Head of Compliance

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 15,000 businesses using our suite of products.

In 2022, we were awarded Best Employer of the Year and Payments Tech of the Year by Asia Fintech Awards, ranked #1 on LinkedIn's 2022 Top Startups list and were listed on YC Top Companies 2022. In 2023, we ranked Top 10 on The Straits Times Fastest-Growing Companies.

You will be amazed by the energy and experience of our team. We are a team of ex-entrepreneurs, ex-founders, and high-achievers with international backgrounds. We team up to reach the highest standards in what we do, and don't take NO for an answer.

We are expanding rapidly. Are you a top talent? Are you passionate about entrepreneurship? Join us and make an impact in the fintech space.

About Aspire

We are the leading all-in-one finance operating system for growing businesses in South-East Asia. We are on a mission to reinvent business finance for a new generation of entrepreneurs and business owners, empowering startups and SMBs to realize their full potential.

We have successfully closed an oversubscribed US$ 100 million Series C equity round in 2023 led by Sequoia and Lightspeed with participation of Tencent and PayPal. Since its inception in 2018, we have has raised over US$ 300 million from world-class investors to power our solutions we have partnered with some of the best companies in the world such as Visa and Wise and help more than 15,000 businesses using our suite of products.

In 2020 we were awarded Hottest Startup by Singapore Business Review and Finalist MAS Fintech Awards. In 2021 and 2022 we were named in LinkedIn's Top 5 Startups in Singapore and awarded Best Employer of the Year and best Payments Tech 2022 by Asia Fintech Awards.

You will be amazed by our energy and ambition. We are a team of ex-entrepreneurs, ex-founders, and A players with international and diverse (45% of us are women) backgrounds. We team up to excel in what we do, and don't take NO for an answer.

We are expanding rapidly. Are you a top talent? Are you passionate about entrepreneurship? Join us and make an impact in the Fintech space!

About the role:

You are an experienced compliance professional with experience in the payment services, fintech, banking or financial services industries, and a strong track record of implementation and execution of regulatory and compliance programs. You will head Aspire AML and regulatory compliance division and will play a critical role in allowing Aspire to scale while keeping AML risks under control.

You will be supporting Aspire's payment services licensing applications across markets by designing solid AML programs aligned with regulatory guidelines, which includes dealing with any and all regulatory and compliance matters, such as designing compliance strategy in line with legal requirements and guidelines, managing the regulatory relationship with external regulators and stakeholders, drafting and implementing policies, SOPs, systems, governance, and internal controls, and helping Aspire comply with its regulatory obligations.

You will be appointed and serve as the Designated Compliance Officer for the purposes of Aspire's payment services licence applications.

What will you be doing?

• Act as designated Compliance Officer for the purposes of Aspire's payment services licence application, and do all things necessary for the undertaking of the role.
• Design and implement regulatory and compliance frameworks to ensure Aspire is compliant with its regulatory obligations.
• Draft and implement policies, SOPs, systems, and internal controls for regulatory compliance programs to ensure licensing commitments and obligations are fulfilled.
• Manage relationships with regulators and partners, and handle queries, clarifications, and address concerns arising from Aspire's AML and compliance activities.
• Monitor Aspire's new services and product launches to ensure compliance with existing legal and regulatory requirements and guidelines.
• Act as the contact person where breaches or violations of compliance obligations have occurred.
• Lead internal and external audits of compliance and regulatory processes and procedures, respond to the results of the audits and assessments, remediate issues identified from the findings, and develop corrective action plans to implement.
• Create regular regulatory performance reports for the company, such as recommendations on strategy.
• Develop and conduct internal training sessions for the regulatory and compliance team, ensure business understands its regulatory and compliance obligations, and manage business activities where necessary to ensure compliance.
• Support other legal and regulatory team members regionally to align on the regulatory compliance program.

We would love to get to know you if you have the following:

• 9+ years of relevant working experience in a regulatory compliance role.
• Payments, fintech, banking, financial institution, or other relevant experience.
• Able to work independently to manage compliance and regulatory matters.
• Ability to manage different stakeholders and understand business needs whilst ensuring unimpeachable compliance with regulatory obligations.
• Demonstrated experience managing relationships with different regulators, with a keen understanding of the different temperaments and requirements.
• Strong authority and capability to mentor and guide regulatory and compliance team.
• Ability to juggle multiple complex compliance projects.
• Efficient and independent in a fast-paced environment.
• Good written and spoken English
• Conscientious, meticulous and with an eye for detail
• Positive attitude, consultative approach, and self-motivation are all essential
• Highest work ethic and unlimited drive
• 100% execution-minded, hands-on approach
• High sense of urgency
• Strong interpersonal and social skills

Please note: by submitting your application, you acknowledge that you have read and understood Aspire's Data Protection Policy for Employees, Freelancers, Contractors and Job Applicants (the " Policy") , and consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal data by Aspire for the purposes set out in the Policy. You may withdraw consent for such collection, use and disclosure, and make an access or correction request in respect of your personal data, in accordance with the Policy by emailing people@aspireapp.com .