Head of KYC Operations - Wise Platform

Job Description

Your mission is to lead the KYC Operations Function organization to Ensure its Compliance and Provide Instant Service with best-in-class Quality. And to do this in a scalable, cost-efficient manner, working in partnership with other Wise teams and functions, most prominently with Wise Product and Compliance.

Responsibilities

• In this role, you will lead a team of Area Leads and their functional areas to drive strategic direction and operational excellence.
• You are responsible for setting and executing strategic objectives, building high-performing teams, and ensuring they meet operational and quality targets. The role involves overseeing circa 75 employees across multiple locations both Internally and Outsourced, ensuring achieving the organization's mission, and aligning operational strategies with business goals.
• You will need to ensure the top notch delivery in your team's Quality, Compliance, Speed and Cost of Operations.
• Setting the Strategy for KYC Operations Function: Lead the design of the vision and strategy for your team, aligned with the overall Servicing Strategy, in making the processes more compliant, faster, better and more scalable, with a clear customer focus.
• Building the best processes: Build and develop a robust and compliant customer onboarding program; build the necessary support systems for the processes: Metrics, Targets, Governance, Utilize data and user research to optimize our onboarding experience and transform how we currently fight financial crime and fulfil regulatory obligations; drive improvement initiatives and manage an efficient process while providing continuous effective risk management and control; work closely with our Risk and Compliance teams to align on risk appetites and capabilities to support the growth of the business.
• Nurturing a great team: Ensure that the right KYC Operations Function organization and the right leaders are in place; build and develop a people strategy that allows execution upon the vision - cross functions and locations; revamp the people management processes together with the People Operations team - skills, career paths, performance management; oversight of team's budgets and high level reporting.

Qualifications

• Exceptional verbal and written English communication skills are essential.
• Ability to articulate complex concepts clearly to diverse audiences.
• Extensive experience, typically 10 years, in Operations (preferably KYC/AML, financial crime, compliance, or related fields within the financial services industry).
• Demonstrated leadership experience, preferably 8 years, in leading and mentoring large teams, fostering an inclusive and high-performance culture.
• In-depth expertise and strategic understanding of the regulatory environment and evolving framework surrounding KYC/AML.
• Proficient in utilizing advanced analytics tools, such as Looker, Superset, or equivalent platforms, to drive data-driven decision-making.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, coupled with strong organizational capabilities. Ability to effectively manage time and thrive in fast-paced, high-pressure environments.
• Expertise in multi-tasking and maintaining accountability in complex and challenging scenarios.