Director, Sanctions

The role

You will own and elevate the global sanctions strategy, policy framework, and second-line governance. You will lead a high-performing team of sanctions managers and subject matter experts to scale a global sanctions programme.

What you will do

• Own and elevate global sanctions strategy, policy framework, and second-line governance.
• Provide independent second-line oversight of customer, payment, and counterparty screening operations.
• Act as the global second-line escalation point for complex sanctions nexus determinations and high-risk approvals.
• Partner with Data, Product, and Engineering to co-design and validate screening algorithms and AI/ML systems.
• Lead the roadmap to modernise sanctions screening through AI-assisted workflows and automated detection.
• Lead regulatory examinations, supervisory inquiries, and due diligence reviews.
• Monitor geopolitical developments, sanctions evasion typologies, and enforcement trends.
• Report sanctions programme health and emerging risk trends to executive leadership and the board.
• Lead, inspire, and scale a high-performing team of sanctions managers and subject matter experts.

Required qualifications

• 12+ years of dedicated experience in sanctions compliance and financial crime risk management.
• Executive leadership experience managing cross-regional teams in a second-line-of-defence or global policy capacity.
• Deep expertise in global cross-border payments, multi-currency account structures, foreign exchange, platform or embedded finance, or digital asset ecosystems.
• Expert knowledge of global sanctions regimes including OFAC, the EU, UK OFSI, the UN, MAS, HKMA, and AUSTRAC.
• Experience providing independent oversight of customer, payment, and counterparty screening operations.
• A track record of evaluating, tuning, or deploying modern sanctions technology.
• Experience partnering with Product and Engineering teams to operationalise regulatory requirements.
• Hands-on experience leading regulatory examinations and managing voluntary disclosures.
• Exceptional communication skills to influence leaders and defend risk positions to regulators.
• A bachelor’s degree.

Nice to have

• Certified Sanctions Specialist (CGSS), CAMS, or equivalent professional designation.
• An advanced degree, such as a Juris Doctor, master’s degree, or degree in a technical or quantitative discipline.

About the company

Airwallex is an AI-native financial operating system for a real-time, intelligent economy. It provides financial infrastructure spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.