Onboarding Compliance Lead

Summary

Join dLocal as the Onboarding Compliance Lead - LATAM and own the continuous improvement of the customer onboarding compliance function. Ensure all new clients/customers are vetted and approved according to internal policies and regulatory requirements (AML/KYC/sanctions). Bridge compliance operations and technology for scalable, efficient onboarding while minimizing financial crime risks. Lead the end-to-end compliance onboarding process for clients/customers in LATAM, including KYC, CDD, EDD, sanctions screening, and risk scoring. Develop, maintain, and iterate onboarding policies and procedures. Manage and coach a team of onboarding compliance team members. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align onboarding flows with compliance requirements. Design and monitor key compliance metrics and dashboards. Drive automation and tooling improvements in onboarding. Conduct periodic reviews and quality assurance of onboarding decisions. Serve as a subject matter expert for internal stakeholders and external auditors/regulators. Implement and deliver training programs. Identify emerging financial crime typologies and manage escalations on complex or high-risk onboarding cases.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in compliance, financial crime prevention, or risk roles with a significant focus on customer onboarding (preferably in fintech, payments, banking, or regulated financial services)
• Deep practical knowledge of AML/KYC/CDD/ECDD frameworks, sanctions screening, PEPs, adverse media, and risk-based onboarding approaches
• Experience managing or leading small teams, including performance management and operational coaching
• Familiarity with compliance/onboarding tooling (e.g., global watchlists, screening engines, case management platforms, risk scoring systems)
• Strong analytical skills, with experience using data to drive decisions, identify trends, and optimize processes
• Excellent stakeholder management—ability to influence product/engineering/operations while maintaining compliance integrity
• Comfortable operating in fast-paced, ambiguous environments and balancing speed vs. risk
• English is a must

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee the end-to-end compliance onboarding process for new and existing clients/customers in LATAM, including Know Your Customer (KYC), Customer Due Diligence (CDD), enhanced due diligence (EDD), sanctions screening, and risk scoring
• Develop, maintain, and iterate onboarding policies, procedures, and playbooks either from a global standpoint or country specific to reflect evolving regulatory expectations (e.g., AML, sanctions, PEPs, adverse media) and internal risk frameworks
• Manage and coach a team of onboarding compliance team members, setting clear performance expectations, delivering feedback, and building domain expertise
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Operations, Product, Legal, Engineering, and Customer Success teams to align onboarding flows with compliance requirements while minimizing customer friction
• Design and monitor key compliance metrics and dashboards (e.g., onboarding turnaround time, high-risk escalation rate, remediation timeliness etc)
• Drive automation and tooling improvements in onboarding (e.g., enhancing KYC flows, refining risk models, integrating new data sources, reducing manual review workload)
• Conduct periodic reviews and quality assurance of onboarding decisions, including sampling, audit prep, and identifying systemic issues
• Serve as subject matter expert for internal stakeholders and external auditors/regulators during reviews, audits, or escalation events
• Implement and deliver training programs for internal teams on onboarding policy updates, red flags, and process compliance
• Identify emerging financial crime typologies relevant to onboarding and ensure the program adapts proactively
• Manage escalations on complex or high-risk onboarding cases, making defensible, risk-aligned decisions or coordinating with senior stakeholders when required

Preferred Qualifications

• Certification such as CAMS (Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist), CRCM (Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager), or equivalent is a nice-to-have
• Experience scaling onboarding programs across multiple jurisdictions or in a high-growth startup environment
• Knowledge of emerging identity verification technologies, digital onboarding flows, and fraud prevention techniques is a plus

Benefits

• Remote work: work from anywhere or one of our offices around the globe!*
• Flexibility: we have flexible schedules and we are driven by performance
• Fintech industry: work in a dynamic and ever-evolving environment, with plenty to build and boost your creativity
• Referral bonus program: our internal talents are the best recruiters - refer someone ideal for a role and get rewarded
• Learning & development: get access to a Premium Coursera subscription
• Language classes: we provide free English, Spanish, or Portuguese classes
• Social budget: you'll get a monthly budget to chill out with your team (in person or remotely) and deepen your connections!
• DLocal Houses: want to rent a house to spend one week anywhere in the world coworking with your team? We’ve got your back!