Job Description
The LATAM Head of Compliance will lead as the senior executive for the design, execution, and supervision of our comprehensive compliance framework throughout Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru, prioritizing Argentina as our foundational market. This leadership position integrates direct operational oversight—encompassing KYC/onboarding, AML, and financial crime mitigation—with a strategic regulatory focus to satisfy all supervisory mandates across these four jurisdictions. Serving as the regional compliance liaison, the role facilitates alignment between the Chief Compliance Officer, Regulatory Directors, and local operations. We seek a professional with profound mastery of financial crime prevention and Latin American regulatory landscapes, capable of delivering scalable compliance solutions within the fast‑paced fintech and payments sector.
Job Requirements
* AML & Financial Crime Expertise: Deep, hands‑on knowledge of AML/CFT frameworks, transaction monitoring, SAR reporting, and sanctions screening within the LATAM region, with particular expertise in Argentine requirements (UIF, BCRA) and working knowledge of Peruvian (SBS), Colombian (UIAF/SFC), and Chilean (UAF/CMF) obligations.
* KYC & Onboarding: Proven ability to design and operationalise risk‑based KYC and customer due diligence programmes, including EDD, PEP, and adverse media processes, in a fintech or payments environment.
* Regulatory Knowledge: Strong understanding of LATAM financial services regulations applicable to payments, e‑money, and fintech businesses, including licensing, reporting, and conduct requirements.
* Analytical Thinking: Ability to assess complex compliance risks across multiple jurisdictions and translate them into clear, actionable frameworks and controls.
* Collaboration: Strong cross‑functional partnering skills, able to work effectively with technology, product, legal, and commercial teams to embed compliance into business processes.
* Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills in both English and Spanish, with the ability to present complex compliance matters to senior management, boards, and regulatory authorities.
* Integrity & Judgement: High ethical standards and sound judgement in navigating complex compliance decisions, with the confidence to elevate concerns and challenge the business where required.
Experience & Qualification Requirements
* Education: A degree in Law, Finance, or a related field is required. Relevant professional qualifications (e.g. CAMS, ICA, ACAMS) are highly desirable. Advanced proficiency in English and Spanish is required; Portuguese is a plus.
* Experience: Minimum of 8 years of compliance experience, with significant focus on AML, KYC, and financial crime prevention, ideally within the fintech, payments, or financial services sector. Deep expertise in Argentine compliance requirements is essential, with demonstrable experience across other LATAM jurisdictions.
* AML Track Record: Proven experience owning and managing AML programmes, including transaction monitoring, SAR reporting, and sanctions compliance, in a regulated financial services environment.
* KYC Experience: Hands‑on experience designing and running KYC and onboarding frameworks, including digital onboarding processes, in a fast‑paced fintech or payments business.
* Regulatory Experience: Demonstrated engagement with LATAM financial regulators, including managing examinations, regulatory submissions, and supervisory relationships across multiple jurisdictions.
* Sector Expertise: Experience in the international payments and fintech industry is highly advantageous, particularly with entities regulated across multiple LATAM jurisdictions.
* Flexibility: Ability to manage multiple compliance priorities simultaneously across four jurisdictions in a fast‑paced, evolving regulatory landscape.
Job Responsibilities
AML, Financial Crime & Sanctions Compliance
* Own and continuously enhance the company’s AML/CFT programme across Argentina, Peru, Colombia and Chile, ensuring alignment with FATF standards and local regulatory requirements, including UIF (Argentina), SBS (Peru), UIAF (Colombia) and UAF (Chile) obligations.
* Develop and maintain a robust transaction monitoring framework, including the calibration of detection rules, threshold‑setting, and alert management processes across all four LATAM markets.
* Oversee the preparation, review and timely submission of Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs/ROS) to the relevant financial intelligence units in each jurisdiction, ensuring quality and accuracy.
* Lead the implementation and maintenance of effective sanctions screening programmes, covering OFAC, UN, EU, and local sanctions lists applicable across the LATAM region.
* Manage periodic AML risk assessments at both entity and product level across all four markets, identifying emerging financial crime risks and implementing appropriate controls.
* Ensure adherence to record‑keeping, reporting and regulatory notification requirements under AML legislation in Argentina, Peru, Colombia and Chile.
* Act as the designated Compliance Officer (Oficial de Cumplimiento / Responsable de Cumplimiento) or equivalent where required under local law, fulfilling all associated regulatory obligations.
KYC, Customer Onboarding & Due Diligence
* Design, implement, and continuously improve the end‑to‑end customer onboarding and KYC framework across the LATAM region, ensuring risk‑based customer due diligence (CDD) and enhanced due diligence (EDD) processes meet local regulatory standards.
* Establish and maintain clear policies and procedures for customer risk classification, PEP screening, adverse media checks, and ongoing customer monitoring across Argentina, Peru, Colombia and Chile.
* Partner with product and technology teams to embed compliance requirements into digital onboarding journeys and KYC tools, balancing regulatory rigour with a frictionless customer experience.
* Oversee the management of correspondent and third‑party due diligence programmes, including assessment of fintech partners, payment processors, and agents across the region.
* Ensure periodic KYC refresh and customer lifecycle review processes are operational and effective in all four markets.
Regulatory Compliance & Licensing
* Monitor, interpret, and implement regulatory changes issued by BCRA, UIF, COELSA (Argentina), SBS (Peru), SFC (Colombia), and CMF (Chile), ensuring the company’s compliance frameworks are updated on a timely basis.
* Manage all regulatory reporting obligations, including periodic submissions to supervisory authorities, licensing conditions and ad‑hoc regulatory requests across the four LATAM jurisdictions.
* Support the maintenance and renewal of operating licences and registrations across the region, working closely with legal and regulatory teams to address any supervisory requirements.
* Provide regulatory compliance oversight for new product and market launches in the LATAM region, ensuring all applicable requirements are identified and addressed ahead of go‑live.
* Liaise directly with regulatory and supervisory bodies across Argentina, Peru, Colombia and Chile, managing examinations, inspections and ongoing regulatory relationships.
Compliance Policies, Governance & Training
* Develop, maintain, and communicate the suite of compliance policies and procedures applicable to the LATAM region, including AML/CFT policies, onboarding standards, sanctions policies and gifts and hospitality frameworks.
* Establish a robust compliance governance framework, including escalation protocols, management reporting and board/committee reporting on compliance matters across the four markets.
* Design and deliver tailored compliance training programmes for LATAM teams, including mandatory AML, KYC, sanctions and conduct training, ensuring completion tracking and effectiveness measurement.
* Maintain a compliance breach and incidents register, managing investigations, root cause analysis and remediation actions across the region.
* Produce regular compliance MI and reporting for senior management, the Chief Compliance Officer and relevant governance committees covering key risk indicators, AML metrics and regulatory developments.
Cross‑functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement
* Work closely with product, technology, operations, legal and commercial teams to embed a culture of compliance across the LATAM business, ensuring regulatory and financial crime requirements are integrated into processes and systems from inception.
* Act as the primary compliance liaison for LATAM, partnering with the global compliance function, Regional Regulatory Directors and country teams to harmonise standards while addressing local nuances.
* Engage with industry associations, compliance working groups and fintech chambers across Argentina, Peru, Colombia and Chile to stay abreast of regulatory developments and contribute to industry dialogue.
* Manage relationships with external compliance counsel, AML specialists and regulatory advisers across the four LATAM markets.
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