Global Head of FCC Operations in London

About the Team

The Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) team at Airwallex is a strategically vital function operating under a clear Three Lines of Defence model. As the independent second line, FCC owns the global AML/CTF programme, sanctions framework, risk assessment methodology, and governance infrastructure across all global entities. As Airwallex scales into new markets and deepens its engagement with global regulatory bodies, we are building a world‑class compliance organisation capable of managing complex financial crime risks at scale. This is an environment where you will tackle high‑impact challenges, shape global fintech risk strategies, and help establish foundations for long‑term growth.

What you’ll do

As Global Lead of FCC Monitoring & Testing, you will shape and scale Airwallex’s global financial crime compliance monitoring and testing framework, establishing a rigorous, data‑driven second‑line assurance function. You will lead a high‑performing global team to independently validate the design and operating effectiveness of AML, Sanctions, and KYC/KYB controls across all production environments and establish a monitoring framework and associated metrics to support executive decisioning and ongoing maintenance of programme and control operating effectiveness. You will work closely with the broader FCC organisation, Product, Engineering, Operations, and regional leadership to turn testing insights into operational accountability, robust remediation, and a defensible compliance posture before global regulators and institutional banking partners. This role has a global mandate and can be based in the US or EMEA.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic development, execution, and continuous evolution of Airwallex’s Global FCC Monitoring & Testing Programme, establishing robust, risk‑based testing methodologies and annual plans for independent second‑line assurance.
• Design comprehensive testing frameworks to validate core compliance controls across customer onboarding, periodic reviews, sanctions screening, transaction monitoring, and regulatory reporting workflows, ensuring coverage keeps pace with product and market expansion.
• Oversee the ongoing FCC monitoring programme, including establishment of KPIs and operating effectiveness metrics, and coordinate with the Head of FCC and AML & Sanctions Governance and Policy Lead to ensure transparency and escalation as appropriate within the FCC Governance & Risk Management Framework.
• Advance the transition from traditional sample reviews toward continuous, data‑enabled assurance by leveraging data analytics, system logs, and automated testing scripts to evaluate compliance control performance at the population level.
• Oversee the independent validation of system‑encoded controls, including transaction monitoring thresholds, screening logic, and customer risk‑rating models, ensuring systems function as intended without logic drift or hidden control gaps.
• Translate complex testing outcomes and thematic trends into clear, decision‑useful reporting for executive leadership and governance forums, providing constructive challenge to stakeholders and tracking the root‑cause remediation of control deficiencies.
• Represent the FCC monitoring and testing function during regulatory examinations, internal or external audits, and banking partner reviews, confidently defending testing methodologies and control evidence while scaling a technically fluent global team.

Who you are

We’re looking for people who meet the minimum requirements for this role. The preferred qualifications are great to have, but are not mandatory.

Minimum qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Law, Information Systems, Business Administration, or a related quantitative/analytical discipline.
• CAMS certification or an ICA International Diploma in Governance, Risk, and Compliance (or equivalent professional credential).
• 12 to 15+ years of experience within FCC quality assurance, compliance monitoring, internal audit, or a related second/third‑line control function inside a fintech, payments, or highly regulated banking environment.
• At least 5+ years leading a global or multi‑jurisdictional monitoring, testing, or control validation function at a senior level.
• Deep technical knowledge of financial crime controls across transaction monitoring, sanctions/PEP screening, customer due diligence, and digital KYC/KYB workflows.
• Proven mastery of risk‑based testing methodologies, including scoping, sampling, design and operating effectiveness assessments, issue writing, and remediation validation.
• A high‑ownership, pragmatic approach, with excellent written communication and stakeholder management skills to challenge senior partners constructively and drive operational accountability.

Preferred qualifications

• Advanced degree such as an MBA, Master’s in Regulatory Compliance, Risk Management, or a related field.
• Professional assurance or audit certifications such as CAMS‑Audit, CISA, or CIA.
• Deep fintech and platforms experience, including exposure to cloud‑native, API‑driven, high‑growth global environments with significant cross‑border transaction volume.
• Strong data literacy, including comfort using SQL, Python, BI dashboards, or automated tools to support continuous control validation and population‑based testing.
• Experience partnering directly with Product, Data Science, and Engineering teams to validate automated rules, model‑driven controls, and rapid deployments within an agile product lifecycle.

Equal opportunity

Airwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don’t regard colour, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.