Compliance | Head of Compliance | Singapore

At Flowdesk, we are building the infrastructure powering the next era of global finance. As a full-service digital asset trading and technology firm, we provide liquidity solutions, OTC trading, and market infrastructure that connect digital assets to global markets with institutional-grade precision, transparency, and scale. Flowdesk combines expertise from traditional finance, algorithmic trading, and blockchain technology to deliver always-on trading capabilities across the digital asset ecosystem.

Founded in 2020, we are a global team supporting institutions, exchanges, and token issuers to enable a tokenized financial markets ecosystem.

Why join Flowdesk? You’ll be joining a company operating at the intersection of finance, technology, and crypto; solving complex market problems, building critical infrastructure, and helping shape how digital assets connect to global liquidity. We move fast, think long term, and work with a strong ownership mindset across engineering, trading, product, operations, and business teams.

Compliance at Flowdesk sits at the core of how we operate. The Compliance team owns our regulatory obligations across all licensed entities — setting policy, managing regulator relationships, maintaining our licensing requirements, and ensuring controls are embedded across business processes. The team partners closely with Legal and business functions, while retaining independent authority to escalate and enforce standards where required.

The incumbent will join the global compliance leadership team, contributing to — and helping shape — our worldwide compliance and anti-financial crime strategy. In the near term, they will work alongside our Legal team and external counsel to advance Singapore regulatory applications, lead regulatory engagement with regulators, and further enhancing our compliance framework. Upon licence receipt, they will have full ownership of Singapore Compliance and Anti-Financial Crime.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and drive the compliance contribution to Singapore regulatory applications
• Own Singapore Compliance and Anti-Financial Crime space, to include, but not limited to AML Risk Assessments, Travel Rule Compliance, blockchain analytics configuration
• Manage and own local third line requirements
• Actively manage the regulatory reporting into regulators and SONAR
• Own the compliance and AML board reporting; Co-chair of local Risk & Compliance Committee
• Lead local collaboration with central Internal Control Function
• Own and be responsible for local policies and procedures

Must Have

• Minimum ten years of compliance experience, ideally gained within a MAS-authorised financial institution, with at least four years specifically in crypto compliance — preferably from a crypto exchange or token issuer.
• At least five years in a compliance leadership role that extends beyond financial crime, encompassing board-level reporting, management of and engagement with third line assurance, and ownership of a broad compliance programme.
• Demonstrable experience supporting the design and deployment of new products, acting as a genuine enabler whilst ensuring regulatory obligations are met from inception.
• Ability to hold the tension between regulatory requirements and commercial ambition — protecting the firm without becoming a barrier to growth.
• Thorough understanding of the three lines of defence model and how to make it work in practice, including where the boundaries sit, how handoffs should operate, and how to maintain independence without creating friction.
• ACAMs certified, or equivalent, Blockchain analytics accreditation

Preferred

• Deep understanding of market surveillance and market abuse controls, with the ability to design, challenge and oversee frameworks that are both technically robust and operationally effective.
• Demonstrated capacity to operate at both strategic and operational levels, with a track record of translating vision into results through direct, hands-on involvement.
• Hands-on experience with blockchain analytics tools, including the ability to trace transactions, construct activity graphs and draw meaningful conclusions that inform compliance decisions.
• Proven ability to operate within a global compliance function, working effectively across jurisdictions and leveraging centralised shared services without losing sight of local regulatory nuance.
• A data-driven mindset — instinctively turning to evidence and analytics to inform compliance judgements, identify risk and support defensible decision-making.

Person Profile

• Must have a curious mindset and clearly be able to demonstrate that perfection should never get in the way of good
• Must have the ability to see all compliance risks from a big picture perspective and simultaneously be able to view risk at granular level
• Be ready and willing to accept challenge - Compliance cannot evolve if challenge is never present. Challenge is welcomed from direct reports and from reporting line
• Not afraid to speak up - we don’t want passengers, we want leaders
• Not afraid to lead by example  - which will mean rolling ones sleeves up and getting ones hands dirty
• Builder mindset  // Track record of delivering compliance solutions to regulatory challenges, business challenges and client challenges

Company Culture & Values

• Take Action & Own the Mission
• Be of Service & Contribute
• Innovate, Create Value, & Be Courageous
• Act with Integrity & Respect

• International environment (English is the main language)
• 100% health coverage
• Team events and offsites
• Company Pension scheme
• Learning and Development budget

Are you interested in this job but feel you haven't ticked all the boxes? Don't hesitate to apply and tell us in the cover letter section why we should meet!

Here's what you can expect if you apply

• Initial screening with TA
• CCO - Hiring Manager - general compliance technical
• Take-home assignment
• General Counsel - local knowledge and cultural fit
• COO & Co-Founder interview
• Final interview with Head of TA/Talent Strategy

On the agenda, discussions rather than trick questions! These moments of exchange will allow you to understand how Flowdesk works and its values. But they are also (and above all) an opportunity for you to present your career path and your expectations for your next job!

We are committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments or have specific needs to enable you to participate fully in the interview or assessment process (e.g., a sign language interpreter, extra time for a test, or an accessible location), please contact us to discuss how we can support you.