Senior Compliance Officer (13 Month Term)

Payments Canada; Canada; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible, hybrid environment

Competitive compensation with annual &

Job summary

Payments Canada is seeking a Senior Compliance Officer to join our public purpose, non-profit organization at the heart of Canada’s payment ecosystem. You will guide member compliance, collaborate with Legal, Operations, Risk and Finance, and help mature our compliance programs.

The role requires strong regulatory knowledge, stakeholder management and a proven ability to lead investigations, craft policy, and communicate effectively with senior leadership.

Qualifications

• Minimum five years’ experience within the financial services industry, preferably in a compliance function.
• Experience liaising with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Experience in delivering reports and briefings to senior leadership.
• Knowledge of relevant legislative and regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Provide guidance and compliance advice to members and internal stakeholders with respect to member compliance matters.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Legal, Operations, Risk, Finance and external stakeholders to resolve compliance and membership matters.
• Provide guidance on escalations for potential contraventions.
• Support the investigation of potential contraventions under the Compliance By-law, including assessing evidence, corresponding with parties, preparing investigation summaries and hearing materials, and supporting compliance proceedings, where necessary.
• Manage the end-to-end membership application and registration process, including interpreting legislative and by-law requirements, assessing applicant eligibility and supporting documentation, engaging directly with applicants to resolve deficiencies, and preparing membership recommendations for Board approval.
• Participate on the operational incident review team and provide advice and guidance with respect to any necessary follow up on member operational incidents.
• Provide input and recommendations to mature the member compliance program by identifying process improvements and supporting implementation for current and future systems.
• Develop, maintain and enhance compliance procedures, process documentation and guidance material to support the member compliance program.
• Provide guidance and compliance advice with respect to the development of new by-laws and rules and by-law and rule amendments, as applicable.
• Draft supporting documentation such as training/education materials, reports to Board, correspondence, etc. as required.
• Maintain inventory of high-risk compliance requirements and supporting information.
• Maintain and update member compliance logs where applicable.
• Participate on member Working Group calls (e.g. Image and Paper Working Group, EPayments Working Group, etc.), where necessary, as the compliance subject matter expert.
• Prepare recommendations to the CEO regarding member requests for extension of the use of financial institution numbers (FINs), including working with relevant members on transition plan, follow up and subsequent closure of the FINs.
• Assist colleagues with other related tasks and/or projects, as required.

Skills

Regulatory knowledge

Stakeholder management

Investigation & analysis

Policy development

Excellent communication

Project management

Risk assessment

Education

Undergraduate degree in law, political science, business administration, or related field

Job description

Payments Canada is at the forefront of the Canadian payment ecosystem. Our purpose is to make payments easier, smarter and safer for all Canadians. Every day we are working diligently to ensure your payments are cleared and settled. In 2025 alone, our systems cleared approximately $103 trillion or $411.9 billion every business day! If you are passionate about payments and want to help ensure that these financial transactions in Canada are carried out safely and securely, working with us is for you!

Who we are

We are a public purpose, non-profit organization situated at the center of Canada’s payment ecosystem. We own and operate payment systems that process hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of payment transactions every business day. We convene ecosystem participants to discuss their multiple and diverse interests and ideas and to navigate industry-level challenges. We adhere to a set of values that are our north star:

Inspire trust, build community and enable change

Payments Canada — where our country connects

Our culture

With our people in mind, we have created a culture that fosters authenticity, collaboration, innovation and development. We empower one another, make meaningful contributions that not only impact the organization, but our country! We develop and nurture meaningful connections that drive innovation in our ecosystem. We are Payments Canada!

What we are looking for

Functioning as part of a collegial team under general supervision, the Senior Compliance Officer is responsible for:

Member Compliance

• Provide guidance and compliance advice to members and internal stakeholders with respect to member compliance matters, including inquiries escalated to the member compliance team.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Legal, Operations, Risk, Finance and external stakeholders to resolve compliance and membership matters.
• Provide guidance on escalations for potential contraventions.
• Support the investigation of potential contraventions under the Compliance By-law, including assessing evidence, corresponding with parties, preparing investigation summaries and hearing materials, and supporting compliance proceedings, where necessary.
• Manage the end-to-end membership application and registration process, including interpreting legislative and by-law requirements, assessing applicant eligibility and supporting documentation, engaging directly with applicants to resolve deficiencies, and preparing membership recommendations for Board approval.
• Participate on the operational incident review team and provide advice and guidance with respect to any necessary follow up on member operational incidents.
• Provide input and recommendations to mature the member compliance program by identifying process improvements and supporting implementation for current and future systems.
• Develop, maintain and enhance compliance procedures, process documentation and guidance material to support the member compliance program.
• Provide guidance and compliance advice with respect to the development of new by-laws and rules and by-law and rule amendments, as applicable.
• Draft supporting documentation such as training/education materials, reports to Board, correspondence, etc. as required.
• Maintain inventory of high-risk compliance requirements and supporting information.
• Maintain and update member compliance logs where applicable.
• Participate on member Working Group calls (e.g. Image and Paper Working Group, EPayments Working Group, etc.), where necessary, as the compliance subject matter expert.
• Prepare recommendations to the CEO regarding member requests for extension of the use of financial institution numbers (FINs), including working with relevant members on transition plan, follow up and subsequent closure of the FINs.
• Assist colleagues with other related tasks and/or projects, as required.

Corporate Compliance

• Where applicable, provide support on the annual executive attestation process, including working with business units to review applicable controls and coordinate with applicable executive team members for annual sign off.
• Where applicable, work with business units on plans to become compliant with legislative or regulatory requirements, including review of materials and tracking of progress.
• Coordinate with applicable business units on training required under legislation.
• Understanding of legislation, regulations, and rules and their application to Payments Canada and members.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to identify risks and potential solutions.
• Ability to manage a wide range of projects and initiatives simultaneously, working effectively in an environment of change.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team to produce high quality work.
• Problem analysis and problem-solving skills.
• Information gathering and monitoring skills
• Critical reasoning and analytical thinking.
• Displays social and self-awareness.
• Develops and applies innovative solutions as appropriate.
• Ability to quickly establish and maintain credibility and respect among stakeholders, members and peers (good team player)
• Exercises a high degree of initiative and flexibility.
• Recognizes the importance of strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Committed to continuous learning and skills development.
• Acts decisively and assertively as needed
• Demonstrates excellent judgment and discretion

What you need to be successful

• Undergraduate degree in law, political science, business administration, or related field.
• Minimum of five (5) years’ experience within the financial services industry, preferably in a compliance function.
• Experience in liaising with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Experience in delivering reports and briefings to senior leadership.
• Knowledge of relevant legislative and regulatory requirements.
• Eligibility to successfully complete background checks that will be carried out by Payments Canada, including criminal, credit, identity, employment, and education checks.

Salary range

Our target starting rate for this role is $100,300 with flexibility based on your experience and qualifications. The full salary range and benefits package are detailed below.

What's in it for you?

• Flexible, hybrid (remote/office) environment.
• Competitive compensation package, including annual variable bonus and defined contribution pension plan with employer matching percentage (if eligible).
• Comprehensive health and dental benefit coverage, including mental health coverage, life insurance and a health spending account for you and your dependents (Permanent and temporary employees with contracts 12 months and over).
• Paid time off: minimum four weeks paid vacation, sick and personal days, December holiday shutdown and cultural holiday observance days.
• 26 weeks of paid maternity and parental leave top-up (if eligible)
• Rewards and recognition program.
• Access to office gym facilities.
• Internal and external professional development opportunities.
• Fun team and organizational events.
• Monthly all staff forums led by our Executive Leadership Team.

Our Commitment to Fair Hiring

At Payments Canada, we are dedicated to fair, transparent and inclusive hiring. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. Our recruitment process uses automated tools, but not generative AI, to objectively screen and evaluate applications and confirm that a candidate’s qualifications meet job requirements.

It is important to remember that these tools support, but do not replace, human decision-making. Our trained recruitment professionals and hiring managers always make the final hiring decisions.

Our diversity, inclusion and equity commitment

At Payments Canada, we are committed to making everyone feel they can be themselves and thrive at work. We will continue to build on a foundation of respect and appreciation for diversity in all forms and collectively create an inclusive and equitable culture where our differences are valued.

We are committed to employment equity and actively encourage applications from women, Aboriginal people, persons with disabilities and visible minorities. If selected for an interview, please advise us if you require special accommodation by emailing [e-mail].

We thank all applicants for their interest in this opportunity. Preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Only selected candidates will be contacted for an interview.