Director, Financial Crime Risk Ops

Responsibilities

• Lead the Financial Crime Risk Operations organization, owning the vision, strategy, and execution for transaction monitoring, investigations, sanctions screening, and fraud risk operations.
• Build and develop high-performing, multi-country teams by setting clear OKRs and establishing effective operating rhythms.
• Oversee day-to-day operations, including alert handling and investigations, ensuring high-quality decisions that balance risk with customer experience.
• Design and continuously improve SOPs, playbooks, and control frameworks in partnership with Risk Product and Engineering teams.
• Partner closely with 2LOD Financial Crime Compliance, Legal, and Regulatory teams to implement policy and support regulatory exams or audits.
• Drive continuous improvement through automation and data analytics to optimize performance metrics such as cycle times and false positive rates.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in financial crime risk or fraud operations, including leadership of multi-country teams within banks or fintechs.
• Deep subject matter expertise in AML/CTF, sanctions, fraud, KYC, transaction monitoring, and investigations.
• Proven track record of designing and managing robust control frameworks and audit-ready documentation.
• Strong experience partnering with 2LOD FCC/MLROs, Legal, and Product teams to implement risk policies and manage escalations.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to distill complex risk topics for senior executives and regulators.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience; professional certifications such as CAMS or ICA are highly regarded.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience operating within global payments or cross-border financial platforms across multiple jurisdictions.
• Success in driving the evolution of risk tooling and rule-sets alongside data science and engineering teams.
• Experience engaging directly with regulators or law enforcement regarding financial crime or fraud matters.
• Background working in high-growth, API-first environments.

About the Company

Airwallex is a unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 200,000 businesses worldwide—including Brex, Rippling, and Qantas—with integrated solutions for business accounts, payments, spend management, and treasury. Headquartered in Melbourne with over 2,200 employees across 26 offices, Airwallex is building the future of global banking.