Compliance Lead

Wise is a global technology company, building the best way to move and manage the world’s money.
Min fees. Max ease. Full speed.

Whether people and businesses are sending money to another country, spending abroad, or making and receiving international payments, Wise is on a mission to make their lives easier and save them money.

As part of our team, you will be helping us create an entirely new network for the world's money.
For everyone, everywhere.

More about our mission and what we offer.

Wise are looking for an experienced Compliance Lead to join our Compliance team, based in our Johannesburg office. We’re looking for a customer minded and goal-oriented leader to help us on our way to achieving our mission.

As a compliance lead,  you’ll have a significant opportunity for impact from owning the build and maintenance of the compliance programme  to defining the compliance strategy that protects our customers and helps our products scale. To achieve this, you will work with a growing team of multidisciplinary specialists (Product, Treasury, Bank Product, Security, Privacy and operations) to help build world class products in South Africa. You will also manage and strengthen the teams’ relationships with regulators by being the Regulator’s first point of contact, keeping everybody informed and protecting our most valuable asset - our customers.

Oversight:

• Oversight of all regulatory developments in scope of Wise’s operations in South Africa, working with internal teams for appropriate awareness and implementation of South African regulatory framework requirements.

• Build/Improve the Compliance Programme in line with regulations and our mission to be instant, convenient, transparent and eventually free.

• Maintain our regulatory licence and applications in South Africa and act as the Regulatory liaison owning all regulatory reporting  processes, regulatory queries and feedback 

• Ensure appropriate training to the company senior management and the board of directors on the AML/CFT and other regulatory matters as applicable.

• Setup and maintain Compliance monthly review reports to ensure appropriate challenge  of first line processes.

Governance:

• Localising the compliance policies including AML policy and KYC/CDD guidelines and update as required pursuant to new developments in regulations.

• Verify and monitor the existence of relevant controls related to the integrity and quality of the information transmitted to the FIU within the framework of the SAR reports.

• Report to the Board of Directors or equivalent on the health of financial crime and regulatory compliance, and advise the board with any emerging issue within the compliance program.

Monitoring & Testing:

• Ensure the effectiveness of the compliance programme through regular testing and monitoring. 

• Regularly assess the money laundering and terrorist financing risk management and corresponding controls  as well as the effectiveness and design  of these measures reduce these risks.

• Review & authorise relationships with high-risk customers as required.

• Develop systems to track and monitor our regulatory and financial crime risks, compliance with regulatory requirements and internal policies.

• Build trust with our regulator: manage and coordinate meaningful reporting internally and externally, respond to information requests, and proactively communicate product changes and notifiable events. 

This role will give you the opportunity to:

• Develop an in-depth knowledge of Wise’s business and get to know many teams across the company as you liaise with them to help them understand the regulatory framework and bring together the information that our regulators need.

• Help keep compliance right at the heart of our product developments and new initiatives by horizon-scanning for new regulatory developments and sharing these with the teams.

Requirements:

• Solid background and knowledge  in the South African regulatory framework, including all related Financial crime and regulatory obligations 

• Growth Mindset - you are passionate about expanding and growing  Wise, in a compliant, solutions-driven manner.

• Will have a proven track record of leading and building effective teams with diverse skill sets and broad functional expertise.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including teams outside of the compliance function.

• Excellent negotiator with the ability to bring teams and people with diverse ways of thinking together

• Ability to work in a fast-paced and time sensitive environment, and handle multiple tasks simultaneously

• Travel. You must be able to travel to London and/or other operational hubs as required. 

For everyone, everywhere. We're people building money without borders  — without judgement or prejudice, too. We believe teams are strongest when they are diverse, equitable and inclusive.

We're proud to have a truly international team, and we celebrate our differences.
Inclusive teams help us live our values and make sure every Wiser feels respected, empowered to contribute towards our mission and able to progress in their careers.

If you want to find out more about what it's like to work at Wise visit Wise.Jobs.

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