Internal Audit Financial Crime & Conduct Manager

You'll partner with Internal Audit leadership to run the global financial crime and conduct audit program, evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of controls across AML/CFT, sanctions, anti-bribery and corruption, market integrity, and conduct risk. This is a global, multi-jurisdiction mandate that is entity and region agnostic, with an immediate focus on our overseas operations and the regulatory regimes that govern them. Financial crime compliance will be a primary focus, and the role will also focus on conduct and market integrity risk. This is a hands-on role with real ownership over scope, stakeholders, and outcomes - you'll play a central role in how the Internal Audit function assesses some of the highest-visibility risks our business carries.

Responsibilities

Lead audits across financial crime compliance, including AML/CFT, sanctions, and anti-bribery and corruption, as well as conduct and market integrity risk, across multiple jurisdictions and regulatory regimes; Perform risk assessments to identify key areas of exposure and prioritize audit coverage; Design and execute control testing across business and compliance processes, evaluating both design and operating effectiveness; Assess conduct and market integrity controls, including market abuse and surveillance, personal account dealing and conflicts of interest, and consumer protection; Shape and contribute to multi-year audit plans aligned to Payward’s financial crime and conduct risk profile across jurisdictions; Lead AI-enabled auditing - apply generative AI, agentic workflows, and data analytics across the audit lifecycle to expand testing coverage, sharpen risk targeting, and improve efficiency, while retaining human ownership of judgment and conclusions; Lead multiple audit engagements concurrently, managing planning, fieldwork, and reporting end-to-end; Document audit findings, including control gaps and root cause, and draft clear, well-supported workpapers and reports; Track and validate remediation of identified issues, escalating delays or gaps to Internal Audit leadership; Contribute to the continuous improvement of audit methodologies and frameworks, and ensure conformance with the IIA Global Internal Audit Standards and the function's quality assurance requirements; Lead engagement teams, including staffing and coordinating co-sourced resources, to ensure quality and timely delivery across audits; Partner with stakeholders across Compliance, Legal, Risk, and Business teams to communicate audit results and advise on control improvements, while maintaining audit independence; Present findings and recommendations to senior stakeholders, including senior management, the Audit Committee, and, where applicable, regulators; Support regulatory examinations and enforcement-related follow-up relevant to financial crime and conduct; Monitor evolving financial crime typologies, sanctions regimes, conduct expectations, and regulatory guidance across the jurisdictions relevant to Payward's business

Requirements

8+ years of experience in internal audit, or a combination of audit and financial crimes compliance roles, within financial services; Direct experience assessing or auditing financial crime compliance programs, including AML/CFT frameworks; Multi-jurisdiction experience - auditing or assessing compliance programs across more than one regulatory regime, ideally with globally distributed teams; Strong understanding of financial crime risks, including AML, sanctions, and anti-bribery and corruption; Understanding of conduct and market integrity risk, including market abuse, personal account dealing, and consumer protection; Proven experience executing audits end-to-end - planning, fieldwork, and reporting; Ability to assess control design and operating effectiveness within complex organizations; Experience communicating findings and recommendations to senior stakeholders; Leadership experience, including managing audit workstreams and engagement teams; Comfortable operating across multiple time zones, partnering with globally distributed compliance, risk, and audit teams; Utilizes generative AI responsibly, maintaining human oversight to deliver business-ready outputs and drive measurable improvements in workflow efficiency, cost, and quality

Nice to have

Relevant certifications: CAMS, CIA, CFE, or equivalent; Familiarity with crypto, fintech, or digital asset financial crime typologies; Familiarity with audit management platforms such as AuditBoard or Workiva