Head of Regulatory Legal

Airwallex•San Francisco, CA

36d•Onsite

About The Position

Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 200,000 businesses worldwide – including Brex, Rippling, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more – with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale. Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,000 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 26 offices around the globe. Valued at US$8 billion and backed by world-leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Visa, Mastercard, Robinhood Ventures, Sequoia, Salesforce Ventures, DST Global, and Lone Pine Capital, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If you’re ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us. We hire successful builders with founder-like energy who want real impact, accelerated learning, and true ownership. You bring strong role-related expertise and sharp thinking, and you’re motivated by our mission and operating principles. You move fast with good judgment, dig deep with curiosity, and make decisions from first principles, balancing speed and rigor. You're humble and collaborative; turn zero‑to‑one ideas into real products, and you “get stuff done” end-to-end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here, you’ll tackle complex, high‑visibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking. If that sounds like you, let’s build what’s next. Managing the global Regulatory Legal team and reporting directly to the CLRO, you will play a pivotal leadership role in shaping and executing Airwallex’s global regulatory legal and compliance strategy. You’ll lead and guide the Regulatory Legal team, driving the development and implementation of best-in-class compliance programs, and ensuring Airwallex remains at the forefront of regulatory innovation as we expand into new markets and product verticals. This is a highly cross-functional, visible role with direct impact on Airwallex’s growth, reputation, and ability to deliver transformational value to our customers. This role is based in San Francisco.

Requirements

13+ years of relevant experience, with significant experience in a variety of regulatory legal and compliance roles, including managing teams across multiple geographies.
Top tier law firm experience, ideally focused on financial regulatory law.
Industry expertise in FinTech, e-commerce, RegTech, compliance consulting, risk, and strong working knowledge of scheme rules, accounting, and/or financial services.
A degree in law and experience with financial and other regulatory issues.
Ability to work with data and leverage it for strategic decision-making.
Outstanding time management, presentation, and relationship-building skills, coupled with the ability to understand the larger picture while operating in a focused manner.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a high-growth, fast-paced, and global fintech environment.
Experience building and scaling compliance programs from the ground up.
Experience engaging with regulators, managing audits, and leading regulatory responses.
Additional language skills and experience working with cross-border teams.

Responsibilities

Lead the global Regulatory Legal team, setting clear goals, mentoring team members, and fostering a culture of excellence and accountability.
Play a pivotal role in maintaining and advancing Airwallex’s regulatory compliance programs to meet the ever-changing regulatory landscape.
Create a state-of-the-art regulatory playbook and program for each new license obtained for any of our products (where necessary) and in each new jurisdiction Airwallex operates within.
Provide strategic suggestions and solutions in the design and implementation of policies, procedures, and the overall compliance program.
Coordinate and align implementation with the Product and Commercial Legal and Risk functions, collaborating across departments to ensure compliance is integrated into business decisions and processes.
Partner with other stakeholders such as Engineering, Strategy, and Business Development to meet opportunities and achieve the goals and key results set forth by the global Airwallex group.
Implement and utilise AI tools to streamline the Regulatory Legal function and increase productivity.
Develop and implement a comprehensive compliance and licensing strategy, ensuring Airwallex is in compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements across all markets and geographies.
Ensure a scalable licensing application process through codification of best practices.
Build strong relationships with regulatory bodies and industry associations to promote positive engagement and advocacy, particularly during the licensing process.
Design and implement a training program for all staff of Airwallex to ensure legal and regulatory compliance at all times.