Head of Financial Crime & Compliance

Job description

About Zepz

Zepz powers two leading global remittance brands, WorldRemit and Sendwave, to build the next generation of cross-border payments. Serving over 9 million customers across 4,000 corridors, Zepz is transforming how money moves across borders by making it faster, safer and more convenient. Its innovative digital solutions are designed to break down financial barriers and expand access to better financial tools. Zepz operates across a broad global footprint, connecting the global north and south and enabling migrants to support loved ones, fuel local economies and build better futures.

Come join us!

Zepz.io

Our Commitments:

1. We act like owners- We are relentlessly delivering for our users and spending money thoughtfully.
2. We embrace embarrassing honesty - We function best when we’re open and honest with one another — especially about our challenges and doubts.
3. We have a bias to action - We get to first outcomes quickly, iterate and learn.
4. We strive to be better - We may make mistakes, but always learn from them.
5. We are inclusive - to better reflect and serve our users.

What we are looking for:

We are seeking a dedicated Head of US Compliance and BSA Officer who enjoys working in a dynamic and fast-paced environment, who has experience with and likes to partner with the business to pursue new initiatives in a compliant yet pragmatic way. The Head of Compliance will be a key leader of our US compliance team and responsible for developing and overseeing the compliance framework across our US business. This role requires a seasoned compliance professional with experience in payments, card programs, digital assets, remittances, and a background in navigating both state and international strategy. The right candidate will bring a data driven and analytical mindset to drive sustainable growth of our US business.

Responsibilities

• Build out a world class US compliance program within Zepz Global Program, including team building, tooling, design, and structure to align with and enable a rapidly growing and dynamic business.
• Support our global product expansion strategy with a focus on creating a flexible and effective compliance organization.
• Conduct regular assessments in partnership with our global team to identify compliance risks associated with payments programs and digital asset offerings.
• Oversee the licensing process for state and international operations, ensuring adherence to all applicable regulations.
• Support and update US compliance policies related to Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Know Your Customer (KYC), data protection, and other relevant regulations.
• Support our US-specific training programs to enhance compliance awareness among employees and promote a culture of compliance throughout the organization.
• Establish monitoring systems to track and report compliance performance and prepare reports for senior management and the board.
• Develop, initiate, maintain, and revise policies and procedures to comply with regulatory requirements and communicate requirements to the associated personnel. Manage the day-to-day operation of the Compliance Management Program.
• Identifies potential areas of compliance vulnerability and risk; develop and implement correction actions plans for resolution as needed.
• Monitor and provide recommendations to the business regarding new product launches and the implementation of new rules and regulations.
• Ensures proper compliance reporting
• Report to senior management and the Board, providing updates on key AML-related compliance activities, trends, and risks.

What we’re looking for:

• Significant AML compliance experience within the fintech sector, with specific expertise in card programs, payments and/or digital assets.
• Strong regulatory understanding of state and international financial regulations, including those governing AML, KYC, and consumer protection laws, and how to effectively and pragmatically apply them.
• Proven ability to lead compliance initiatives and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Strong analytical skills to assess complex regulatory requirements and develop effective compliance strategies.
• Experience in building and managing a cohesive compliance team and program for a hyper growth company.
• Proven experience thriving in a fast-paced, high-volume work environment.
• Demonstrates resilience and composure under pressure, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and adapt swiftly to change.

What you’ll get from us

Please note that the benefits below will apply to permanent roles.

We have five core benefits for our talent in the US, UK, Philippines, Poland, and South Africa. specifically:

• Unlimited Annual Leave: Feel free to make the most of your time off and maintain a healthy work-life balance!
• Private Medical Cover: ​​You can opt-in to a Private Medical Insurance scheme. This provides you with access to thorough medical coverage, so you can feel confident in your health and well-being.
• Retirement: We offer pension schemes to help you plan for and secure your future.
• Life Assurance: Life assurance is available to give you peace of mind and protect your loved ones in case of the unexpected.
• Parental Leave: We offer competitive parental leave schemes to ensure you are spending as much quality time with your new bundle of joy as possible.

We are also remote-first as an organisation, offering flexibility for you to work where you need to be most productive. In addition to the above, you will discover that we have a range of secondary perks (such as the cycle-to-work scheme and employee discounts) depending on your location, to help you thrive at Zepz!

Why choose Zepz?

• Our team of over 1,000  employees is fully distributed across the world. We are working from coffee shops, homes, and co-working spaces — making us one of the larger fully distributed growth-stage startups in the world but we also offer workspace in our talent cluster locations - spaces we can meet, collaborate and connect.
• We are proud parents, community organizers, farmers, band members, yoga teachers, YouTube influencers, former Olympians, and serial entrepreneurs.
• We collectively speak over twenty languages, including Akuapem, Amharic, Bengali, Ewe, Fante, Ga, Igbo, Kalenjin, Luganda, Oromo, Somali, Swahili, Wolof, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish and Swedish.
• At Zepz, embodying our commitments binds us together. We are collectively passionate about striving to achieve our vision and purpose -  to continue to provide the best service to our users.

Ready to Apply?

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. If interested, please submit your resume along with a cover letter (optional), highlighting why your experience demonstrates you meet the requirements of the role. Please also indicate the countries in which you have work authorization.

Confidence can sometimes hold us back from applying for a job. But we’ll let you in on a secret: there’s no such thing as a ‘perfect’ candidate. Zepz is a place where everyone can thrive.

So however you identify and whatever background you bring with you, and if at all you might need any form of support to make the process as comfortable as possible, please let us know and give us a shot by applying. We want you to be excited to wake up to make an impact every day.