Strategic Programs Lead, Financial Crime Compliance

ABOUT AIRWALLEX Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 250,000 businesses worldwide – including Brex, Rippling, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more – with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale. Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,300 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 27 offices around the globe. Valued at US$11 billion and backed by world-leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Visa, Mastercard, Robinhood Ventures, Sequoia, Salesforce Ventures, DST Global, and Lone Pine Capital, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If you’re ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us. ATTRIBUTES WE VALUE We hire successful builders with founder-like energy who want real impact, accelerated learning, and true ownership. You bring strong role-related expertise and sharp thinking, and you’re motivated by our mission and operating principles https://www.airwallex.com/us/operating-principles. You move fast with good judgment, dig deep with curiosity, and make decisions from first principles, balancing speed and rigor. You're humble and collaborative; turn zero‑to‑one ideas into real products, and you “get stuff done” end-to-end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here, you’ll tackle complex, high‑visibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking. If that sounds like you, let’s build what’s next. ABOUT THE TEAM The Financial Crime Compliance team builds and oversees Airwallex’s global financial crime framework across AML/CTF, sanctions, risk assessment, FCC operations, monitoring and testing, and investigations. The team works closely with Product, Operations, Risk, Regulatory Legal & Compliance, and regional MLROs to make sure our controls are well designed, practical, and effective as Airwallex scales globally. WHAT YOU'LL DO As Strategic Programs Lead, Financial Crime Compliance, you’ll lead a multi-year effort to strengthen Airwallex’s global financial crime framework as we scale across products and regions. This is a new role with broad scope: you’ll shape the target operating model, improve processes and systems, and bring stronger discipline to FCC-wide change. You’ll be the central connector across senior leaders and cross-functional teams, making sure work is practical, well sequenced, and built to stick in BAU. This role is hybrid. Based in New York. RESPONSIBILITIES: - Lead a global, multi-year FCC transformation across operating model, process, systems, testing, and controls. - Build and drive the roadmap, with clear sequencing across priorities, dependencies, and risks. - Use AI, automation, and data tools to improve FCC program tracking, reporting, and delivery across complex global workstreams. - Run disciplined governance across working groups, SteerCos, RAID, and executive updates. - Work hands-on with FCC and cross-functional leaders to turn complexity into clear plans, decisions, and action. - Define success measures, evidence progress, and lead smooth transition into BAU. WHO YOU ARE We’re looking for people who meet the minimum requirements for this role. The preferred qualifications are great to have, but are not mandatory. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: - 10 years leading large, multi-workstream transformation programs in financial services or fintech. - Direct experience in financial crime program change across areas such as AML/CTF, sanctions, FCC operations, and monitoring and testing. - Practical experience using AI, automation, and modern tools to improve program planning, reporting, and execution in complex environments. - A track record of delivering multiple global or multi-…