the past. Our attitude demonstrates persistence which leads to success.

Initiative:  We are self-starters and find innovative solutions. We are courageous, entrepreneurial, and passionate. We take action for good.

Respect:  We include individuals from diverse backgrounds and with different perspectives. We are committed to honoring and serving others.

Growth:  We learn and adapt so we can continually improve. We believe in personal growth through grit and determination.

Ownership:  We are invested in our endeavors. We are accountable and take responsibility for our actions and decisions.

Position Purpose

The BSA Specialist supports the Bank's Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Customer Due Diligence (CDD), and related financial crimes compliance programs through monitoring, review, research, and regulatory reporting activities.

The BSA Specialist is responsible for reviewing alerts, referrals, customer due diligence requirements, watchlist and sanctions monitoring, and other financial crimes detection activities to identify unusual or suspicious activity requiring additional review. The Specialist gathers information, performs research, documents findings, and escalates matters requiring formal investigation.

This position also assists with fraud prevention and fraud operations activities as assigned and helps ensure the Bank maintains compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and procedures while protecting the Bank and its customers from financial crime.

Essential Functions

BSA Specialist I

• Review and disposition transaction monitoring alerts generated through Verafin and other Bank systems.
• Review Customer Due Diligence (CDD) alerts and obtain, analyze, and document customer information necessary to support customer risk assessments.
• Perform Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) reviews and recommend escalation of higher-risk or more complex customer relationships.
• Review OFAC, watchlist, sanctions screening, negative news, and other risk-monitoring alerts in accordance with established procedures.
• Review customer activity, account relationships, and transactional behavior to identify unusual activity, elevated risk, or information requiring additional review.
• Obtain and document information from customers, business units, public records, and internal systems necessary to support due diligence and monitoring requirements.
• Prepare and file Currency Transaction Reports (CTRs) in accordance with regulatory requirements and internal procedures.
• Open cases and escalate activity requiring formal investigation based on monitoring results, due diligence reviews, referrals, customer activity, or other identified concerns.
• Document alert reviews, due diligence reviews, referrals, findings, and recommendations in accordance with department procedures.
• Assist with maintenance of customer risk ratings, high-risk customer records, and periodic review requirements.
• Respond to BSA-related inquiries and provide support to business units regarding due diligence, monitoring requirements, and financial crimes compliance procedures.
• Identify unusual activity patterns, emerging risks, or opportunities for process improvements and communicate recommendations to management.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and timely records in accordance with regulatory requirements and Bank procedures.
• Maintain regular and predictable attendance.

In addition to performing all BSA Specialist I responsibilities, a BSA Specialist II is expected to:

• Handle a larger volume of alert reviews and due diligence reviews.
• Review more complex customer relationships and account activity.
• Conduct more advanced EDD reviews .
• Perform more extensive pre-investigation research prior to case escalation.
• Provide guidance and assistance to BSA Specialist I employees.
• Assist with training, onboarding, and process coaching.
• Exercise greater independent judgment in alert disposition, risk identification, and escalation decisions.
• Serve as a departmental resource for regulatory monitoring requirements and due diligence processes.

Qualifications & Requirements

BSA Specialist I:

• Two (2) year of banking, fraud, compliance, operations, audit, investigations, customer service, or related experience preferred.
• Experience with BSA-related programs or case building applications.
• Proficiency with standard computer applications including Microsoft Office Suite.
• Strong reasoning and problem-solving skills.
• Strong organizational skills and high attention to detail.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and with a team.
• Ability to manage time well and prioritize tasks.

In addition to BSA Specialist I Qualifications/Requirements a BSA Specialist II has:

• Minimum three (3) years of banking, BSA/AML, fraud, compliance, operations, audit, investigations, or related experience preferred.
• Strong understanding of BSA/AML, OFAC, CDD, EDD, and financial crime risk concepts.
• Experience reviewing customer activity, due diligence requirements, alerts, or regulatory reporting.
• Demonstrated ability to independently perform EDD reviews and complex alert analysis.
• Strong understanding of BSA/AML, OFAC, CDD, EDD, and financial crime risk concepts.

Physical Requirements

The work requires the ability to operate office machines and equipment, such as personal computers, printers, copying machines and telephones. The work requires the ability to communicate clearly with customers, coworkers, and others in person and on telephones.  Work activities involve combinations of sitting/standing for extended periods.

Pay Range

BSA Specialist I

• The pay range for this position is $22.67 - $38.55
• The typical hiring range for this position is $22.67 - $26.02

BSA Specialist II

• The pay range for this position is $24.49 - $41.63
• The typical hiring range for this position is $24.49 - $28.10

• The incentive plan for this position is the Partnership Tier 1 Incentive plan. It is paid out quarterly with a 5% target payout.
• Employees will be eligible for our benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, paid time off, retirement plans (401k with company match and Employee Stock Ownership Plan), gym membership reimbursement, discounts on our banking products, and more!  Additional information on our benefits package can be viewed at https://www.ourfirstfed.com/careers 

As a community Bank, we know the power in bringing people together from all walks of life. Our communities are beautiful and strong because of their diversity, and it’s important to us that all of our locations reflect the unique diversity of the places we live and work. We are passionate about hiring the very best talent and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran

First Fed invites all qualified interested applicants to apply for our career opportunities.  If you are a person with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation to use our online job search or application tools, please email Human Resources  via [email protected] or call 360-460-2605.  Note: This contact information is reserved solely for job seekers requesting accessibility assistance or accommodation in the application process.  Messages left for other purposes may not receive a response.

We are required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor, and the Employee Polygraph Protection Act.