Betterment is a leading, technology-driven financial services company that offers investing and retirement solutions for retail investors and investment advisors as well as financial wellness solutions, including a 401(k) for small and medium-sized businesses. Our team is passionate about our mission: making people’s lives better. We’re headquartered in NYC and offer hybrid NY-based positions (three days/ week in-office).
About the role
Betterment’s Risk Operations team plays a critical role in protecting our platform and customers from fraud and financial crime. We are responsible for day-to-day transaction monitoring, investigating suspicious activity, and ensuring compliance with AML (Anti-money Laundering) and Fraud regulations.
As a Risk Operations Associate, you will be on the front lines of identifying and mitigating risk, analyzing financial transactions, and interacting with customers to assess and resolve concerns. You will need to balance analytical rigor with excellent communication skills, as well as be comfortable working in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
You are a process-driven individual who loves checking items off your to-do list. You are always thinking of ways to make complicated tasks more efficient, while keeping a keen eye on the big picture. You have a knack for anticipating when a situation could be risky and quickly resolving it appropriately.
We are looking for individuals who are risk-aware, customer-focused, analytically minded, and collaborative—core values that define the Risk Operations team. You are metrics-oriented in nature and use data to inform your decisions whenever possible. You are a strong communicator who enjoys interacting with other people to address any issue that comes your way. While experience in fraud, AML, or financial services is a plus, the most important qualities are intellectual curiosity, strong problem-solving abilities, and enthusiasm.
This role is based out of our NYC office. Below we've reflected the base salary range we would offer for this position. Actual salaries may vary depending on factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. The range listed is just one component of Betterment’s total compensation package for employees.
- New York City: $65,000 - $90,000
We offer a competitive equity package, health, dental and vision benefits, life and AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, EAP, commuter and parking benefits FSA/HSA, and 401(k) with employer match as well as a flexible PTO policy. This job may also be eligible for variable compensation in the form of a company incentive bonus. For jobs based out of our NYC HQ, we require in office attendance Tuesday through Thursday, weekly.
A day in the life
- Monitor and investigate customer activity for signs of fraud, money laundering, or other suspicious behaviors, taking action when necessary.
- Engage directly with customers to resolve cases, clarify account activity, and ensure a positive experience.
- Utilize transaction monitoring tools to assess risk and detect unusual patterns, escalating cases as appropriate.
- Collaborate with internal stakeholders (Compliance, Engineering, Customer Experience) to refine risk strategies and improve operational efficiencies.
- Support ongoing compliance efforts related to KYC (Know Your Customer), KYB (Know Your Business), and other regulatory requirements.
- Identify process improvements that enhance fraud detection, reduce false positives, and streamline case handling.
- Contribute to team success metrics, including fraud loss rates, customer satisfaction, and regulatory compliance.
What we’re looking for
- 1-3 years of experience in fraud prevention, AML, finance, payments, or brokerage operations (preferred but not required).
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to assess risk and make data-driven decisions.
- Customer-focused mindset with excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- High level of attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
- Comfortable with investigating financial transactions and understanding how money moves through various financial systems.
- Proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets for data analysis; experience with SQL or fraud detection tools is a plus.
- A proactive approach to problem-solving, with the ability to work independently while also being highly collaborative.
- Excitement for the fraud and financial crime space and a willingness to continuously learn and improve.
We change lives
Join a community of innovators working to transform financial outcomes for real people. Your work will make an impact, always laddering up to our mission: making people's lives better.
We set audacious goals
We set them for the company, our customers, and ourselves—and we won’t stop until we reach them. We don’t just show up; we give our all, then celebrate our wins.
We value all perspectives
When we collaborate, we're at our best. We believe diverse perspectives lead to better outcomes and strive to uphold our supportive and inclusive community.
We invest in you with:
- A competitive suite of benefits, including: medical, dental, and vision insurance; life and AD&D insurance; STD and LTD benefits, including infertility support and World Professional Association for Transgender Health approved benefits; and generous parental leave.
- Flexible paid time off (and encouragement to use it!)
- Meaningful opportunity for community building through our 7 Employee Resource Groups
- Empowerment to own and lead change and affect the business
- Dedicated professional development opportunities
- Lunch from our in-house chef three days a week at our NYC headquarters
What happens next
We’ll take a few weeks to review all applications. If we’d like to spend more time with you, we’ll reach out to arrange next steps, which will include 3-4 sets of meetings with your future colleagues.
In the interview process, we’ll look to learn more about your skills, experiences, capabilities, and motivators. Many of our questions will be aimed at understanding how you might operate here at Betterment. Depending on the role, we may ask you to complete a case study exercise or technical assessments, as we want to collect a robust set of data points to better inform our decisions.
On average, it takes us around 3-5 weeks to make a hiring decision, depending on your availability and sense of urgency. As a best practice, we aim to interview at least 2-3 final round candidates before making a hiring decision. Please note that, as we usually receive an overwhelming number of applications for open positions, we’re unable to offer individual feedback during the interview process.
We recognize that interviewing for a new role is a big deal. We appreciate you considering Betterment as the next step in your career, and our Recruiting Team is here to support and advocate for you through the interview process!
Betterment is dedicated to providing accommodations to candidates upon request. If you need accommodations at any point throughout the interview process, please reach out to your recruiter.
Please note that in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.
Come join us!
We’re an equal opportunity employer and comply with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. We strictly prohibit and do not tolerate discrimination against employees, applicants, or any other covered persons because of race, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, ethnicity, sex, gender (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender or transsexual individual), sexual orientation, marital status, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, past, current or prospective service in the uniformed services, predisposing genetic characteristic, domestic violence victim status, arrest records, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law.
E-Verify Statement
Betterment participates in E-Verify. We will provide the Social Security Administration, and if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security, with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization. Please note that we do not use this information to pre-screen job applicants.
E-Verify Notice
E-Verify Notice (Spanish)
Right to Work Notice
Right to Work Notice (Spanish)
CPRA Language - CA Applicants ONLY
We collect and store personal information for the purposes of candidate tracking (for this role and future opportunities). The information you provide in the course of completing your application will be kept for up to 24 months. We use tools provided by third-party service providers but do not share candidate information for any purpose other than for recruiting. To access the data that is collected, request deletion or to make updates to your candidate profile, please email team.hire@betterment.com.
Top Skills
Betterment New York, New York, USA Office
We're centrally located in Manhattan right next to Madison Square Park. Enjoy all the great eats and a nice stroll around the park.
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