Head of AML Risk Assessments, Trends & Controls
San Francisco Bay Area (Hybrid)

About the Company
We are partnering with a leading global fintech that is entering the U.S. market for the first time. With a massive international presence and deep expertise in digital payments, remittances, and financial services, the firm is now building its U.S. operations to align with regulatory expectations while maintaining the speed and innovation that have made it a global leader.

About the Role
The company is seeking a Head of AML Risk Assessments, Trends & Controls to establish a comprehensive framework for assessing financial crime risks, identifying emerging trends, and ensuring controls are fit-for-purpose across multiple business lines and jurisdictions. This is a strategic global role that will provide senior leadership with critical insights into evolving risk exposures, control effectiveness, and emerging typologies.

This role will begin as an individual contributor position, with the opportunity to build out additional capacity as the U.S. business grows. The successful candidate must be based in the San Francisco Bay Area and able to work in a hybrid capacity. Payments industry experience is a non-negotiable requirement.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the enterprise-wide AML risk assessment framework for the U.S. business, in alignment with global standards.
• Analyze financial crime trends, regulatory developments, and typologies to proactively identify risks across products, geographies, and customer segments.
• Partner with product, operations, and engineering teams to evaluate the adequacy of existing controls and recommend enhancements.
• Coordinate with global counterparts to harmonize risk assessment methodologies and ensure consistency across jurisdictions.
• Conduct thematic reviews and provide thought leadership on emerging AML risk areas, including payment flows, customer types, and geographic exposures.
• Deliver actionable reporting and risk dashboards to senior management, governance committees, and regulators.
• Support remediation and risk mitigation initiatives by identifying gaps, testing corrective actions, and validating control effectiveness.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation of methodologies, findings, and ongoing risk assessments.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of AML, BSA/Financial Crimes, or Compliance experience within the payments industry (required).
• Expertise in AML enterprise risk assessments, control frameworks, and thematic reviews.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to synthesize large amounts of data into actionable insights.
• Knowledge of evolving AML typologies, regulatory expectations, and industry best practices.
• Experience collaborating with global stakeholders across compliance, product, risk, and operations.
• Excellent communication and reporting skills, with the ability to present complex findings to executives and regulators.
• Comfortable starting as an individual contributor, with the potential to expand scope and team as the U.S. footprint grows.
• Must be located in the San Francisco Bay Area and able to work in a hybrid office model.