Senior Director, AML & Sanctions, Governance & Policy

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. Valued at US$8 billion and backed by world‑leading investors, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future.

Attributes We Value

We hire successful builders with founder‑like energy who want real impact, accelerated learning, and true ownership. You bring strong role‑related expertise and sharp thinking, and you're motivated by our mission and operating principles. You move fast with good judgment, dig deep with curiosity, and make decisions from first principles, balancing speed and rigor. You're humble and collaborative; turn zero‑to‑one ideas into real products, and you "get stuff done" end‑to‑end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here, you'll tackle complex, high‑visibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking.

About the Team

The Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) team at Airwallex is a strategically vital function operating under a clear Three Lines of Defense model. As the independent second line, FCC owns the global AML/CTF program, 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 organization capable of managing complex financial crime risks at scale.

What you'll do

• Shape and scale Airwallex's global financial crime policy and risk‑based program, establish risk appetite and design global risk assessment processes, and define governance frameworks, ensuring compliance is a strategic enabler of growth.
• Establish the baseline core compliance standards while guiding regional adaptations.
• Oversee definition of controls across the FCC control framework, strengthen executive risk reporting, oversee risk‑informed product engineering, and defend the integrity of the platform before global regulators and institutional partners.
• Work closely with the Chief Regulatory and Compliance Officer, Global Head of FCC and senior leaders across the business to turn complex compliance trends into clear action, and shape strategic priorities and initiatives while scaling a high‑performing, multi‑disciplinary global team.

This role is based in the US or EMEA.

Responsibilities

• Lead the evolution and maintenance of Airwallex's Global Core FCC Policy Framework, ensuring the compliance baseline meets the expectations of global regulators while supporting business growth and regional scalability.
• Lead the definition and oversight of the FCC governance model and risk management framework, including establishment of risk appetite incorporating business strategy.
• Define the methodology, thresholds, and data‑scoring models used to identify and mitigate financial crime risks globally.
• Translate complex compliance data, issues, and audit findings into clear, decision‑useful reporting for executive leadership and the Board's Audit and Risk Committee.
• Oversee the strategy for regulatory examination defense and disclosure governance.
• Drive a unified, risk‑aware compliance culture across the organization.
• Support the Global Head of FCC and Chief Regulatory and Compliance Officer in setting and overseeing strategic FCC program priorities and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Build and lead a high‑performing global second line team of compliance attorneys, quantitative risk modelers, policy writers, and governance managers.

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 Law, Criminology, Public Policy, Finance, Business Administration, International Relations, or a related analytical field.
• CAMS certification or an equivalent globally recognized compliance credential.
• 12 to 15+ years of experience in AML, Sanctions, and Financial Crime Compliance within financial services, fintech, payments, or banking.
• At least 5+ years leading a global or multi‑jurisdictional compliance policy, governance, or risk methodology function at a senior level.
• Proven experience designing enterprise‑wide risk assessment frameworks and maintaining highly centralized global policies with localized regional addenda.
• Demonstrated experience preparing risk papers and leading the defense during high‑stakes regulatory examinations and internal or external audits.
• A high‑ownership, pragmatic approach, with excellent written communication and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred qualifications

• Advanced degree such as a Juris Doctor (JD), Master of Laws (LLM), or a Master's degree in Regulatory Compliance or Financial Crime.
• Advanced professional designations such as CAMS‑Audit, CGSS, or CAMS‑RM.
• Deep fintech and payments experience, including a strong understanding of cross‑border payment mechanisms.
• Experience partnering directly with Product, Data Science, and Engineering teams.
• Strong data literacy and a clear bias toward digital modernization.

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.