Ari Ben-Sasson

Risk Policy Analyst @U.S. Department Of State

Washington, DC, US

Led global risk governance for a $5B+ annual assistance portfolio, advising senior executives and program teams on risk management and compliance. Shaped contract negotiations, budget structures, and program scopes, while driving organization-wide risk assessments, sanctions reform, and change management initiatives across 40+ countries.Key Achievements:• Risk Governance & Project Management: Delivered 90% of a three-year, enterprise-wide risk strategy—12 months ahead of schedule—by developing tools that improved risk identification, reduced assessment workload while increasing accuracy, enhanced fraud and abuse response across 2.5K+ cases, and strengthened controls for sanctions, AML/CFT, and third-party due diligence. Earned two cash awards for risk and sanctions reforms.• Executive Communication & Cross-Functional Alignment: Advised 10+ senior executives and 9 cross-functional teams (legal, policy, tech, quality, and finance) on risk, contract oversight, export compliance, and sanctions; reviewed all funding requests enterprise-wide and resolved major oversight issues in 15%—influencing over $10B+ in decisions. Reduced high-risk portfolio exposure by 20% through targeted assessments and strategic realignments.• Sanctions Strategy & Strategic Impact: Co-led the design and implementation of the first-ever universal sanctions aid exemption framework adopted by U.N. and U.S. entities—enabling uninterrupted aid to 70M+ beneficiaries. Co-led development of 25+ sanctions packages and foreign terrorist designations shaping global policy outcomes.

UC San Diego

International Studies BA

King's College London

International Affairs MA