Our mission
We’re making Africa the first cashless continent.
In 2017, over half the population in Sub-Saharan Africa had no bank account. That’s for good reason—the fees are too high, the closest branch can be miles away, and nobody takes cards. Without access to financial institutions, people are forced to keep their savings under the mattress. Small business owners rely on lenders who charge extortionate rates. Parents spend hours waiting in line to pay school fees in cash.
We’re solving this by building financial services that just work: no account fees, instantly available, and accepted everywhere. In places where electricity, water and roads don’t always work, you can still send money with Wave. In 2017, we launched a mobile app in Senegal for cash deposit, withdrawal, and peer-to-peer and business payments. Now, we have millions of users across six countries and are growing fast.
Our goal is to make Africa the first cashless continent and that’s where you come in…


How you’ll help us achieve it
We are looking for an AML Investigator familiar with money laundering trends and comfortable investigating complex cases to support our Financial Security Team’s mission to prevent, detect, and report suspicious activity. The position will report to our Senegal Compliance Analyst.


In this role, you will
• Conduct investigations on alerts generated by our AML Transaction Monitoring system.
• Participate in the enhancement of alerts set up to reduce overall false positives and prioritize the investigation of suspicious activity.
• Support the Financial Security Manager in reviewing reports generated by other Analysts.
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the Transaction Monitoring System by identifying weaknesses and proposing improvement measures.
• Contribute to the generation of Financial Security reports.
• Participate in awareness-raising and training activities relating to financial security.
• Carry out investigations required in the context of suspicious transactions and activities.
• Prepare suspicious transaction reports.
• Contribute to the drafting of reports and update of dashboards for Decision Makers.
• Assist the Financial Security Manager in ensuring the implementation of embargo restriction decisions issued by the regulator under the approval of Wave’s governing body.
• Gather information about requisitions from law enforcement authorities and/or the financial intelligence authority.
• Other duties may be assigned as the business may require.


Key details
• Location: You’ll work from our office in Dakar.
• You must have work authorization in Senegal.
• This is temporary contract (6-month CDD, renewable).
• Our salaries are competitive and calculated using a transparent formula. We run Performance Reviews twice a year and give bonuses or promotions to exceptional performers who have been at the company for more than 6 months.
• We offer generous health insurance for yourself and your dependents.
• We support working parents – we offer (26 weeks for mothers and 4 weeks for fathers) and subsidized child care when you return to work.
• We help you live your fullest life now- we subsidize gym memberships and fitness classes.
• Airtime reimbursement.
• Free food and a beautiful office space.

Requirements
• Proficiency in spoken and written French and English. Fluency in Wolof and another local language would be an advantage.
• Bachelor’s degree or above in IT, finance criminology, Risk Management, or other relevant disciplines.
• At least 2 years of relevant experience in AML Transaction Monitoring and/or Sanctions Screening at a financial institution.
• Compliance certifications, such as ACAMS, are a plus.
• Proficient knowledge of AML/CFT risks.
• Good knowledge of UEMOA financial security regulations.


You might be a good fit if you have
• Strong computer skills.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Good communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Self-motivated and able to work under pressure.
• Good attention to detail and seek excellence in everything you do.
• Intellectual curiosity and creativity in the way you go about tackling problems.
• A positive attitude and embracing failure as a means to spark innovation and growth.
• A willingness to go the distance to get something done.
• Experience working in a fast-paced environment and can adapt quickly to changing priorities.


Our team
• We have a rapidly growing in-country team in Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, and Uganda, plus remote team members spread across the world.
• We’re deeply passionate about our mission of bringing radically affordable financial services to the people who need them most.
• We foster autonomy for our employees. You’ll own your projects at every stage, from understanding the problem to monitoring your solution in production.
• We raised the largest Series A in Africa in 2021. Our world-class investors, include Founders Fund, Sequoia Heritage, Stripe, Ribbit Capital, Y Combinator, and Partech Africa.
• In 2023, we were on Y Combinator’s top 50 companies by revenue.


How to apply
Fill out the form below, and upload a resume in English and a cover letter describing your interest in Wave and the role.
We review applications frequently and recommend that you apply to the role that most closely aligns with your skills, experience and career goals.
Wave is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.