Senior Compliance Manager

About the role

Lean is hiring a ‘Senior Compliance Manager’ to own and lead the compliance function for Lean Technologies KSA (Lean KSA), a SAMA-licensed Major Payment Institution. You will ensure adherence to the regulatory framework of SAMA (Saudi Central Bank), act as the primary interface with regulators, and embed compliance into how the business ships products. You will hold SAMA’s approved Compliance Officer position and the AML / Financial Crime Officer (MLRO) position for Lean KSA. You will lead the compliance workstreams for Lean’s pending payment services and payment initiation licence applications. This role is perfect for someone who is a seasoned compliance professional with a passion for fintech, eager to play a key role at the heart of one of Saudi’s fastest-growing fintechs.

This role reports directly to the Board of Directors of Lean KSA and to the Board’s ‘Governance, Legal, Risk and Compliance Committee’ (GLRCC), with day-to-day reporting to the Group Chief Legal, Risk and Compliance Officer and administrative reporting to the CEO. You will present the quarterly Compliance and Financial Crime report to the GLRCC and the Board and have direct, unrestricted access to both. The KSA Compliance Officer reports to this role.

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 Tabby and Tas’heel to Hungerstation - 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 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, and own the KSA policy set through its annual 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.

• Own the KSA Compliance Annual Plan and the compliance risk assessment, and report progress against them quarterly to the GLRCC and the Board.

• 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.

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

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Provide expert advice to departments across the business on compliance matters, including regulatory review of new products, use cases and client segments before launch.

• Maintain a deep understanding of the KSA regulatory landscape and brief senior management to inform strategic decisions.

• Manage relationships with SAMA and relevant industry bodies, and stay ahead of upcoming mandates.

• 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.

• 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.

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

• 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.

• 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.

What we’re looking for

• 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.

• 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.

• Saudi national (required for AML/CFT function holders under SAMA rules).

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.

Since 2019, we’ve become the first regulated Open Banking and Open Finance company operating across the UAE and Saudi Arabia. We’ve processed billions of dollars. We connect millions of accounts. We enable companies like Binance, Careem, and Etisalat to build products that were previously impossible in this region.

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 standard. And we’re looking for people who’ve done this before to help us do it right.

If you’re motivated by building something that lasts, not just something that scales, Lean is where you need to be.

Not only do we offer competitive salaries, private healthcare, and flexible office hours, but we also insist that every member of the team hold a meaningful equity stake in the business to ensure long-term alignment. We'd love you to join us for this journey!

Lean is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are 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.

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