Regional Regulatory Affairs & Compliance Specialist, Fintech

About the position Optasia is a fully enabled B2B2X financial technology platform covering scoring, financial decisioning, disbursement and collection. We are committed to enabling financial inclusion for all. We are changing the world our way. We are seeking for enthusiastic professionals, with energy, who are results driven and have can-do attitude, who want to be part of a team of likeminded individuals who are delivering solutions in an innovative and exciting environment. As a Regional Regulatory Affairs & Compliance Specialist, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the growth and sustainable development of the microfinance sector. As such, you will have act as the first line of defense to support the Company in managing risks related to regulatory changes and uncertainty and be responsible for driving a balanced risk mindset in line with the Company’s risk appetite and support a culture of ethics and compliance for identified regulatory frameworks that influence the organization’s ability to render its service to its partners. You will play a key role in strategic planning and performance optimization.

Responsibilities

• Act as the first line of contact and engagement with relevant regulators to proactively manage and mitigate the potential impact of new regulations, reporting obligations and prudential guidelines, in a given regional portfolio, may have on our operations.
• Drive and/or support the establishment of horizon scanning activities and early warning signals of upcoming and potential changes in relevant regulations in the given regional portfolio, and disseminate those internally through the appropriate channels to impacted teams.
• Support the Head of Regulator Affairs & Compliance and Regulatory Compliance Managers, as may be required, in matters related to the broader Regulatory Affairs & Compliance strategy and activities in a given regional portfolio.
• Understand relevant laws and regulations governing our operations, and continually monitor company compliance with new regulations, reporting obligations and prudential guidelines in a given regional portfolio.
• Support the Regulatory Compliance Managers, as required, in performing structured assessments of our regulatory compliance to specific requirements and obligations in a given regional portfolio to assess our regulatory risk exposure, its significance and scope.
• Support the implementation of a robust and effective regulatory compliance governance framework within the organization, including training and awareness activities to educate employees on relevant regulations and prudential guidelines and collaborate with other departments and relevant stakeholders to create a culture of regulatory compliance.
• Develop marketing materials, training programs and relevant internal presentations to ensure alignment with regulatory compliance prudential guidelines in the given regional portfolio.
• Perform various general administrative duties; such as gathering of internal information in response to regulatory compliance queries, and reporting obligations from relevant internal and external stakeholders.
• Support the business in effectively and timely responding to queries raised by our partners, financial institutions or other third-parties, related to the compliance with our legal and contractual obligations resulting from new or existing business relationships, such as for instance third-party due diligence requirements, supplier onboarding processes, periodic reporting requirements, or any other as required.
• Be a business partner to the local commercial teams to facilitate the go-to-market process in the given regional portfolio, as well as responding to existing customer queries related to existing or new regulatory requirements.
• Primary responsibility for this role will be the markets under the WAEMU (West Africa) region served by the BCEAO, therefore the ideal candidate shall demonstrate working knowledge of the regulatory and oversight bodies governance and operating principles for the regulators in this region (i.e. Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo).
• Act as a regional partner to other internal assurance providers, including Internal Audit, as required, to support the delivery of activities within the scope of the Company’s combined assurance arrangements.

Requirements

• Minimum of Bachelors degree in relevant discipline.
• Experience of 4-6 years in fintech environment, preferably in the microfinance industry
• Passion and commitment to Financial Inclusion
• Knowledge of project management methods and practices, including methods of creating designs, plans, specifications, estimates, reports, tests, and recommendations.
• Strong creative, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Solid communication, persuasion, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to analyze complex issues and systems, evaluate alternative solutions, develop sound conclusions, and recommend a course of action.
• Ability to work independently and take initiative without direct supervision within stated procedures and policies on multiple projects

Nice-to-haves

• working knowledge of the regulatory and oversight bodies governance and operating principles for the regulators in the WAEMU (West Africa) region (i.e. Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo).

Benefits

• Work From Anywhere policy (90 days/ year)
• Competitive remuneration package
• Extra day off on your birthday
• Performance-based bonus scheme
• All the tech gear you need to work smart

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