FinCrime EU Operations Senior Director at Visa

Job Description

• Lead the end-to-end Financial Crime Operations function across regulated entities, ensuring operational excellence and regulatory alignment.
• Drive strategic planning, capacity modeling, and workflow optimization across Transaction Monitoring, Screening, KYC/Client Onboarding, and Live Monitoring functions.
• Act  as the ultimate  escalation authority for financial crime matters and complex investigations.
• Partner with 2nd Line teams including Money Laundering Reporting Officers (MLROs) and , Financial Crime Policy on escalations, alignment and exception approvals.
• Build and scale operational programs in alignment with growth, new product launches, and geographic expansion.
• Ensure high-quality, timely execution of alerts, reviews, escalations, and investigations.
• Oversee processes related to:
  • Transaction Monitoring (AML and fraud)
  • Sanctions and PEP/Adverse Media Screening
  • KYC/Client and Banking Partner Onboarding and periodic reviews
  • Real-time/live monitoring of transactions
  • Client and bank partner inquiry responses

• Drive continuous improvement through automation, tooling enhancements, and workflow efficiency.
• Collaborate with various stakeholders (e.g. Risk, Legal, Regulatory Compliance, Product, and Engineering) to ensure operational readiness for regulatory changes.
• Partner with Compliance Technology Operations (CTO) and Model Risk Management (MRM) team for addressing necessary MRM related matters.
• Support regulatory exams, audits, and inquiries with strong documentation and operational insight.
• Partner with banking partners and external stakeholders to maintain trust, transparency, and timely communication.
• Lead, mentor, and develop large, diverse, multi-location teams across multiple functions.
• Build leadership depth, mentor  managers and senior managers, foster high-performance culture.  
• Foster a culture of high performance, accountability, and continuous learning.

This is a hybrid position. Expectation of days in the office will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager.  ​

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in Financial Crime (AML/CTF, sanctions, fraud, KYC, screening) within regulated financial services environments.
• Significant experience in the payments industry, covering operational processes and risk management across digital payments, money movement, or PSP/e-money institutions.
• Extensive experience managing large, multi-layered teams, ideally within global or regional operational environments.
• Deep understanding of EU/UK and global regulatory frameworks (e.g., BSA, AMLD, PSD2, sanctions regimes, FIU obligations).
• Proven success implementing operational scaling, process optimization, and data-driven workflow management.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with experience of engaging regulators and banking partners.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and decision-making capabilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in high-growth fintech or digital payments platforms.
• Expertise in automation and compliance technology,  including case management systems, alerting tools, and operational automation.
• Advanced degree or professional certifications (e.g., CAMS, CFCS, ICA).