US Managing Director

What will I be doing?

• Regulatory & Governance Leadership
• Act as the designated senior executive and statutory point of accountability with US regulators (State Money Transmission authorities, NMLS, federal agencies, and where relevant digital asset supervisors) and banking partners regarding the U.S. entity, and coordinate with group leadership on significant regulatory matters for the US entity.
• Lead, coach, and develop the senior leadership team, setting clear objectives and accountability.
• Oversight of full compliance with BSA/AML, consumer protection, safeguarding, reporting, and prudential obligations.
• Represent the entity in regulatory inspections, audits, and enforcement discussions, along with the Chief Compliance Officer/BSA Officer.
• Maintain audit-ready documentation, strong governance frameworks, and clear escalation channels to the local Board.
• Maintain strong communication channels with group leadership, ensuring transparency on U.S. performance, risk, issues, and opportunities.​
• Establish and maintain a strong culture of ethics, compliance, customer focus, and operational excellence.
• Executive & Operational Ownership
• Own the US operating model, local strategy, and execution roadmap across payments, money transmission, and digital asset activities, including defining and executing the business plan, and budget in line with local targets and risk appetite.
• Translate global product, technology, and market strategies into U.S.-specific roadmaps, ensuring regulatory and market fit.
• Build and optimize scalable processes, KPIs, and SLAs for core operations, ensuring reliability, speed, and cost efficiency.
• Oversee operational risk management, including fraud prevention, transaction monitoring (in partnership with Compliance), vendor management, and business continuity planning.
• Partner with Product and Technology to improve systems, automation, and controls for money movement, reporting, and regulatory compliance.
• Hold end-to-end accountability for operational performance, risk management, and control effectiveness.
• Establish governance structures, committees, management reporting, and decision rights aligned with regulatory expectations.
• Lead and scale cross-functional teams across Compliance, Risk, Finance, Treasury, Operations, and Technology.
• Financial and Business Management
• Manage the P&L of the U.S. entity, delivering growth, profitability, and capital efficiency within Board‑approved plans.
• Evaluate and negotiate key US commercial agreements with banking partners, processors, and vendors to ensure sustainable economics and compliant structures.
• Provide timely, accurate reporting and insights to the Board and investors on financial performance, risk, and strategic initiatives.
• Licensing & Expansion
• Lead licensing strategy and execution for new states and new regulated activities.
• Build repeatable, auditable playbooks for regulatory submissions, exams, incident handling, complaints, and ongoing supervisory engagement, including reviewing and approving major compliance policies, risk appetite statements, and remediation initiatives related to money transmission activities.
• Ensure readiness for future inspections and regulatory growth.
• Ensure the company maintains all required state money transmitter licenses, crypto-related licenses (where applicable), registrations, and approvals, in coordination with the Chief Compliance Officer and legal counsel.

What skills do I need?

• U.S. residency and permanent work eligibility.
• Located in the United States
• 6+ years leadership experience in fintech/payments or regulated financial services, with experience launching or scaling a US money transmitter or a closely related business.
• Strong background in money transmission, remittances, payment processing, e‑wallets, crypto, and/or similar businesses where funds movement and licensing are core.
• Prior experience working closely with U.S. state regulators and/or federal regulators on licensing, exams, and ongoing supervision strongly preferred.
• Prior experience as CEO, COO, General Manager, or equivalent business line leader with P&L responsibility and demonstrated success scaling a regulated financial or payments business.
• Solid understanding of U.S. state money transmitter laws, BSA/AML, OFAC sanctions, KYC/KYB, and applicable consumer protection requirements.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with a Chief Compliance Officer/BSA Officer and legal counsel to design, implement, and enhance compliance programs.
• Familiarity with Board governance and audit-readiness in a regulated context.
• Strong operational execution skills; comfortable building from “zero to one”.
• Excellent communication and relationship‑building skills with Boards, regulators, banks, and strategic partners.
• Spanish proficiency is an advantage.
 
• Preferred Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, economics, engineering, law, or a related discipline required; advanced degree (MBA, JD, or similar) preferred.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., CAMS, CRCM, PMP) are a plus, especially where they complement strong compliance and operational leadership.