Senior Compliance Manager & MLRO

Airwallex; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Airwallex is seeking a Senior Compliance Manager & MLRO in the Netherlands to lead the Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) function. You will design and oversee the AML/CTF programme in line with Wwft and EU Directives and serve as the primary contact for Dutch regulators.

You will work cross-functionally with Product, Commercial, Operations, Data, and Legal to ensure effective controls while enabling sustainable growth. Dutch and English proficiency is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Law, Finance, Business, or related field.
• Eight or more years of financial crime compliance experience with at least two years in a senior leadership/MLRO role.
• Expert-level knowledge of Dutch AML/CTF legislation, including Wwft, Sanctiewet 1977, and EU Directives.
• Auditing or assurance background with interaction experience with Dutch/EU regulators.
• End-to-end investigation workflows and UTR filing experience.
• Ability to credibly engage senior stakeholders and external partners including banks and regulators; fluent in Dutch and English.

Responsibilities

• Regulatory leadership: act as Money Laundering Reporting Officer for the Netherlands and liaison with DNB, FIU-Nederland, and authorities.
• Programme ownership: design and maintain local AML/CTF/Sanctions framework aligned with Dutch law and Airwallex standards.
• Reporting & intelligence: oversee UT Rs and ensure timely regulatory reporting.
• Strategic risk advisory: guide onboarding of high-risk clients and new products in the Dutch market.
• Governance & board reporting: lead FCC governance and provide MI to the Netherlands Board and Global Risk Committees.
• Audit & remediation: lead responses to inspections and audits; drive remediation and uplift initiatives.

Skills

Regulatory leadership

AML/CTF expertise

Dutch regulatory knowledge

Stakeholder management

Reporting & MI

Dutch & English proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree in Law/Finance/Business

Job description

About Airwallex

Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 250,000 businesses worldwide – including Brex, Rippling, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more – with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale.

Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,300 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 27 offices around the globe. Valued at US$11 billion and backed by world‑leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Visa, Mastercard, Robinhood Ventures, Sequoia, Salesforce Ventures, DST Global, and Lone Pine Capital, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If you’re ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us.

Attributes We Value

We hire successful builders with founder‑like energy who want real impact, accelerated learning, and true ownership. You bring strong role‑related expertise and sharp thinking, and you’re motivated by our mission and operating principles. You move fast with good judgment, dig deep with curiosity, and make decisions from first principles, balancing speed and rigor.

You’re humble and collaborative; turn zero‑to‑one ideas into real products, and you “get stuff done” end‑to‑end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here, you’ll tackle complex, high‑visibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking. If that sounds like you, let’s build what’s next.

About the team

The Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) team at Airwallex is a strategically vital function operating under a clear Three Lines of Defense model. As the independent second line, FCC owns the global AML/CTF program, sanctions framework, risk assessment methodology, and governance infrastructure across all global entities. As Airwallex scales into new markets and deepens its engagement with global regulatory bodies, we are building a world‑class compliance organization capable of managing complex financial crime risks at scale. This is an environment where you will tackle high‑impact challenges, shape global fintech risk strategies, and help establish foundations for long‑term growth.

The role

As the Senior Compliance Manager & MLRO, you'll serve as the primary head of the Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) function for Airwallex Netherlands. You hold ultimate responsibility for designing, implementing, and overseeing the AML/CTF programme in strict accordance with the Wwft, and applicable EU AML Directives.

You'll also be the primary point of contact for Dutch regulators and law enforcement — including De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) and FIU‑Nederland. In addition, you'll work cross‑functionally with Product, Commercial, Operations, Data, and Legal colleagues to ensure our controls effectively prevent, detect, and report financial crime while enabling sustainable growth.

Key responsibilities

• Regulatory leadership: Act as the designated Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) for the Netherlands, serving as the official liaison with DNB, FIU‑Nederland, and other relevant authorities.

• Programme ownership: Design and maintain the local AML/CTF/Sanctions compliance framework, ensuring it meets both Dutch statutory requirements and Airwallex's global standards — including alignment with EU 6AMLD and relevant EBA guidelines.

• Reporting & intelligence: Maintain oversight of the identification, review, and submission of Unusual Transaction Reports (UTRs) to FIU‑Nederland, ensuring timely and accurate reporting obligations are met.

• Strategic risk advisory: Provide high‑level guidance on the onboarding of complex high‑risk clients and the launch of new products in the Dutch market, ensuring controls satisfy both local regulatory expectations and the requirements of banking partners.

• Governance & board reporting: Lead the local FCC governance structure, providing the Airwallex Netherlands Board and Global Risk Committees with critical management information (MI), including independent assessments of the entity's risk appetite and control effectiveness.

• Audit & remediation: Lead the response to DNB inspections, internal audits, and independent AML reviews, driving any necessary remediation or control uplift initiatives.

Minimum qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Law, Finance, Business, or a related field.

• Experience: Eight or more years of experience in financial crime compliance, with at least two years in a senior leadership or MLRO/Deputy MLRO capacity within a regulated financial institution or fintech.

• Regulatory expertise: Expert‑level knowledge of Dutch AML/CTF legislation, including the Wwft, Sanctiewet 1977, and EU AML Directives. Familiarity with DNB supervisory expectations is essential.

• Regulatory exposure: Demonstrated auditing or assurance background and prior experience interacting with Dutch or EU‑level regulators.

• Operational authority: Proven track record in managing end‑to‑end investigation workflows and making final determinations on UTR filings.

• Stakeholder management: Ability to credibly engage and challenge senior internal stakeholders and external partners — including banks, schemes, and regulators.

• Languages: Professional proficiency in Dutch and English, both written and spoken.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience in payments, fintech, or eCommerce, supporting cross‑border products, card issuing or acquiring, or embedded finance use cases.

• Recognised professional certification in compliance or financial crime (e.g. CAMS, ICA Diploma).

• Experience operating within a global or regional FCC function, partnering across multiple jurisdictions and time zones.

• Prior exposure to EU sanctions frameworks (including OFAC, UN, and EU consolidated lists) and applying these to product design and onboarding.

• Strong ability to negotiate with and influence senior stakeholders, banking partners, and regulators to achieve compliant business outcomes.

• Familiarity with the Dutch payment institution licensing regime and the regulatory expectations of DNB for electronic money institutions and payment service providers.

Equal opportunity

Airwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don’t regard color, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.