KYC Operations Team Lead - Deactivations at Wise

As the Team Lead for KYC Operations on our newly established Deactivations Team, you will be at the forefront of strengthening Wise's commitment to regulatory compliance and protecting our financial ecosystem. Your mission is to build and guide a team of senior analysts who will become the authority in enhanced due diligence (EDD) and masters of risk assessment. You will lead your team who investigate complex KYC cases, empowering them with the duty to guarantee that every decision is compliant and accurate. It's a team that delivers justice and upholds our integrity when it matters the most.

As this is a newly formed team at Wise, you won't just be following established guidelines - you'll be a primary architect in their creation. You will lead the effort to shape the team's processes, enhance its tools, and develop its operational strategy. Your leadership, insights, and the feedback from your team will be crucial in building this function from the ground up.

This is a unique opportunity for a sharp, inspiring leader who excels in high-pressure situations and has a passion for developing expert investigators. If you are eager to build a team of subject matter experts in the comprehensive KYC/FinCrime arena and seek a position where your leadership will significantly influence our clients, enhance our reputation, and mentor the next wave of talent —then this opportunity is perfect for you.

Responsibilities

• Excellent verbal and written English skills (additional language skills are a plus) with the ability to clearly articulate your thoughts.

• A minimum of 2+ years of experience in Operations (preferably in CDD/EDD/AML or Risk Assessment domain).

• Good understanding of the regulatory framework surrounding KYC/AML.

• You are punctual, independent, proactive and willing to get things done.

• You are a fast learner, willing to become a Subject Matter Expert for your team and support them in their problem solving.

• You have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, strong organisational skills, great time management, and ability to work in a fast paced and high pressure environment.

• Ability to multi-task and take responsibility in challenging situations;

• You are capable of identifying gaps in policies and processes and providing detailed feedback, including examples when possible, through the established communication channels.

• Proven track record of taking individual ownership and responsibilities as well as being a great team-player

• Ability to analyze and move the team's metrics.

Nice to have:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, Law, or related field.

• Certifications: ICA, CAMS, or equivalent certification (EDD/AML focused).

• 1-2 years experience in KYC/AML, financial crime, compliance, or a related field within the financial services industry.

• 1-2 years experience of leading small to medium sized teams.

• Ability to use analytics tools like, looker, superset, or other.

Requirements

• Team Leadership
  Lead by example and drive a customer focused mindset across your team. Promote a culture of ownership and accountability. Build high-performing teams that value knowledge sharing and continuous learning.

• People management
  Coach and develop a strong team of KYC Analysts. Come up with initiatives to help your team to grow their skills, behaviours, and competencies. Design and manage development plans on identified opportunities. Conducts career map check-ins and makes recommendations for promotions, salary raises, and other decisions.

• Operational management
  Identify and propose opportunities for process improvements. Collaborate with central functions and other operational teams as needed to increase operational efficiency. Provide guidance and support on complex, high-risk cases and escalations, which may include acting as a direct point of contact for customers via email, phone, or video call during sensitive inquiries, interviews, or escalations.

• Performance management
  Measure team KPIs and ensure performance targets and quality standards are met while maintaining focus on customer experience. Conduct regular one on one coaching sessions, usually on a weekly or biweekly basis. Run team meetings to ensure that your team is kept up to date with the latest information, share best practices and enhance overall team spirit.

• Expertise Sharing
  Be a subject matter expert in your area with the ability to train and coach your team on operational topics. Maintain a good understanding of our regulatory obligations, internal policies, and applying a risk-based approach to deterring and preventing money laundering and financial crime. Able to perform deep dives, understand root causes of problematic cases and propose solutions to senior leadership.

• Planning and execution
  Ensure key performance indicators are being met and provide insights to other stakeholders. Take full accountability in delivering your own initiatives and making sure your team is making progress on their goals.

• Stakeholder management and communication
  Collaborate closely with your stakeholders ensuring clear communication and coordination of actions. You communicate mindfully and professionally while choosing the right formats and platforms to convey your message to a wider audience in a timely manner. Your initiatives and reports are well documented and it has a clear scope that includes potential impact in different areas.

• Quality assurance and control
  Implement and maintain a robust quality assurance framework for your team. Conduct regular checks and reviews of your team’s casework to ensure accuracy, consistency, and adherence to the highest standards of our policies and regulatory obligations. Provide targeted coaching and constructive feedback based on quality findings to drive continuous improvement. Analyse quality metrics to identify trends, address root causes of errors, and develop initiatives that enhance the team's overall performance and mitigate risk.