Compliance Onboarding Specialist (Payments/ Multi-Currency)

Our client specialises in seamless personal and business banking solutions. Offering multi-currency accounts that support over 40 currencies, they enable efficient international transactions for individuals and businesses alike. Clients can open accounts in their own or their business’s name, benefiting from direct ZAR outbound payments, tax certificates, and exchange control guidance. Integrated with major financial networks like SWIFT, SEPA Instant, and UK Faster Payments, they provide competitive foreign exchange rates and 24/7 electronic transaction capabilities. Regulated by top financial authorities in the UK and South Africa, our client ensures compliance, security, and efficiency in all their financial operations.

 

Role Overview

To help our client maintain its regulatory standing in both the UK and South Africa, and play a meaningful part in protecting the business and the wider financial system from financial crime.

What success looks like

Our client meets its regulatory obligations across both jurisdictions, internal policies are applied consistently and pragmatically, and clients are onboarded and serviced efficiently without compromising the integrity of their controls. The compliance function is seen as a trusted partner across the business, not a blocker.

Job Type: Full Time/Permanent

Location: Cape Town, South Africa, with a cross-jurisdictional remit covering both the UK and South African offices

Workspace: Hybrid

Reports to: Head of Compliance / MLRO

Requirements

• Demonstrable experience in a compliance role within a regulated financial services business, ideally an EMI, payments institution, FX broker, bank or similar.
• Working knowledge of the UK regulatory framework relevant to EMIs and payments, including the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, the Electronic Money Regulations 2011, the Payment Services Regulations 2017, FCA SYSC requirements and the UK sanctions regime.
• Working knowledge of the South African regulatory framework, including the FIC Act, FSCA conduct standards relevant to FSPs, POPIA and the South African sanctions regime under the FIC.
• Hands-on experience carrying out CDD/EDD, transaction monitoring and screening in a live operational environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication, with the ability to flex tone between clients, banking partners, regulators and internal colleagues.
• Sharp attention to detail and sound risk judgement, comfortable making decisions and explaining the reasoning behind them.
• Relevant qualifications such as ICA, ACAMS, or a South African AML/compliance certification.
• Exposure to digital assets, stablecoins or blockchain-based payments.
• Experience supporting BaaS or distributor models, or working with third-party programme partners.
• Familiarity with KYC, screening and case-management platforms such as LexisNexis (formerly TruNarrative), KYCDD / Docfox or equivalent, and CRM-based workflow systems (we use FXOps internally).

How you work

• Self-starter who can prioritise effectively across two jurisdictions and multiple workstreams.
• Pragmatic, finds the right balance between control and commercial reality.
• Collaborative team player who builds trust quickly with colleagues across offices.
• Curious and proactive, keeps learning as the regulatory and product landscape changes.

Responsibilities

 

Client due diligence and onboarding

• Conduct CDD and EDD reviews on new individual and corporate clients across both offices, and carry out periodic reviews of existing clients in line with the relevant risk-based approach.
• Run sanctions, PEP and adverse media screening on all applicants, and manage ongoing alerts.
• Approve onboarding cases within delegated authority and escalate higher-risk relationships to the MLRO.

Client servicing

• Act as a day-to-day point of contact for clients, handling compliance-related queries by phone and email in a clear, professional and timely manner.
• Work closely with the wider operations and onboarding teams to resolve client issues, request outstanding information, and keep cases moving without compromising controls.

Transaction monitoring and reporting

• Review and approve transactions flagged for compliance review, and set or adjust client trade limits as appropriate.
• Identify potentially suspicious activity, investigate and escalate to the MLRO, supporting the preparation of SARs (UK) and STRs (South Africa) where required.
• Support responses to RFIs and additional data requests from banking partners.

Regulatory and policy work

• Help maintain and update our client’s policies, procedures, templates and registers across both jurisdictions.
• Support preparation for compliance audits, regulatory inspections and external reviews, and help close out actions arising.
• Contribute to upcoming regulatory registrations, licence applications and product launches, including BaaS and stablecoin-related work.

Cross-office collaboration

• Work closely with compliance colleagues in both the UK and South African offices to ensure a consistent group approach where appropriate, while respecting local nuances.
• Provide feedback to the Head of Compliance / MLRO on how systems, controls and processes can be improved.
• Stay current with regulatory developments in both jurisdictions through webinars, industry events and publications