At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead compliance initiatives and safeguard financial integrity in a dynamic fintech environment.
- Company: Join Airwallex, a global leader in payments and financial solutions.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, diverse team, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on global finance while developing your career.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in financial crime compliance and strong regulatory knowledge.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with a focus on innovation and ethical conduct.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
About Airwallex
Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 200,000 businesses worldwide with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale. Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,000 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 26 offices around the globe.
About the Team
The Legal, Risk & Compliance (LRC) team at Airwallex is a collaborative group of legal minds and risk management experts. We are passionate about safeguarding Airwallex's operations, fostering a culture of compliance and ethical conduct, and ensuring we navigate the global financial landscape with integrity. We provide expert guidance and support to all areas of the business, proactively identifying, mitigating, and managing legal and financial risks.
The Role
As the Compliance Manager & UK Deputy MLRO, you will be a senior member of the EMEA Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) team and a key second-line advisor for Airwallex's UK business. You will help design and uplift our AML/CTF and broader financial crime compliance program in line with UK Money Laundering Regulations, FCA guidance, and Airwallex's global standards. Your focus will be on policies, procedures, Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR), and the continuous improvement of FCC processes. You will work cross-functionally with Product, Commercial, Operations, Data, and Legal colleagues to ensure our controls effectively prevent, detect, and report financial crime while enabling sustainable growth.
Key Responsibilities
- Program Development: Develop and maintain UK FCC policies, standards, and detailed procedures (e.g., KYC/CDD, EDD, name-screening, transaction monitoring) in line with the UK MLRs, JMLSG guidance, and group-wide standards.
- BAU Oversight: Provide oversight of financial crime investigations arising from transaction monitoring alerts, name-screening hits, and internal referrals, ensuring robust documentation and appropriate escalation.
- SAR Management: Review and approve Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) submissions to the National Crime Agency (NCA), while leading the uplift of SAR/workflow design and quality assurance.
- Strategic Advisory: Lead cross-division work on high-risk customers and complex commercial deals, providing risk-based FCC advice to help structure controls that satisfy FCA and banking-partner expectations.
- Control Enhancement: Partner with Product and Data teams to enhance UK transaction-monitoring and name-screening controls (rule design, typology coverage) and remediate issues identified through internal or external audits.
- Governance & Reporting: Contribute to UK FCC governance by preparing high-quality Management Information (MI) for local leadership, risk committees, and the Board, including Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) and SAR metrics.
Who You Are
Minimum Qualifications:
- Education: Bachelor's Degree in Law, Finance, Business, or a related field.
- Experience: 5+ years of financial crime compliance experience in a financial institution, payment services, or fintech environment, with direct exposure to AML/CTF program execution.
- Regulatory Exposure: Demonstrated auditing/assurance background and prior experience interacting with regulators.
- UK Expertise: In-depth familiarity with UK AML/CTF laws (POCA, MLRs) and regulatory guidance, particularly as they apply to digital payments, cross-border flows and e-commerce use-cases.
- Operational Skills: Hands-on experience with SAR investigations and filing, managing transaction-monitoring and name-screening escalations end-to-end.
- Stakeholder Management: Ability to credibly engage and challenge senior internal stakeholders and external partners (e.g., banks, schemes, regulators).
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in payments, fintech, or e-commerce, supporting cross-border products, card issuing/acquiring or embedded finance use cases.
- Recognised professional certification in compliance or financial crime (e.g., CAMS, ICA Diploma).
- Experience operating within a global or regional FCC function, partnering across multiple jurisdictions and time zones.
- Prior exposure to sanctions, high-risk industry frameworks, and applying these to product design and onboarding.
Applicant Safety Policy: Fraud and Third-Party Recruiters
To protect you from recruitment scams, please be aware that Airwallex will not ask for bank details, sensitive ID numbers (i.e. passport), or any form of payment during the application or interview process. All official communication will come from an airwallex.com email address. Please apply only through careers.airwallex.com or our official LinkedIn page.
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.
Compliance Manager & Deputy MLRO (UK) in London employer: Airwallex
Contact Detail:
Airwallex Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Compliance Manager & Deputy MLRO (UK) in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, especially those at Airwallex. A friendly chat can open doors and give you insights that a job description just can't.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching Airwallex's values and recent news. Show us you’re not just another candidate; demonstrate your passion for compliance and how you can contribute to our mission.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your STAR technique for answering behavioural questions. We want to hear about your past experiences and how they’ve shaped your approach to compliance challenges.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining our team.
We think you need these skills to ace Compliance Manager & Deputy MLRO (UK) in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Compliance Manager role. Highlight your experience in financial crime compliance and how it aligns with our mission at Airwallex. We want to see how you can bring your unique skills to our team!
Showcase Your Expertise: Don’t hold back on showcasing your knowledge of UK AML/CTF laws and regulations. We’re looking for someone who knows their stuff, so make sure to include specific examples of how you've applied this expertise in previous roles.
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. We appreciate straightforward communication, so avoid jargon and focus on what makes you a great fit for the role. Remember, less is often more!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our careers page. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets to us without any hiccups. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining the Airwallex team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Airwallex
✨Know Your Compliance Stuff
Make sure you brush up on UK AML/CTF laws and regulations. Familiarise yourself with the specific compliance frameworks that Airwallex operates under, as well as their approach to financial crime. This will show that you're not just knowledgeable but also genuinely interested in the role.
✨Showcase Your Experience
Prepare to discuss your past experiences in financial crime compliance. Be ready to share specific examples of how you've handled SAR investigations or developed compliance programmes. Highlighting your hands-on experience will demonstrate your capability for the role.
✨Engage with the Team Spirit
Airwallex values collaboration, so be prepared to discuss how you've worked cross-functionally in previous roles. Share examples of how you've partnered with different teams to enhance compliance processes or tackle complex issues. This will show that you can fit into their team-oriented culture.
✨Ask Smart Questions
Prepare insightful questions about Airwallex's compliance strategies and future challenges in the financial landscape. This not only shows your interest but also your strategic thinking. It’s a great way to engage with your interviewers and leave a lasting impression.