Chief Group Compliance Officer

at  Payhawk

COMPANY MISSION

Payhawk is a leading global spend management solution for scaling businesses. Headquartered in London and combining company cards, reimbursable expenses and accounts payable into a single product; its future-facing technology enables finance teams to control and automate company spending at scale.
The Payhawk customer base includes fast-growing and mature multinational companies in 32 countries including LuxAir, Quantive, and Wagestream. With offices in New York, London, Berlin, Munich , Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Vilnius and Sofia; Payhawk is backed by renowned investors such as Lightspeed Venture Partners, Greenoaks, QED Investors, Earlybird Digital East, and Eleven Ventures.
Our values include supporting flat hierarchies, taking ownership and responsibility, seeking and providing feedback, managing constructive critique, and speaking our minds. We understand that the best ideas don’t all come from the same place, so we encourage diversity and inclusion in all areas of our work.
The future of fintech is about more than money, and we believe in work-life balance, continual learning, and empowered teams. We’re also on a journey to improve our environmental and social impact and become B Corp certified. From virtual cards to digital subscriptions, our software and automation help take paper out of the equation for our customers, too.
We’re changing the world of payments, and we’re looking for an exceptional team to help us.
We are searching for a Chief Group Compliance Officer to oversee compliance globally ensuring compliance with laws, regulatory requirements, policies, and procedures. In the context of having EMI licenses in the UK and Lithuania (and through it, serving customers across the EU), this role will establish and drive relationships with key external stakeholders (external auditors, banking providers, regulators, etc.) as well as oversee the performance of compliance operations and oversee the compliance of our key payments infrastructure.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• Proven experience (10+ years) in a senior compliance role within financial services, fintech, or banking, with significant exposure to EMI-related regulations in Europe.
• Strong knowledge of regulatory frameworks governing the UK, Lithuania, and broader EU financial services.
• Experience building and maintaining relationships with regulators, external auditors, and other key stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to manage compliance risk, lead complex projects, and implement robust compliance frameworks.
• Strong understanding of financial crime prevention (AML/CTF), data privacy, and safeguarding requirements.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with a proven ability to influence across all levels of an organization.
• Hands-on Experience
• Global experience, especially with labor law compliance in Europe.

• Develop, implement, and oversee a robust compliance framework to ensure adherence to global regulatory requirements in relation to Payhawk’s EMI licenses in the UK and Lithuania.
• Lead compliance strategies across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring alignment with local and EU-wide laws, including anti-money laundering (AML), anti-terrorism financing (CTF), and financial crime prevention.
• Build and maintain relationships with regulatory authorities, external auditors, and key third-party stakeholders, including banking providers.
• Lead compliance risk assessments with a business mindset to identify potential gaps, vulnerabilities, and risks in Payhawk’s operations.
• Ensure effective mitigation strategies are in place for emerging risks, particularly in relation to EMI license obligations and financial services regulations across the EU.
• Build, lead and retain a strong compliance team across the various locations
• Embed a strong compliance culture throughout Payhawk
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives in compliance processes, tools, and technologies to enhance operational efficiency and regulatory readiness.