Financial Crime Operations Lead, US

Aspire is the leading all-in-one finance operating system for growing businesses in APAC. We are on a mission to reinvent business finance for a new generation of entrepreneurs and business owners, empowering startups and MSME to realise their full potential. 

Founded in 2018, Aspire has raised over USD 300M+ across equity and debt from world-class investors. In 2023, we successfully closed an oversubscribed USD 100 million Series C equity round led by Sequoia Capital and Lightspeed Ventures with participation of Tencent, Paypal Ventures, LGT Capital Partners, Picus Capital and MassMutual Ventures. To power our solutions, we have partnered with some of the best companies in the world such as Visa and Wise and helped more than 50,000 businesses using our suite of products.

For 2 consecutive years in 2022 & 2023, Aspire has been awarded Best Employer of the Year and Startup of the year by Asia FinTech Awards, and also LinkedIn’s Top Startup in Singapore. In 2023, we also made it to CB Insights’ Top 100 Global Fintech List. 

You will be amazed by the energy and experience of our team! Aspire serves as an environment for you to innovate and drive change with our team of ex-entrepreneurs, ex-founders, and high-achievers with international and diverse backgrounds.

Are you a top talent who is passionate about entrepreneurship? Join our rapidly growing team to make an impact in the fintech space! 

 

About the Team

At Aspire, we are committed to empowering our customers throughout their journey with us. Our Operations Team ensures customers can operate seamlessly on our platform, and guarantee the best customer experience possible.

 

About the Role

Reporting to the Director of AML Operations, the FinCrime Operations Lead is an individual contributor role responsible to lead operational performance in the US market. You will be responsible for driving excellence across our 1LoD operations: Know Your Business (KYB/C), Transaction Monitoring (TM), and Quality Assurance (QA). You will work closely with Team Leads, Analysts, and cross-functionally to deliver excellent 1LoD operations in the US market and ensure success metrics are met.

Key Responsibilities:

• Improve operational processes and systems:
• Refine existing, and define new, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for KYB, Transaction Monitoring, and QA teams to ensure consistent, efficient, and compliant execution of operations in the US
• Handle market escalations that could not be solved by the L1/L2 operational teams
• Support our global expansion by ensuring US operational systems and processes scale efficiently and compliantly in new geographies
• Collaborate cross-functionally:
• Work cross-functionally with Compliance, Product, Tech, and other internal teams to drive continuous improvement in systems and operations
• Act as a bridge between FinCrime Ops teams and the Operations Transformation function, contributing to large-scale projects and major change initiatives - e.g. entering new markets, embedding AI into our operations
• Performance Management:
• Oversee FinCrime Ops performance of your market
• Work closely with the MLRO, US Team Leads, group AML Ops Team Leads, Product teams, and external partners when needed to ensure strong FinCrime Ops performance
• Collaborate with Leads to ensure teams meet or exceed key success metrics
• Analyze operational data to identify trends, areas for improvement, and implement data-driven systems and process enhancements

Contribute to wider FinCrime Operations strategy and execution: Support the Director of AML Operations and Team Leads with longer-term strategic planning and execution of major change initiatives

 

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years experience in:
• AML, Compliance, or Operations roles in a FinTech or regulated financial institution
• Other relevant roles in complex and fast-paced environments - e.g. Consulting, Strategy & Execution, Change Management
• Knowledge:
• Strong understanding of KYB, Fraud, Transaction Monitoring, and QA functions
• Strong knowledge of AML regulations and FATF recommendations
• Experience supporting global operations and/or scaling processes in multiple markets is a plus
• Relevant certifications e.g. CAMS (Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist) are preferred
• Proficiency with relevant AML vendors (e.g. Onfido, LexisNexis, AI-native vendors) or data software (e.g. Tableau, PowerBI)
• Skills:
• Excellent problem-solving skills, the ability to think first principles, and break complex and ambiguous issues down into struct