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-