Head of Compliance at LemFi (Formerly Lemonade Finance)

LemFi (YC S21) is building the neobank for African diaspora in North America & Europe. We provide our users with a multi-currency account that allows them to hold, send, and receive money from Africa in any currency for their business and personal banking needs. We are a fast-paced startup with entities in the UK, USA, Canada and Nigeria and you would be required to familiarize yourself with necessary statutory and regulatory requirements in these locations.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Head of Compliance

Location: Lagos
Employment Type: Full-time

The Role

• As the Nigerian Head of Compliance , you will be the primary guardian of our regulatory integrity and the architect of our local compliance framework. Reporting to the Managing Director, Nigeria with a functional line to the Group Head of Compliance, you will ensure that as we scale, we remain beyond reproach in our dealings with all regulatory and statutory bodies.
• You will have day to day responsibility of the Nigerian AML/CFT compliance program ,
•  This role offers high autonomy and leadership visibility, giving you the power to shape the future of financial services at scale while working cross-functionally with Product, Operations, and external partners to deliver sustainable, market-leading expansion.

How You'll Contribute:

• Regulatory compliance oversight, including consumer compliance
• Ensure our products and services comply with the Central Bank Nigeria rules and other Nigerian and global AML/CFT requirements.
• Be responsible for regulatory reporting
• Develop and execute a comprehensive compliance strategy that bridges LemFi’s fast-paced innovation with the rigorous standards of the Nigerian financial landscape.
• Act as the Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO), overseeing robust Customer Due Diligence (CDD), transaction monitoring, and suspicious activity reporting (STR) to the NFIU.
• Serve as the regulatory point of contact for the CBN, EFCC, Nigeria Police Force, Tax Authorities, and legislative bodies regarding inquiries, investigations, or statutory requests.
• Proactively build and maintain a network with Compliance Officers across the Nigerian Financial Services sector to facilitate information sharing and ensure the rapid reporting and resolution of fraud cases.
• Partner with Product and Engineering to ensure new features and onboarding flows are "compliant by design" while maintaining a seamless user experience.
• Lead the implementation of new regulatory requirements into the business operations.
• Produce regular management information to MD and Global Head of Compliance
• Lead Policy & Ethics: Maintain high-impact policies covering Anti-Bribery, Corruption, and Conduct Risk, ensuring a culture of integrity across all local operations.
• Collaborate with global compliance teams to ensure Nigerian requirements are embedded into group policies.

Who You Are:

• A Strategic Guardian: You don’t just spot risks; you build systems to prevent them. You comfortably own the risk register, regulatory deadlines, and regional execution with clear accountability.
• An Expert Translator: You possess the rare ability to translate CBN circulars and legislative updates into actionable business requirements that the Product team can actually build.
• A Master of Diplomacy: You are a skilled communicator and negotiator, capable of navigating high-stakes interactions with law enforcement, government officials, and industry peers with poise.
• Resilient & Rapid: You thrive in the high-pressure environment of a Series B fintech, navigating operational hurdles with the speed required to ensure compliance never lags behind growth.
• A Cross-Functional Unifier: You possess excellent stakeholder management skills, effortlessly aligning Growth, Product,  and external partners toward shared commercial success and system reliability.

What You'll Bring

• 5 years experience in senior Compliance or Risk leadership roles within Nigerian fintech, payments, or commercial banking.
• Proven track record of managing relationships and successful examinations with the CBN and NFIU.
• Direct experience handling law enforcement inquiries (EFCC, Police) and engaging with government or legislative stakeholders.
• Deep expertise in the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act and other local financial crime regulations.
• Strong command of AML/CFT frameworks and experience advising on the optimization of compliance software and monitoring tools.
• Relevant professional certifications (e.g., CAMS, CFE, or ICCP) and a strong existing network within the Nigerian compliance community.
• Excellent analytical, research, verbal and written communication skills
• Adaptable to global operational needs and able to work in a rapidly changing business and regulatory environment
• Ability to thrive as part of a team and be an empowering, constructive and considerate colleague.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online