APAC Regional Sanctions Officer-Malaysia

Ant Group; Hong Kong; On-site; HKD 1,800,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Job summary

ANT Group in Hong Kong seeks a senior regional sanctions compliance officer to oversee sanctions programs across APAC jurisdictions such as Singapore, Malaysia, and broader Southeast Asia. You will formulate and operationalize the regional sanctions framework, and act as the primary contact for MAS examinations and enforcement actions.

You will establish controls in emerging markets, adapt global policies to local procedures, manage STR/SAR lifecycle, and collaborate with business, operations,

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of sanctions and/or AML compliance experience in financial services or payments.
• Strong understanding of APAC regulatory landscape and MAS exposures.
• Experience managing high-stakes regulatory inquiries or examinations.
• Proven track record building compliance programs in emerging markets.
• Working knowledge of STR/SAR governance frameworks.
• Fluent in Mandarin and English.
• Excellent cross-cultural communication and matrix leadership abilities.

Responsibilities

• Act as the principal regional sanctions compliance officer across APAC jurisdictions.
• Serve as the primary contact for regulatory examinations, inquiries, and enforcement actions by authorities (e.g., MAS).
• Establish sanctions compliance control frameworks in emerging markets to enable market entry and expansion.
• Adapt global compliance policies into jurisdiction-specific executable procedures.
• Oversee lifecycle management of STRs and SARs for APAC, including investigations and reporting.
• Partner with business, operations, and technology teams to embed controls into front-end processes.

Skills

Cross-cultural communication

Stakeholder negotiation

Regulatory examinations experience

APAC compliance management

Mandarin and English fluency

Regulatory strategy

Job description

• Act as the principal regional sanctions compliance officer overseeing sanctions compliance across APAC jurisdictions (Singapore, Malaysia, and broader Southeast Asia), responsible for formulating and operationalizing the regional sanctions compliance framework
• Serve as the primary point of contact for regulatory examinations, inquiries, and enforcement actions by authorities including the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), managing evidentiary documentation and driving regulatory engagement strategies
• Establish sanctions compliance control frameworks in emerging markets (e.g., Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia) — encompassing screening protocols, risk assessment methodologies, and internal control framework — to enable accelerated market entry, business expandion, and product rollout
• Adapt and localize the Group's global compliance policies and AI-driven reg into jurisdiction-specific, executable procedures and standards that reflect local regulatory expectations and commercial conventions
• Oversee the full lifecycle management of Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) and Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) for APAC sanctions team — encompassing threshold calibration, internal investigations, report authoring, and post-submission remediation — while striking an optimal balance between risk mitigation and business enablement
• Partner cross-functionally and cross-culturally with business, operations, and technology teams across the APAC region to embed compliance controls into front-end business processes and ensure effective execution.

Requirements:

• Minimum 8 years of experience in sanctions and/or AML compliance, with demonstrated depth in the financial services or payments sector
• Sophisticated understanding of the regulatory landscape and enforcement dynamics across key APAC markets (with particular emphasis on Singapore), coupled with proven multi-jurisdictional compliance management capability
• First-hand experience managing high-stakes regulatory inquiries or examinations (e.g., MAS), demonstrating exceptional stakeholder negotiation skills and resilience under intense regulatory scrutiny
• Demonstrated track record of building compliance programs from the ground up in emerging markets, successfully enabling business launch in previously unregulated or under-regulated environments
• Working knowledge of STR/SAR governance frameworks, with the analytical rigor and decision-making acumen to adjudicate complex, high-risk cases
• Exemplary cross-cultural communication and matrix leadership capabilities, with a proven ability to influence and drive compliance adoption across business teams in the absence of direct reporting lines
• Strong commitment to compliance integrity coupled with a constructive, solutions-oriented mindset — capable of safeguarding regulatory boundaries under significant pressure while delivering pragmatic, business-enabling recommendations
• Mandarin and English fluency is required, as the role interfaces with both local regulators and the global compliance team.