Head of Compliance - Advanced Markets, Payments & Financial Services

About the team Global Payment Compliance sits within Global Payment. We build a world-class regulatory compliance team, systems, and controls to proactively mitigate regulatory risks and enable business growth through sound compliance framework implementation and license acquisitions. We are compliance risk managers who implement an effective, end-to-end compliance framework. We are also smart business enablers, supporting growth with global licensing coverage and a sound compliance strategy. The Head of Compliance, APAC Advanced Markets is a senior leadership role with end-to-end responsibility for compliance oversight of payments, lending, commerce-enabled financial services, and other regulated financial activities across ByteDance's advanced APAC markets, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Australia/New Zealand. This role serves as the regional compliance leader who partners closely with the Global Payment CCO, regional business leaders, and global stakeholders to ensure regulatory compliance while enabling sustainable business growth. This role will be based onsite at our office and will require a 5-day onsite work arrangement. Core Responsibilities Regional Compliance Leadership and Strategy - Serve as the regional Head of Compliance for APAC advanced markets, with end-to-end responsibility for compliance oversight of payments, e-money, lending, merchant acquiring, wallets, FX, remittance, and other regulated financial activities across Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. - Design, implement, and continuously enhance a scalable, risk-based compliance framework that aligns local regulatory requirements with ByteDance's global standards. - Develop and execute the region's regulatory and licensing strategy, including applications, renewals, and ongoing supervisory obligations for payment institutions, e-money issuers, lending entities, merchant acquirers, stored value facilities, and other licensed activities. - Translate the global compliance strategy and risk appetite into actionable regional programs, plans, and milestones. Regulatory Engagement and Licensing - Lead COs in the region who are the the primary regional engagement lead with regulators and supervisory authorities, maintaining constructive, transparent relationships with bodies. - Lead license applications, renewals, variations, and ongoing supervisory obligations across all applicable licensing regimes. - Monitor and assess regulatory developments across the region translating evolving requirements into practical policies, controls, and operational guidance. - Demonstrates a sophisticated approach to engaging with regulators and strong judgment in interacting with both internal and external stakeholders. AML/CFT and Sanctions Compliance - Provide guidance and oversight to the regional AML/CFT compliance program aligned with global standards. - Ensure compliance with evolving sanctions regimes relevant to APAC regions. Regulatory Examinations, Audits, and Supervisory Reviews - Own regulatory examinations, audits, and supervisory reviews across all APAC advanced market jurisdictions. - Support internal audit and external audit readiness. Compliance Advisory and Business Enablement - Partner closely with regional and global stakeholders to advise on regulatory feasibility, product readiness, and compliant market expansion strategies. - Embed regulatory requirements into product roadmaps and the product development lifecycle, ensuring compliance-by-design principles are applied to new and existing payment and financial services products. - Provide proactive compliance advisory on new product launches, market entries, and business model changes, balancing regulatory rigor with business growth objectives. - Support the integration of compliance controls into technology platforms. Governance, Risk Management, and Reporting - Establish and operate regional governance forums with clear decision rights, inputs, and RACI. - Maintain regional risk registers, control mappings, and remediation plans; escalate significant compliance risks, regulatory developments, and control issues to the Global Payment CCO and senior regional leadership with clear risk assessments and strategic recommendations. - Produce concise updates, dashboards, and management information for C-suite and Board-level reporting. Team Building, Leadership and Cross-Regional Collaboration - Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing regional compliance team - Collaborate closely with compliance leads for other APAC emerging markets to ensure consistency of compliance frameworks and practices across the broader APAC region. - Partner with the Lead Compliance PMO and global compliance teams to ensure regional alignment with global compliance programs, standards, and initiatives. Minimum Qualifications: - Bachelor's degree in Law, Business, Economics, Finance, or a related field. - Strong Compliance experience within payments companies, financial institutions, fintech platforms, lending businesses, professional services firms, or regulatory bodies; with leadership experience managing compliance functions across multiple APAC jurisdictions, with direct experience in at least 3 of the following markets: Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand. - Deep familiarity with the APAC advanced markets regulatory landscape, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Australia; and extensive experience with financial services licensing and supervision in APAC advanced markets, including payment services, e-money, stored value facilities, lending, merchant acquiring, remittance, and FX. - Demonstrated ability to engage credibly and effectively with APAC regulators and supervisory authorities, including proven experience in obtaining licenses, managing examinations, inspections, regulatory inquiries, and ongoing supervisory relationships. - Proficiency with governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) tools, issue/tracker systems, data analytics for risk indicators, and standard office productivity tools. - Proven leadership and influencing skills, with the ability to balance regulatory rigor with business growth in a fast-moving, global technology environment. - Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to distill complex regulatory concepts into actionable guidance for executives and non-specialists. Preferred Qualifications: - Advanced degree (LLM, MBA) or specialization in financial regulation strongly preferred. - Professional certifications preferred: CAMS, CCEP, ICA Diploma, or equivalent compliance/risk management certifications. - Familiarity with emerging regulatory areas: digital assets/crypto regulation, AI governance (including Korea's AI Framework Act), cross-border data transfer requirements, and ESG/sustainability disclosure expectations. - Prior experience within an APAC regulatory authority is a strong advantage.