Head of Compliance

ADVANCE.AI; Singapore; On-site; SGD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative AI company in Singapore is looking for a Head of Compliance. This role focuses on leading the compliance function across the organization with a strong emphasis on vendor and product compliance. The ideal candidate will have 10-12 years of experience in compliance within financial services or fintech, the ability to manage compliance strategies across multiple jurisdictions, and strong stakeholder management skills. This critical position supports operations across APAC and requires collaboration with various teams to ensure regulatory adherence.

Qualifications

• 10-12 years of compliance experience in financial services or fintech.
• Strong knowledge of vendor and outsourcing compliance, KYC, and data privacy.
• Ability to manage compliance across multiple jurisdictions.

Responsibilities

• Lead compliance strategy and execution globally.
• Build and maintain vendor and outsourcing compliance frameworks.
• Oversee license applications and regulatory audits.
• Drive compliance projects and manage local compliance professionals.

Skills

Compliance strategy execution

Vendor and outsourcing compliance

KYC

Stakeholder management

Job description

ADVANCE.AI is a leading AI company that provides digital transformation, fraud prevention, and process automation solutions for enterprise clients. A leader in Artificial Intelligence, risk management and has a global footprint with operations across ASEAN and wider APAC and Latin America it currently partners over 700 enterprise clients across banking, financial services, fintech, payment, retail and e-commerce sectors. ADVANCE.AI has a global footprint across 12 markets in 3 continents.

ADVANCE.AI is part of Advance Intelligence Group, a Series D-backed Tech Unicorn valued at US$2 billion, and also one of the largest independent technology startups based in Singapore. Founded in 2016, the Group has presence across South and Southeast Asia, Latin America and Greater China. The Group is backed by top tier investors SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Warburg Pincus, Northstar, Vision Plus Capital, Gaorong Capital, Pavilion Capital, GSR Ventures and Singapore-based global investor EDBI.

Ranked among LinkedIn's Top 15 Startups in Singapore in 2022 (the third year in a row we've been on the list), we are partners with 700+ enterprise clients across Southeast Asia, South Asia and Mexico in sectors such as banking, financial services, fintech, payment, retail and e-commerce.

Advance Intelligence Group employees are united by a shared vision and purpose: to Advance with Intelligence for a Better Life--for our customers, colleagues and communities.

Our culture is built on values that are core to who we are and what we stand for:

• We foster an INNOVATION mindset
• We achieve results with EFFICIENCY and excellence
• We take pride in the QUALITY of our work
• We uphold INTEGRITY in all we do
• We embrace COLLABORATION to work across business lines and borders

Job Description

About the Role

We are seeking a Head of Compliance to lead and expand the compliance function across all of Advance.AI, with a strong focus on vendor, outsourcing, and product compliance supporting our KYC, ICT, and Bureau-related businesses globally. This role focuses on regulatory, vendor, and outsourcing compliance, and will partner with, but not directly lead, information‑security compliance and certification workstreams handled by the Security function.

This role reports to the CEO of ADVANCE.AI and functionally to the Group Chief Compliance Officer. It also carries functional oversight responsibility for the Compliance Officers in our licensed credit‑bureau entities in the Philippines and Indonesia.

The successful candidate will ensure that ADVANCE.AI’s solutions, vendors, and data practices meet the highest regulatory and client‑driven standards. The position requires close collaboration with the business, Legal, Compliance, the Group DPO, and senior stakeholders to align regulatory compliance, support license maintenance, and drive certifications across multiple jurisdictions.

We are looking for a hands‑on, execution‑focused leader who can balance technical expertise with practical, business‑driven solutions. This role requires both strategic oversight and operational execution, ensuring compliance frameworks are effective, scalable, and adaptable to diverse market requirements. This is both an individual contributor and managerial role: while it includes functional oversight of local compliance officers, the focus is on a leader who can personally drive and execute the non‑credit‑bureau compliance work, particularly in vendor, outsourcing, and product compliance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead compliance strategy and execution globally across KYC, ICT, and Bureau products, with specific accountability for vendor, outsourcing, and product compliance.
• Build and maintain vendor and outsourcing compliance frameworks, ensuring adherence to MAS, BNM, OJK, BSP, GDPR/PDPA, and related requirements.
• Oversee license applications, maintenance, and regulatory audits.
• Provide functional oversight responsibility over Compliance Officers in the Philippines and Indonesia credit‑bureau businesses, ensuring consistency of policy and escalation.
• Drive compliance projects, including bureau‑related workstreams, partnerships, and data‑acquisition requirements.
• Work with Legal on interpreting laws and regulations, then design and implement frameworks, execution plans, and checkpoints.
• Partner with the Group DPO to align data protection, privacy, and data‑processing policies, ensuring compliance with GDPR and regional data standards.
• Collaborate with local legal/compliance teams and Government Relations to establish and maintain license‑compliance systems in key markets.
• Oversee vendor onboarding, due diligence, and ongoing monitoring processes to ensure supplier and client data‑usage compliance.
• Support and coordinate client compliance audits and due‑diligence reviews, serving as the key interface for enterprise clients on compliance assurance.
• Manage and mentor local compliance professionals, ensuring operational excellence and professional growth.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate compliance risks, providing practical, solutions‑oriented approaches aligned with business needs.
• Engage directly in compliance processes, audits, investigations, and issue resolution as needed.
• Travel as required across APAC.

Requirements

• 10–12 years of compliance experience in financial services, fintech, or related technology sectors.
• Strong knowledge of vendor and outsourcing compliance, KYC, KYB, AML/CFT, data privacy, licensing, and regulatory frameworks across APAC; experience in LATAM or exposure to European (GDPR) standards is a plus.
• Proven ability to manage compliance across multiple jurisdictions, balancing global strategy with local requirements.
• Hands‑on, execution‑driven approach, able to operate under commercial pressures while maintaining compliance rigor.
• Ability to coach, develop, and manage distributed teams, including functional oversight of local bureau compliance officers.
• Excellent stakeholder‑management, communication, and collaboration skills.
• Multilingual skills are a plus (priority: English, Chinese, Bahasa).