Regional Head of Compliance, China
Shanghai, China
About Payoneer
Founded in 2005, Payoneer is the global financial platform that removes friction from doing business across borders, with a mission to connect the world’s underserved businesses to a rising global economy. We’re a community with over 2,500 colleagues all over the world, working to serve customers, and partners in over 190 markets.
By taking the complexity out of the financial workflows–including everything from global payments and compliance, to multi-currency and workforce management, to providing working capital and business intelligence–we give businesses the tools they need to work efficiently worldwide and grow with confidence.
Regional Head of Compliance, China
Role Summary: Compliance strategy and policy design, Regulators relationship with PBoC and SAFE, Compliance business partner, Team management
Location: Shanghai, China
On-site
Full-time
The Regional Head of Compliance– China will play a strategic and pivotal role in managing regulatory compliance by designing and implementing Compliance policies that enable business growth, while ensuring the adherence to China’s evolving regulatory landscape.
This leader will be responsible for developing a compliance strategy that effectively balances regulatory obligations with commercial opportunities, working cross-functionally with Product, Operations, Legal, and Risk teams to seamlessly integrate compliance into operations.
The successful candidate will be an expert in China’s financial regulatory landscape, such as laws governing cross-border payments, digital wallets, merchant acquiring, virtual accounts, and fintech operations.
You will be responsible for navigating complex regulations, obtaining necessary licenses, and building strong relationships with regulators such as the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE).
This role is ideal for an agile compliance leader who understands how to drive compliance strategies that foster sustainable growth, allowing the company to expand its payment solutions, launch new products, and onboard high-value merchants and clients.
What you’ll do:
Strategy & Policy Design
- Develop a compliance strategy that supports business scalability, aligns with company objectives while ensuring adherence to regulatory standards and relevant banking requirements.
- Design, refine and implement risk-based Compliance and AML policies in line with China regulations, including from PBOC and SAFE, with a focus on digital payments, and cross-border remittances for non-banking payment institutions.
- Establish governance frameworks that embed compliance into business decision-making, enabling expansion while mitigating regulatory risks.
- Drive regulatory licensing strategies, ensuring the company secures and maintains necessary approvals for services including payment processing, e-wallet services, and digital banking activities.
- Lead engagement with regulatory authorities, proactively addressing compliance concerns and advocating for regulatory clarity that fosters innovation.
Regulatory Compliance & Governance
- Oversee a best-in-class AML compliance program in accordance with, including but not limited to,:
- China’s Anti-Money Laundering Law
- SAFE’s Cross-Border AML Rules
- PBOC’s AML Guidelines for Non-Banking Payment Institutions
- FATF international standards
- Lead regulatory interactions, including audits, inspections, and licensing efforts for payment processing, digital banking, and cross-border remittance services.
- Prepare and submit regulatory reports while maintaining constructive relationships with key authorities, including PBOC and SAFE.
- Provide regular risk assessments and compliance reports to senior management to support informed business decisions
- Collaborate with Compliance Strategy and Product teams to design a scalable Compliance and AML system, including but not limited to, customer risk scoring and transaction monitoring that supports high-volume payments while ensuring fraud prevention and risk mitigation.
Regulatory Advisory & Training
- Monitor regulatory developments and proactively advise leadership on changes affecting the business, including emerging risks and opportunities in China’s evolving payment ecosystem.
- Act as a trusted compliance advisor to senior leadership and business units, helping them navigate regulatory complexities while scaling operations.
- Collaborate with Global Training teams to develop programs that enhance regulatory awareness across business functions.
Business Growth & Strategic Partnerships
- Work closely with business development teams to structure compliant solutions for B2B cross-border payments, merchant payouts, remittances, and e-wallet transactions, that is consistent and competitive with market practice
- Partner with Commercial and Risk teams to develop risk-based approaches for high-growth sectors such as e-commerce.
- Build and maintain relationships with banking partners and correspondent institutions to ensure smooth cross-border settlements.
- Enable business expansion by ensuring compliance with SAFE’s foreign exchange settlement regulations and PBOC’s cross-border payment processing rules.
- Partner with Business Development and Commercial teams to create regulatory-compliant payment solutions that meet market demands
Who you are:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Law, Finance, Business, or a related field.
- 10+ years of experience in regulatory compliance, AML, or risk management in the payments, fintech, or banking industry.
- Proven experience as a people manager, with the ability to lead, mentor, and develop high-performing compliance teams
- Deep understanding of China’s financial regulatory environment, including PBOC, SAFE, and AML regulations.
- Experience working with digital payments, e-wallets, cross-border transactions, and mobile payment ecosystems (e.g., WeChat Pay, Alipay, UnionPay, etc.).
- Strong relationship management skills with Chinese regulators and industry bodies.
- Bilingual proficiency in Mandarin and English (spoken and written) is required.
- Professional certifications such as CAMS (Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist) or ICA (International Compliance Association) certifications are a plus
- Fast learner, with bias for action
- Strong problem solving to drill down to root cause/ deal with ambiguity
- Must be able to effectively communicate across all levels of the organization
- Time management/prioritization, high attention to detail
What we offer:
- Fitness reimbursement
- Generous PTO, paid holidays, and parental leave
- Learning and development opportunities
- Fun office culture with supportive leadership
- Exciting social events, including happy hours, birthday celebrations, and Friday lunches
- Community engagement opportunities
- Relaxed dress code
#LI-DW1
#LI-Onsite
The Payoneer Ways of Working
Act as our customer’s partner on the inside
Learning what they need and creating what will help them go further.
Continuously improve
Always striving for a higher standard than our last.
Do it. Own it.
Being fearlessly accountable in everything we do.
Build each other up
Helping each other grow, as professionals and people.
If this sounds like a business, a community, and a mission you want to be part of, click now to apply.
We are committed to providing a diverse and inclusive workplace. Payoneer is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment no matter your race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you require reasonable accommodation at any stage of the hiring process, please speak to the recruiter managing the role for any adjustments. Decisions about requests for reasonable accommodation are made on a case-by-case basis.
