KYC Operations Senior Lead - Deactivations

Wise; Hyderabad; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Wise is seeking a KYC Operations Senior Lead in India to oversee multiple KYC teams, drive performance, streamline processes, and ensure high-quality due diligence reviews in line with regulatory requirements.

You will coach KYC Team Leads, manage career growth, and collaborate with stakeholders to optimize operations and metrics while embedding Wise values across the team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, Law, or related field.
• ICA or CAMS certification (EDD/AML focused).
• 2-3 years in KYC/AML, financial crime, or compliance.
• Minimum 3+ years leading teams (20–60 employees).
• Strong English communication and stakeholder management.
• Ability to analyze metrics and drive improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead KYC Team Leads and analyst teams to deliver high-quality due diligence reviews.
• Coach and develop team members; manage career growth and promotions.
• Identify process improvements; drive automation and efficiency.
• Track KPIs, provide coaching, escalate issues, and report performance.
• Share expertise on regulatory obligations and risk-based approaches.
• Plan and execute group initiatives; align with department goals.
• Collaborate with stakeholders and communicate findings clearly.

Skills

Operations leadership

KYC/AML

Team leadership

Regulatory knowledge

Process improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business Administration, Law, or related field

ICA / CAMS certification

Tools

Looker

Superset

Job description

Company Description

Wise is a global technology company, building the best way to move and manage the world’s money.

Min fees. Max ease. Full speed.

Whether people and businesses are sending money to another country, spending abroad, or making and receiving international payments, Wise is on a mission to make their lives easier and save them money.

As part of our team, you will be helping us create an entirely new network for the world's money.

For everyone, everywhere.

Job Description

More about our mission and what we offer.

Role & Job purpose

The KYC Operations Senior Lead is responsible for overseeing multiple KYC Team Leads and their respective analyst teams. Your focus will be on driving team performance, streamlining processes, and being an advocate of the Wise values. You will need to ensure that your team is consistently delivering high-quality customer due diligence reviews as well as meeting the operational metrics according to the organisation’s wider objectives.

Job Responsibilities

• Group Leadership Lead by example and drive a customer focused mindset across your team as well as the wider organisation. Promote a culture of ownership and accountability. Build high-performing teams that value knowledge sharing and continuous learning.
• People management Coach and develop a strong team of KYC Team Leads. Come up with initiatives to help your team to grow their skills, behaviours, and competencies. Design and manage development plans on identified opportunities. Conducts career map check-ins and makes recommendations for promotions, salary raises, and other decisions.
• Operational management Identify and propose opportunities for process improvements. Collaborate with central functions and other operational teams as needed to increase automation and operational efficiency. Monitor team resource allocation and refine standard operating procedures to improve the ways we work.
• Performance management Measure group wide KPIs and ensure that your team leads as well as their direct reports meet performance targets and quality standards. Conduct regular one on one coaching sessions, usually on a weekly or biweekly basis. Act as a key escalation point for issues that cannot be resolved by team leads. Generate reports based on teams performance and propose corrective actions on identified opportunities.
• Expertise Sharing Be a subject matter expert in your area with the ability to train and coach your team on operational topics. Maintain a great understanding of our regulatory obligations, internal policies, and applying a risk-based approach to deterring and preventing money laundering and financial crime. Able to assist senior leadership with audits and developing our policies and processes.
• Planning and execution Ensure operational team plans are set in place and provide insights to other stakeholders. Take full accountability in delivering your own initiatives and making sure your group is making progress on their goals. Effectively executing and supporting department goals through delegation and empowerment of team leads. There are clear initiatives within your group that are used as a basis of larger team plans.
• Stakeholder management and communication Collaborate closely with your stakeholders ensuring clear communication and coordination of actions. Your initiatives and reports are well documented and you choose the right platforms to communicate to a wider audience in a timely manner. The documentation has a clear scope and includes potential impact in different areas. You can communicate confidently with difficult stakeholders. Proactively work on improving cross-team communication, acting as the liaison between different layers of the organization and your own team leads.

Requirements

• Excellent verbal and written English skills (additional language skills are a plus) with the ability to clearly articulate your thoughts.
• A minimum of 3+ years of experience in Operations (preferably in CDD/EDD/AML or Risk Assessment domain).
• A minimum of 1 year of experience in KYC/AML, Financial Compliance field and having great understanding of the regulatory framework surrounding KYC/AML
• At least 2+ years of leading medium to large sized teams (20 to 60 employees).
• You are punctual, independent, proactive and willing to get things done.
• You have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, strong organisational skills, great time management, and ability to work in a fast paced and high pressure environment.
• Ability to multi-task and take responsibility in challenging situations;
• You are capable of identifying gaps in policies and processes and providing detailed feedback, including examples when possible, through the established communication channels.
• Proven track record of taking individual ownership and responsibilities as well as being a great team-player
• Ability to analyze and move the team's metrics.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, Law, or related field.
• Certifications: ICA, CAMS, or equivalent certification (EDD/AML focused).
• 2-3 years experience in KYC/AML, financial crime, compliance, or a related field within the financial services industry.
• Ability to use analytics tools like, looker, superset, or other.

Additional Information

For everyone, everywhere. We're people building money without borders — without judgement or prejudice, too. We believe teams are strongest when they are diverse, equitable and inclusive.

We're proud to have a truly international team, and we celebrate our differences.

Inclusive teams help us live our values and make sure every Wiser feels respected, empowered to contribute towards our mission and able to progress in their careers.

If you want to find out more about what it's like to work at Wise visit Wise.Jobs.

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