Deputy Head of UK Compliance & MLRO

About The Role:

Reporting directly to the Global Head of Compliance, you’ll serve as a key senior leader in the compliance team for our regulated entity Paysend PLC. As well as Deputy Head of UK Compliance you will be delegated responsibility as MLRO having second-line oversight of our compliance and financial crime framework.

This is a critical role requiring a blend of regulatory expertise, leadership, and pragmatic problem-solving to help us stay ahead in an evolving payments landscape. You’ll collaborate closely with senior leadership, the Board, the regulators, and internal stakeholders, balancing regulatory requirements with commercial realities to drive sustainable growth.

What You'll Do (Responsibilities): Regulatory Compliance & Risk Oversight:

• Lead day-to-day compliance operations across the UK business, including oversight of financial crime controls, KYC/KYB processes, transaction monitoring, and suspicious activity reporting.
• Own and evolve the Compliance Monitoring Plan and Financial Crime Risk Framework in line with FCA expectations (EMRs, PSRs, SYSC, JMLSG) and industry best practice.
• Act as MLRO, managing internal and external financial crime reporting, including drafting and submitting SARs.
• Maintain a strong regulatory relationship with the FCA and other relevant bodies, supporting regulatory reporting and supervisory interactions.

Governance & Reporting:

• Drive Board and Executive Committee reporting on compliance and financial crime risks, controls, and incidents.
• Provide senior-level advice on emerging regulatory developments and risks affecting the payments and e-money sector.
• Lead internal compliance reporting and assurance activities, working with Audit and Risk Committees.

People Leadership & Culture:

• Manage and develop a high-performing second-line compliance and financial crime team, supporting continuous learning and career growth.
• Foster a strong compliance culture across the business, working with first-line functions to drive ownership of risk and controls without compromising agility.

Cross-Functional Leadership:

• Partner with Product, Engineering, Operations, and Legal teams to embed compliance and financial crime requirements into new products and processes.
• Provide second-line oversight of first-line activities (but not direct operational management), ensuring risk ownership sits with the right teams.

What You’ll Need To Be Successful In This Role:

Must-Have Experience:

• 5–7+ years in a senior compliance role in the UK, ideally as an MLRO, Deputy MLRO, Senior Compliance Manager, or equivalent.
• Direct experience in UK FCA-regulated money transfer, e-money, or fintech environments (directly comparable firms preferred).
• In-depth working knowledge of EMRs, PSRs, AML/CTF obligations (MLRs 2017), JMLSG guidance, and relevant FCA handbooks.
• Proven success designing and scaling compliance and AML frameworks in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Strong expertise in KYC (both retail and corporate / KYB)
• Strong expertise in screening practices (PEPs, sanctions, adverse media), with a detailed understanding of the UK sanction regimes and programs that affect it.
• Strong experience of building transaction monitoring and fraud prevention controls using proprietary and third party systems.
• Comfortable interacting with the FCA and presenting to the Board and senior leadership teams.

Key Competencies:

• Proactive, commercially-minded, and pragmatic approach to compliance and risk management.
• Strong leadership and mentoring skills, able to inspire and develop junior team members.
• A desire to be both hands on and drive oversight and team ownership
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Ability to manage ambiguity and competing priorities in a fast-moving environment.

Desirable:

• ICA, ACAMS, or equivalent compliance/AML qualifications.
• Experience with global payments, cross-border money movement, E-money, Enterprise and correspondent relationships, international card schemes.
• Prior experience working in a scale-up or high-growth fintech environment.

Why Join Paysend?

• Make a Global Impact: Directly impact millions of users worldwide
• Accelerate Your Career: Benefit from internal mobility, mentoring programs, and continuous learning opportunities
• Thrive in a Connected, Global Organization: Collaborate with colleagues across our international hubs and more
• Embrace a Principle-Driven & Focused Culture: Work in an organization guided by strong principles and values that actually help you achieve more than you thought possible
• Enjoy Competitive Compensation and Benefits: Receive a competitive salary, benefits, and flexible work arrangements