Compliance & AML Lead

Fozara is a cross-border payments infrastructure where businesses and individuals collect and pay out across borders, with stablecoins moving value underneath and local currency at each end. Our consumer app serves over 5,000 users across Nigeria and North America, and our B2B platform an API for wallets, onchain transfers, and payouts is now in private beta. We're backed by South Park Commons and based at the Accelerator Centre in Waterloo, Canada.

As our first full-time compliance hire, you'll help build the compliance foundation that allows Fozara to scale responsibly across markets.

You'll own the day-to-day compliance function across KYC, AML, transaction monitoring, sanctions, and financial crime, while helping us build the policies, processes, and controls that will support our growth.

You'll work closely with Product, Engineering, Operations, and our financial partners to make compliance an integrated part of how Fozara operates and builds products. You'll also work with external counsel from time to time across the markets we operate in, helping translate regulatory requirements and legal guidance into practical processes and controls.

This is an early-stage role with significant ownership. Many of the systems and processes you'll own will need to be built from the ground up.

What you'll do

• Own Fozara's day-to-day KYC, AML/CFT, transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, and financial crime compliance processes.
• Build and continuously improve compliance policies, procedures, controls, and operating processes as Fozara scales.
• Review and investigate flagged transactions, unusual activity, and potential financial crime risks, making risk-based decisions and escalating cases where appropriate.
• Own customer due diligence, enhanced due diligence, and ongoing monitoring workflows.
• Work closely with Product and Engineering to embed compliance requirements and controls directly into Fozara's products and transaction flows.
• Work with banking, payment, stablecoin, and other financial infrastructure partners on compliance requirements, reviews, and ongoing relationships.
• Work with external counsel across the markets we operate in to understand regulatory requirements and translate legal advice into practical operational and product requirements.
• Support market expansion by identifying applicable KYC/AML, licensing, reporting, and financial crime requirements for new jurisdictions.
• Support regulatory reporting, audits, partner reviews, compliance assessments, and requests from regulators or financial institutions.
• Identify compliance gaps and risks early, and work with the relevant teams to design practical solutions.
• Maintain clear documentation, records, and audit trails for compliance decisions, investigations, and controls.
• Help establish the compliance tooling, reporting, and infrastructure needed to scale the function over time.

What we're looking for

• 4+ years of experience in compliance, AML, financial crime, risk, or a related function within fintech, banking, payments, financial infrastructure, or a similar regulated business.
• Strong working knowledge of KYC, AML/CFT, customer due diligence, enhanced due diligence, transaction monitoring, and sanctions screening.
• Experience investigating suspicious or unusual activity and making practical, risk-based decisions.
• Experience working with banks, payment providers, financial institutions, or other regulated partners on compliance matters.
• Comfortable interpreting regulatory requirements and turning them into clear, practical processes and controls.
• Strong judgment and attention to detail, particularly when dealing with ambiguous or sensitive cases.
• Comfortable working cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Operations, and Legal.
• Able to operate independently and build structure in an environment where processes and systems are still being established.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain compliance requirements clearly to non-compliance teams.
• Comfortable working with external counsel and knowing when an issue requires legal or regulatory advice.

Nice to have

• Experience with stablecoins, virtual assets, blockchain analytics, or digital asset compliance.
• Experience with cross-border payments or financial products operating across emerging markets.
• Experience supporting regulatory licensing, market entry, or expansion into new jurisdictions.
• Experience working at an early-stage fintech or startup and building compliance processes from scratch.

What we offer

- Fully remote. Competitive salary, paid in your local currency or USD, your choice.

How to Apply

https://shorturl.at/h9HoY