Director of FCC Operations

Job description

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 250,000 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 2,300 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 you’re ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us. 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 https://www.airwallex.com/us/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. If that sounds like you, let’s build what’s next. 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 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 As Global Lead of FCC Operations, you will shape and scale Airwallex’s second-line operational advisory and escalation capability globally, ensuring compliance policies are translated into practical, consistent execution. Leading a team of embedded subject matter experts across core FCC control functions (KYC, TM, Sanctions)core compliance disciplines, you will serve as the final decision-maker for complex Level 3 escalations, ensure the consistent application of our global policy framework, and turn policies into localized standard operating procedures. You will work closely with the FCC Strategy team, frontline operations leaders, and regional MLROs to turn complex compliance requirements into clear operational action, while building a strong, risk-aware culture across our operational execution teams. This role is based in the US or EMEA. Responsibilities - Lead and scale a global second-line team of embedded compliance subject matter experts across four core disciplines: Transaction Monitoring, KYC/KYB, Sanctions, and Suspicious Activity Reporting (SMR/STR/SAR). - Serve as the final second-line decision-maker for complex Level 3 compliance escalations, providing independent adjudication on high-risk customer offboarding, account restrictions, and material transaction holds. - Operationalize global FCC policies, frameworks, and methodologies into clear, localized Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), in consultation with Global Policy and Local MLROs, to ensure consistent compliance execution across all geographies within the Airwallex footprint. - Oversee the training, calibration, and compliance standards for frontline (L1/L2) operations teams, ensuring the consistent application of policies and driving effective remediation of execution gaps. - Partner closely with FCC Strategy, Investigations & FIU, Risk Product, and Engineering to continuously improve compliance workflows, case management tooling, and automated triage systems, ensuring operational processes adapt to business growth. - Represent FCC operations in regulatory examinations, internal or external audits, and banking partner reviews, clearly presenting case decision rationales, operational procedures, and performance metrics. 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, Business Administration, or another relevant analytical discipline. - CAMS or an equivalent globally recognized financial crime compliance certification. - 12 to 15+ years of experience in financial crime compliance, risk management, or compliance operations within financial services, fintech, payments, or banking. - At least 5+ years leading a global or multi-jurisdictional compliance advisory, escalation, or operational oversight function at a senior level. - Deep domain expertise across core compliance pillars, specifically transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, customer due diligence, and suspicious activity reporting workflows. - Proven experience translating compliance policies into practical operational procedures, training programs, and quality calibration frameworks. - A high-ownership, pragmatic approach, with the ability to navigate a fast-paced environment, collaborate cross-functionally, and communicate effectively with senior leadership and external partners. Preferred qualifications - Advanced degree such as an MBA, Master’s in Regulatory Compliance, or JD. - Professional certification such as CAMS-Audit, CGSS, or equivalent risk designations. - Deep fintech and payments experience, including exposure to cross-border payments, virtual accounts, and multi-currency wallets within a high-velocity environment. - Strong data literacy and comfort using operational metrics, BI dashboards, and automated tools to track quality, detect control drift, and manage capacity. - Experience partnering directly with Product and Engineering teams to optimize compliance workflows, case management tooling, and rule deployments in production environments. 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 http://airwallex.com email address. Please apply only through careers.airwallex.com http://careers.airwallex.com 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. 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 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.