VP Risk and Compliance Officer

The Role

As the VP, Risk and Compliance, you will design, implement, and continuously mature a regulatory compliance framework that supports Tungsten Automation’s product portfolio and business operations across key markets — including North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. You will partner closely with Legal, Product Strategy and Development, Finance, InfoSec & Compliance and Sales to embed compliance into the Company’s DNA and enable the business to scale with confidence. While the role has a strong emphasis on product and technology risk given the Company’s payments expansion, you will also hold a broader enterprise risk mandate, providing oversight across operational, financial, reputational, HR, commercial, and strategic risk, reflecting the role’s responsibility for chairing the Company’s Board Committee for Regulatory Compliance, Board Committee for Risk, and the Company’s Payments Risk Committee.

You will also support and participate with the Legal team in managing the Company’s annual corporate insurance procurement program, ensuring comprehensive and cost-effective coverage across all operating entities and geographies, and organize and oversee the Company’s Board Committee for Regulatory Compliance, Board Committee for Risk, and the Company’s Payments Risk Committee, providing structured governance oversight at the highest level.

The ideal candidate will be comfortable operating in a fast-paced, global SaaS enterprise operating adjacent to highly regulated environments, and responding to inquiries from partners who themselves are subject to regulation.

Key Responsibilities

Regulatory Compliance Program

Establish, own, and continuously improve a multi-jurisdictional regulatory compliance program covering applicable financial services regulations, payments frameworks, data protection requirements and other regulatory schemes impacting the Company’s operations.

• Design and maintain a compliance risk register, mapping regulatory obligations to business processes and product lines.

• Develop, document, and enforce compliance policies, standards, and controls across the Company and its affiliates.

• Develop and lead regulatory monitoring activities and translate regulatory change into actionable requirements for internal stakeholders.

• Build and manage a compliance calendar covering material regulatory deadlines, filings, and renewal obligations.

• Develop and oversee compliance training programs to build awareness and accountability across all business functions.

• Monitor and interpret evolving regulatory developments in the UK, EU, U.S., and other geographies, with the assistance of in house and outside counsel, with particular focus on assessing how such developments may affect the Company’s interface with regulated financial institutions and its broader regulatory posture, including the potential to bring the Company within the regulated perimeter.

• Support market entry and product expansion in new jurisdictions with regulatory analysis, including country-by-country assessment of the Company’s ability to launch specific products in each market and the specific requirements involved, such as whether a license is required and the type of local partner needed.

Risk Management

• Develop and lead enterprise risk assessments related to payments, financial services and other product offerings, and data privacy and handling.

• Partner with Legal, Product Strategy, Development, and InfoSec & Compliance to ensure an integrated view of compliance and operational risk.

• Partner with Marketing and Sales to coordinate the Company’s messaging to partners and customers related to payments, financial services and other product offerings, including reviewing customer- and partner-facing communication materials, playbooks, and sales scripts to ensure the Company’s role relative to its regulated partners is accurately represented.

• Own the policies and procedures relating to compliance and risk management across the Company’s product and operations functions, and engage on all material operational matters and policy creation efforts to ensure compliance and risk considerations are addressed.

• Establish and monitor key risk indicators (KRIs) and compliance metrics; report regularly to the Company’s Executive Management Team and the Board as required.

• Drive third-party and vendor compliance, AML/KYC and other due diligence processes, particularly for payments and financial services platform vendors.

• Collaborate with Product Strategy and Development and InfoSec & Compliance teams to embed regulatory guardrails and requirements into workflows and product design.

Regulatory Engagement

• Manage relationships with financial regulators, payment scheme operators (e.g., Mastercard, SWIFT), and government agencies across relevant jurisdictions.

• Coordinate the Company’s response to any regulatory inquiries, audits, or examinations, engaging specialist external counsel or consultants as needed.

• Engage with external counsel, regulators, and industry bodies as needed.

• Monitor and assess the impact of proposed regulatory changes, including ViDA, PSD3, DORA, CFPB rulemaking, and equivalent national frameworks.

• Support the maintenance and renewal of any applicable licenses and registrations, partnering with Product Strategy and Legal where new licensing or permissions are required.

• Identify opportunities to translate a strong risk and compliance posture into commercial advantage, helping the Company deliver value faster to regulated institutions as a trusted, non-regulated partner.

Product & Technology Compliance

• Act as the compliance subject matter expert in product strategy and development and go-to-market processes, ensuring compliance with regulatory schemes and that privacy-by-design and compliance-by-design principles are embedded.

• Provide formal sign-off on the product roadmap, ensuring appropriate compliance checks, balances, and screens are designed into new features and capabilities prior to launch.

• Opine on proposed new embedded finance capabilities for suppliers or buyers, and on other new product launch decisions, to assess regulatory implications before capabilities are approved for development.

• Advise Product Strategy and Development teams on requirements arising from applicable payments regulations, e-invoicing mandates, GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, PCI DSS, ISO 27001 and SOC 2.

• Support customer-facing compliance inquiries, RFP responses, and contract negotiations involving regulatory representations and warranties.

• Draft and review internal policies related to payments, financial services, and regulatory compliance, and support Product Strategy and Legal in the negotiation of vendor and customer agreements involving payment and/or regulatory compliance issues.

Board Committee Management

• Manage the Company’s Board Committee for Regulatory Compliance, Board Committee for Risk, and the Company’s Payments Risk Committee, coordinating scheduling and the flow of information between committees, executive leadership, and the Board of Directors.

• Develop and manage committee charters, agendas, meeting cadence, and governance documentation in alignment with Board and executive expectations.

• Prepare and present comprehensive committee reports, risk dashboards, and compliance updates; ensure action items and decisions are documented and followed through.

Insurance Program Management

• Support and contribute to the end-to-end corporate insurance procurement lifecycle, including coverage analysis, broker selection, and policy benchmarking execution across all business lines and jurisdictions.

• Participate in managing the annual insurance renewal process across all corporate lines, including Directors & Officers (D&O), Errors & Omissions / Professional Indemnity (E&O/PI), Cyber Liability, General Liability, Crime, and other applicable coverages.

• Participate in broker and insurer relationship management alongside the Legal team, including supporting policy term and renewal negotiations, to help achieve comprehensive coverage at competitive cost.

• Collaborate with the Legal team, Finance, and senior leadership to align insurance procurement with the Company’s overall risk appetite and budget planning cycle.

• Contribute risk and compliance expertise to the Legal team's assessment of coverage gaps, and provide recommendations for adjustments in response to business growth, new product lines, jurisdictional expansion, or emerging risk exposures.

Team & Culture Leadership

• Build and lead a high-performing compliance team; define team structure, hiring plans, and individual development goals.

• Cultivate a culture of compliance and ethical conduct throughout the Company and its affiliates.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the C-Suite and Board on compliance matters affecting business strategy.

Qualifications

Required

• 12+ years of progressive experience in compliance, regulatory affairs, or risk management within financial services, fintech, payments, or financial technology software.

• Deep working knowledge of global payments and financial services regulatory frameworks, such as PSD2/PSD3, E-Money regulations, PCI DSS, Card Network Rules, NACHA/ACH, SWIFT, AML/KYC, e-invoicing mandates (Peppol, country specific requirements),consumer protection, and data protection.

• Deep working knowledge of electronic signature and digital identity law (eIDAS 2.0, ESIGN Act, UETA, and equivalents) knowledge.

• Demonstrated experience building or significantly maturing a compliance program in a multi-jurisdictional environment.

• Expertise in at least two major regulatory regimes, such as: US (FinCEN, CFPB, state MSB/MTL licensing), UK (FCA, PSR), EU (EBA, ECB, national competent authorities), or APAC (MAS, ASIC).

• Strong knowledge of data privacy regulations, including GDPR and CCPA/CPRA, including as they apply to financial data.

• Demonstrated experience chairing or managing governance committees, including board-level or executive risk and compliance committees.

• Experience managing regulatory exams, audits, and enforcement proceedings.

• Experience advising product and business teams in a fast-moving, technology-driven environment.

• Familiarity with corporate insurance procurement processes, with experience participating in or supporting coverage assessments, broker interactions, and policy renewals in a collaborative team context.

• Ability to provide pragmatic, business-oriented advice.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication, drafting, and stakeholder management skills; ability to distill complex regulatory topics for executive and Board audiences.

• Comfort working across time zones in a global organization.

• Full professional proficiency in English (written and spoken) is required; proficiency in one or more additional European languages (such as French, German, Spanish, or Italian) is beneficial but not required given the Company’s operations and regulatory relationships across European markets.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (JD, MBA, or LLM) or equivalent professional qualification.

• Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM), Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), CIPP/E, or equivalent designation.

• Experience in a SaaS or software Company serving regulated financial institutions.

• Familiarity with AML/BSA/CFT program requirements and sanctions compliance (OFAC, EU, UN).

• Familiarity with digital currencies, card networks, and alternative payment methods.

• Track record of engaging with open banking and embedded finance regulatory developments.

• Experience managing corporate insurance programs, including D&O, E&O, cyber liability, and professional indemnity coverage.