Director, Sanctions
Airwallex · London, England ·
Last confirmed by our partners on 24 Oct 2026.
Overview
In this role you lead Airwallex’s global sanctions program from the second line, shaping strategy, policy, and governance across jurisdictions. You collaborate with product, data, and engineering to modernise screening with AI-enabled workflows and ensure audit-ready processes for regulators and banking partners. You’ll guide cross-regional teams, manage complex sanctions decisions, and translate geopolitical developments into platform requirements. This position combines strategic leadership with hands-on risk management in a fast-paced, global environment.
Responsibilities
- Own and elevate the sanctions strategy, policy framework, and second-line governance globally across all jurisdictions
- Provide independent oversight of customer, payment, and counterparty screening operations
- Act as escalation point for complex sanctions determinations, hits, and high-risk deals
- Partner with Data, Product, and Engineering to validate AI/ML screening and blocking mechanisms
- Lead roadmap to modernise sanctions screening with AI-assisted workflows and real-time capabilities
- Lead regulatory examinations and due diligence reviews with global banking partners
- Monitor geopolitical developments and translate changes into platform requirements
- Report programme health, KPIs, and trends to executive leadership and board
- Lead and scale a multi-region sanctions team
Key requirements
- 12+ years in sanctions compliance and financial crime risk management
- Executive leadership with cross-regional teams in second-line or global policy
- Deep expertise in global sanctions regimes (OFAC, EU, UK OFSI, UN, MAS, HKMA, AUSTRAC)
- Experience providing independent oversight of screening operations
- Track record deploying modern sanctions technology (AI/NLP, graph databases, automated alert disposition)
- Experience partnering with Product and Engineering to operationalise regulatory requirements in payments infrastructure
- Hands-on experience with regulatory examinations and disclosures
- Exceptional communication skills with regulators and executives
- Bachelor’s degree
- strong stakeholder influence
- clear, direct communication across cultures
- ability to simplify complexity
- AI/NLP-assisted screening tools
- graph databases
- automated alert disposition frameworks
Market data from EasyWorkClub, not from the employer
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