Senior Compliance Manager

Role Overview

Senior Compliance Manager at Lean Technologies, based in Saudi Arabia (KSA). You will own and lead the compliance function for Lean Technologies KSA, a SAMA-licensed Major Payment Institution.

Company Overview

Lean is the leading financial infrastructure provider in the Middle East. The company powers some of the region's largest companies with APIs that enable payments, account verification, financial data access, and other critical financial infrastructure. Lean has processed billions of dollars in transactions and is trusted by 350+ clients including Tabby, Tas'heel, and Hungerstation. The company is backed by General Catalyst, Sequoia, and Shorooq, and raised $67.5M in Series B funding. Lean operates as a multi-product infrastructure company powering payments, data, and lending across MENA, with offices expanding into new markets.

Role Purpose

You will serve as the SAMA-approved Compliance Officer and AML/Financial Crime Officer for Lean KSA, ensuring adherence to the regulatory framework of SAMA and acting as the primary interface with regulators. You will embed compliance into how the business ships products and lead compliance workstreams for Lean's pending payment services and payment initiation licence applications.

Key Responsibilities

Regulatory Governance and Policy

• Develop and implement comprehensive compliance policies and procedures aligned to the Law of Payments and Payment Services and its Implementing Regulations, SAMA's Open Banking Framework and Counter-Fraud Framework, the Financial Consumer Protection Principles, and other applicable KSA regulation.
• Own the KSA policy set through its annual Governance, Legal, Risk and Compliance Committee (GLRCC) review and approval cycle.
• Monitor and assess regulatory change across SAMA, SDAIA (data protection), and other relevant authorities, and translate it into clear, actionable guidance for the business.
• Maintain a deep understanding of the KSA regulatory landscape and brief senior management to inform strategic decisions.

Compliance Planning and Reporting

• Own the KSA Compliance Annual Plan and the compliance risk assessment, and report progress against them quarterly to the GLRCC and the Board.
• Present the quarterly Compliance and Financial Crime report to the GLRCC and the Board.
• Deliver accurate, timely reporting to regulators and senior management on compliance activity: SAMA's monthly Open Banking reports, quarterly Counter-Fraud Framework returns, SAFIU filings, material-incident notifications within SAMA's one-hour requirement, and the quarterly Compliance and Financial Crime report to the GLRCC and the Board.

Regulatory Inspections and Audits

• Lead SAMA supervisory visits and inspections, and compliance audits (external, internal and outsourced), ensuring clear communication, a documented evidence trail and resolution of findings and of commitments made to SAMA.
• Manage relationships with SAMA and relevant industry bodies, and stay ahead of upcoming mandates.

Compliance Monitoring

• Establish and run a risk-based Compliance Monitoring Program (CMP) and periodic testing programme across all KSA operations.

Anti-Money Laundering and Financial Crime

• Act as SAMA-approved Compliance Officer and AML/Financial Crime Officer (Money Laundering Reporting Officer): oversee the AML/CFT program, including customer due diligence, sanctions and PEP screening, transaction monitoring and STR decisioning, and report suspicious activity to the Saudi Arabia Financial Intelligence Unit (SAFIU), in line with the Anti-Money Laundering Law, its implementing regulations, and SAMA rules.
• Own compliance with SAMA's Counter-Fraud Framework: the quarterly compliance status report to SAMA's Anti-Fraud Supervision team, the remediation plan, fraud detection, investigation and reporting controls, anti-fraud tooling, and chairing the Counter-Fraud Governance Committee.

Approved Persons and Regulatory Notifications

• Own SAMA's approved-persons process for the company: Fit and Proper submissions, non-objection requests and withdrawals for board members, committee members and senior positions, and the register of SAMA notifications and no-objections.

Data Protection and Privacy

• Support the Data Protection Officer (Legal) on data protection and privacy compliance under the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) and SDAIA requirements, owning the compliance interface where SAMA obligations touch personal data and working with the cyber team on emerging risks.

Consumer Protection

• Own the Consumer Protection and Complaint Handling framework, including the complaints channel, handling timelines and SAMA complaints reporting.

Licence Applications and Product Oversight

• Lead licence applications, additions of services and SAMA no-objection requests, including the regulatory business plan and pre-commencement conditions for new payment services, and maintain the regulatory correspondence log.
• Lead the compliance workstreams for Lean's pending payment services and payment initiation licence applications.
• Provide expert advice to departments across the business on compliance matters, including regulatory review of new products, use cases and client segments before launch.

Third-Party and Outsourcing Oversight

• Oversee the compliance aspects of outsourcing and third-party arrangements, including Fourth Party onboarding and ongoing oversight under the Open Banking Framework, and SAMA outsourcing notifications and no-objections.

Training and Team Development

• Deliver the compliance and financial crime training programme for staff and the Board, including the Board Annual Training Plan.
• Manage and develop the KSA Compliance Officer, and build the team as the licence scope expands.

Reporting Structure

This role reports directly to the Board of Directors of Lean KSA and to the Board's Governance, Legal, Risk and Compliance Committee (GLRCC). Day-to-day reporting is to the Group Chief Legal, Risk and Compliance Officer. Administrative reporting is to the CEO. The KSA Compliance Officer reports to this role. You will have direct, unrestricted access to both the Board and GLRCC.

Qualifications & Experience

• 6+ years of compliance experience in financial services, including direct experience inside a SAMA-regulated entity.
• In-depth knowledge of KSA financial services regulation applicable to fintechs and payment/open banking providers, specifically the Law of Payments and Payment Services and its Implementing Regulations, SAMA rules, the KSA Open Banking Framework, SAMA's Counter-Fraud Framework and Financial Consumer Protection Principles, AML/CFT law, and PDPL.
• Demonstrated track record building and running compliance programs and policies from the ground up.
• Direct experience managing SAMA inspections and audits, and liaising with regulators.
• Meets SAMA's Fit and Proper requirements. Appointment is conditional on SAMA's written non-objection. A current or prior SAMA non-objection for either position is a strong advantage.
• Relevant compliance certification (for example CAMS) or an equivalent AML/financial crime qualification.
• Experience preparing licence applications or regulatory business plans, and working with counter-fraud frameworks and anti-fraud tooling, is highly desirable.
• Saudi national (required for AML/CFT function holders under SAMA rules).

Skills & Competencies

• Excellent analytical skills and attention to detail, with the ability to interpret complex regulations and turn them into workable controls.
• Clear written and verbal communication in Arabic and English.
• Ability to work independently and run multiple concurrent regulatory workstreams under commercial pressure.

Additional Information

• Competitive salary and meaningful equity stake in the business to ensure long-term alignment.
• Private healthcare.
• Flexible office hours.
• Equal opportunity employer committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.