Head of Compliance – Electronic Money Institution (Vilnius)

🌍 About the Company

The client is a Lithuania-based electronic money institution licensed and supervised by the Bank of Lithuania. It provides payment infrastructure and Banking-as-a-Service solutions to businesses, FinTech companies, and financial services providers operating across European markets. Its offering covers payment accounts, e-money services, IBAN capabilities, SEPA and SWIFT transfers, card services, and API-enabled payment infrastructure. The company also supports customers with digital banking tools and integrated compliance capabilities. It is strengthening its governance and commercial foundations as it develops a sustainable European payments business.

💼 About the Role

The Head of Compliance will lead the company’s independent second-line compliance function, ensuring that regulatory obligations are translated into effective policies, controls, monitoring, and management decisions. You will have direct access to the CEO and the board while working closely with AML, risk, legal, product, technology, operations, and commercial teams. The role combines strategic ownership with hands-on execution. You will help the company develop products and partnerships responsibly while maintaining credible relationships with the Bank of Lithuania and other external stakeholders.

🔍 Responsibilities

• Own and continuously improve the company-wide regulatory compliance framework, policies, risk assessments, and annual monitoring plan;

• Provide independent advice and constructive challenge to the CEO, board, and business leaders on regulatory risk and proposed decisions;

• Monitor changes in Lithuanian and EU regulation, assess their impact, and coordinate timely implementation across the business;

• Oversee compliance with requirements covering payment services, electronic money, safeguarding, consumer protection, outsourcing, operational resilience, conflicts of interest, and whistleblowing;

• Prepare clear compliance reports for the board and management, including risk indicators, monitoring findings, breaches, remediation progress, and emerging issues;

• Act as a senior contact for the Bank of Lithuania, auditors, external advisers, banking partners, and other relevant stakeholders;

• Assess new products, customer segments, markets, partnerships, and material changes before implementation;

• Lead the investigation, escalation, documentation, and remediation of compliance incidents, control gaps, and regulatory findings;

• Develop the compliance team and strengthen regulatory awareness through practical guidance, training, and visible leadership.

🎓 Requirements

• At least 7 years of compliance experience within payments, electronic money, banking, or another regulated financial services business;

• At least 3 years of leadership or senior function ownership experience, including responsibility for compliance frameworks and management reporting;

• Direct experience working within an EMI, payment institution, bank, or comparable regulated FinTech company;

• Strong knowledge of Lithuanian and EU requirements covering payment services, e-money, AML/CFT, sanctions, safeguarding, outsourcing, consumer protection, and operational resilience;

• Demonstrated experience communicating with the Bank of Lithuania or another European financial regulator;

• Ability to design risk-based monitoring plans, evaluate control effectiveness, document findings, and drive remediation to completion;

• Strong judgement and the confidence to challenge senior stakeholders while offering practical, proportionate solutions;

• Fluent Lithuanian and English, both written and spoken.

Nice to Have

• Previous experience as a Head of Compliance, Chief Compliance Officer, MLRO, or another recognised control-function holder;

• A relevant qualification such as CAMS, ICA, CCEP, or an equivalent compliance certification;

• Experience with Banking-as-a-Service, embedded finance, cards, cross-border payments, or white-label financial infrastructure;

• Experience leading remediation following a regulatory inspection, internal audit, or independent compliance review.

🤝 Key Competencies

• Independent judgement: forms evidence-based conclusions and escalates concerns without losing sight of proportionality;

• Regulatory interpretation: turns complex requirements into clear controls, responsibilities, and operational guidance;

• Commercial awareness: understands business objectives while protecting regulatory standards and the company’s licence;

• Stakeholder influence: communicates credibly with the board, regulators, auditors, partners, and operational teams;

• Execution discipline: follows findings and regulatory commitments through to documented completion;

• People leadership: sets clear expectations, develops capability, and creates an environment where concerns can be raised early.

✨ The Employer Offers

• Ownership of a key control function with meaningful influence over company-wide decisions;

• Direct access to executive management and the board, with the authority to provide independent challenge;

• The opportunity to shape a compliance framework supporting B2B payment services across European markets;

• A specialist organisation where regulatory decisions and improvements produce visible results;

• International scope across payments, FinTech, and Banking-as-a-Service;

• Flexible hours and autonomy in organising priorities;

• Support for relevant professional training or certification;

• A competitive remuneration package reflecting the responsibility of the role.

This position will suit a compliance leader who combines regulatory depth with practical judgement and the confidence to influence business decisions. Submit your application to help build a payments business that grows on strong and credible foundations.