Global Lead of AML & Sanctions, Governance & Policy in London

About Airwallex

Airwallex is a unified payments and financial platform for global businesses.

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. 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

• 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, establishing the risk management framework, and overseeing design and execution of the enterprise risk assessment.
• Define the methodology, thresholds, and data‑scoring models used to identify and mitigate financial crime risks globally, partnering with Product, Data Science, and Engineering executives to embed automated compliance controls into the proprietary platform.
• Translate complex compliance data, issues, and audit findings into clear, decision‑useful reporting for executive leadership and the Board’s Audit and Risk Committee, establishing clear protocols for material risk escalations.
• Oversee the strategy for regulatory examination defense and disclosure governance, ensuring the team delivers uniform, legally defensible evidence portfolios to global regulators and external clearing partners.
• Drive a unified, risk‑aware compliance culture across the organization by establishing the strategic vision for global financial crime training and capability building from engineering to sales teams.
• 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, supporting Airwallex’s growth with technology‑enabled compliance oversight.

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 (e.g., ICA International Diploma in AML).
• 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 to influence cross‑functional executives and board audiences.

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 (Certified Global Sanctions Specialist), or CAMS‑RM (Risk Management).
• Deep fintech and payments experience, including a strong understanding of cross‑border.