Senior Director, AML & Sanctions, Governance & Policy

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 250000 businesses worldwide including Brex Navan Qantas SHEIN and many more 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 2300 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 27 offices around the globe. Valued at US$11 billion and backed by world-leading investors including T. Rowe Price Visa Mastercard Robinhood Ventures Sequoia Salesforce Ventures DST Global and Lone Pine Capital Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If youre ready to do the most ambitious work of your career join us.

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 youre 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.

Youre humble and collaborative; turn zerotoone ideas into real products and you get stuff done end-to-end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here youll tackle complex highvisibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking. If that sounds like you lets build whats next.

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 youll do

As Senior Director AML & Sanctions Governance & Policy you will shape and scale Airwallexs 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. You will 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. You will 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 New York or London.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the evolution and maintenance of Airwallexs 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 including risk acceptance & governance structure 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 Boards 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 Airwallexs growth with technology-enabled compliance oversight.

Who you are

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

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelors 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 Masters 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 payment mechanisms virtual accounts multi-currency wallets or multi-entity regulated groups.

• Experience partnering directly with Product Data Science and Engineering teams to hardcode policy thresholds into automated transaction monitoring screening and onboarding workflows.

• Strong data literacy and a clear bias toward digital modernization including the use of automated GRC systems dashboards and technology-enabled tools to improve compliance office efficiency.

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 @ email address. Please apply only through or our official LinkedIn page.

Airwallex does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms/recruiters. Airwallex will not pay any fees to search firms/recruiters if a candidate is submitted by a search firm/recruiter unless an agreement has been entered into with respect to specific open position(s). Search firms/recruiters submitting resumes to Airwallex on an unsolicited basis shall be deemed to accept this condition regardless of any other provision to the contrary.

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 dont regard color 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.

Required Experience:

Exec