Senior Compliance Manager

About the role

We are seeking a Senior Compliance Manager to join Lean Technologies and build the compliance framework for a strategic new offering focused on stablecoin-based payments infrastructure. Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer, you will play a critical role in ensuring the product is developed and scaled in line with regulatory standards across multiple jurisdictions. This is a hands-on and strategic role where you will partner closely with leadership, legal, product, and commercial teams to embed compliance into every stage of development and rollout. About Lean Lean is the leading financial infrastructure provider in the Middle East. We power some of the region's largest companies with APIs that enable payments, account verification, financial data access, and other critical financial infrastructure. What started as the region's pioneering Open Banking platform and quickly became the de facto leader in account aggregation and payment initiation in the region is now becoming something bigger: a multi-product infrastructure company powering payments, data, and lending across MENA. We've processed billions of dollars in transactions. We're trusted by 350+ clients - from Binance and Careem to Etisalat - and backed by General Catalyst, Sequoia, and Shorooq. Our $67.5M Series B was just the beginning. We're expanding into new markets, opening offices, acquiring businesses, and building capabilities that didn't exist here before.

Responsibilities

• Develop and update compliance policies and procedures in line with applicable rules and industry best practices
• Prepare and execute a compliance monitoring plan to ensure adherence to regulatory requirements
• Conduct periodic compliance training and awareness sessions for employees and management
• Act as liaison with regulators on compliance related matters
• Ensure compliance with reporting obligations and communicate relevant regulatory directives and circulars internally
• Maintain monitoring processes to identify, report, and address compliance breaches
• Record and escalate breaches to senior management, the Board, and regulators where required
• Conduct compliance reviews and submit findings to senior stakeholders and regulators
• Conduct compliance risk assessments and advise on mitigation strategies
• Monitor regulatory developments in financial services and translate them into operational requirements
• Collaborate with the Legal Counsel to ensure compliance and legal functions are aligned
• Foster a culture of accountability and transparency through training and awareness initiatives
• Lead compliance workstreams for product launches, partnerships, and market entries
• MLRO Responsibilities
• Develop and maintain AML policies and procedures that meet evolving regulatory requirements
• Conduct AML risk assessments and identify key risk areas
• Oversee client onboarding and due diligence processes, ensuring appropriate risk ratings and file reviews
• Support background checks and screening processes
• Act as the main point of contact with regulators on AML matters
• Receive, assess, and escalate suspicious activity reports (SARs/STRs) and file reports with relevant authorities when required
• Provide AML training to staff and ensure new directives and sanctions are communicated internally
• Conduct semi-annual AML assessments and report findings to senior management and regulators

Requirements

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in compliance, at least 3 years spent in the crypto/digital asset space
• Strong expertise in AML, KYC, sanctions, and transaction monitoring frameworks
• Experience engaging regulators, auditors, and financial institutions at a senior level
• Ability to operationalize compliance in a fast-growing business
• An analytical, pragmatic, and commercially aware approach
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with a keen eye for detail
• Self-motivated, detail-oriented, and adaptable in a fast-paced environment
• NB. While we think the above experience could be important, we're keen to hear from people that believe they have valuable experience to bring to the role. If you identify with the team and mission, but not all of our requirements, then please still apply!!
• Why Join us?
• We're building the financial infrastructure for MENA. Not as a slogan, as a fact.
• Our recent $67.5M Series B from General Catalyst and Sequoia isn't just validation: it's fuel. We're expanding into new markets, launching new products, and setting the pace for what financial innovation looks like in MENA.
• We solve hard problems. We move fast. We hold ourselves to a high

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