Head of Compliance

Overview

B2b Cross-Border Payments Fintech

Key Responsibilities

• Own and develop the firm's global compliance and financial crime framework.
• Define and maintain the firm's risk appetite across AML, CFT, sanctions, fraud, and wider financial crime.
• Own the firm's compliance policies and ensure they remain effective, current, and aligned with regulatory developments.
• Lead and develop the compliance function, providing strategic oversight to the MLRO, AML team, and jurisdiction-specific compliance officers.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with regulators, banking partners, payment providers, and correspondent banks.
• Support licensing applications, regulatory approvals, examinations, independent reviews, and audits.
• Oversee enterprise-wide financial crime risk assessments and ensure controls evolve alongside new products, payment rails, and international expansion.
• Report regularly to the Board on compliance performance, regulatory developments, emerging risks, and governance.
• Ensure the business maintains a robust, scalable, and audit-ready control environment across all jurisdictions.

Requirements

• Minimum
• 8–10 years
• of compliance and financial crime experience within regulated financial services.
• Several years of leadership experience managing compliance teams within fintech, banking, payments, Electronic Money Institutions (EMIs), Money Service Businesses (MSBs), or regulated digital asset firms.
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, and owning enterprise-wide compliance and financial crime frameworks.
• Strong knowledge of AML/CFT regulations, sanctions compliance, KYC/KYB, customer risk assessments, transaction monitoring, and financial crime governance.
• Practical experience working across multiple regulatory jurisdictions, with experience in at least two of the following considered essential:

• European Union (MiCA)

• United Arab Emirates (DFSA and/or VARA)
• Canada (FINTRAC)
• Experience working directly with regulators, auditors, banking partners, and payment providers.
• Experience supporting licensing, regulatory examinations, and independent compliance reviews.
• Strong understanding of correspondent banking, cross-border payments, and international financial crime risks.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills with experience presenting to executive leadership and Boards.

Preferred Qualifications

• CAMS, ICA Diploma, or another recognised compliance or financial crime qualification.
• Experience acting as, or directly supporting, an MLRO or equivalent regulated compliance function.
• Experience within high-growth international fintech or payments organisations.
• Familiarity with digital asset regulation, stablecoin settlement, and Travel Rule requirements.
• This is an opportunity to join a rapidly growing international fintech at a pivotal stage of its expansion, where you will have genuine ownership of the firm's compliance strategy and the opportunity to build a world-class compliance function from the ground up.