Customer Due Diligence Team Lead

About Thunes: Thunes is the Smart Superhighway to move money around the world. Thunes’ proprietary Direct Global Network allows Members to make payments in real-time in over 140 countries and more than 90 currencies. Thunes’ Network connects directly to over 12 billion mobile wallets, stablecoin wallets and bank accounts worldwide, as well as 15 billion cards via more than 220 different payment methods, such as GCash, M-Pesa, Airtel, MTN, Orange, JazzCash, Easypaisa, AliPay, WeChat Pay and many more. Thunes’ Direct Global Network differentiates itself through its worldwide reach, in-house SmartX Treasury System and Fortress Compliance Platform, ensuring Members of the Network receive unrivaled speed, control, visibility, protection, and cost efficiencies when making real-time payments, globally. Members of Thunes’ Direct Global Network include gig economy giants like Uber and Deliveroo, super-apps like Grab and WeChat, MTOs, fintechs, PSPs and banks. Headquartered in Singapore, Thunes has offices in 14 locations, including Barcelona, Beijing, Dubai, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Manila, Nairobi, New York, Paris, Riyadh, San Francisco and Shanghai. For more information, visit: https://www.thunes.com/ Context of the Role Reporting directly to the Global KYC Director, the CDD Team Lead will manage and mentor the CDD / Client Onboarding team based in Barcelona while conducting more complex CDD cases as well. In this role, you will lead day-to-day operations for institutional partner and customer onboarding (KYC/KYB/PDD) and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD). You will collaborate closely with regional Sales, Legal, Product, and local MLROs across Thunes’ licensed entities to ensure thorough risk management while delivering a fast, seamless onboarding experience for financial institutions, PSPs, money transfer operators, and corporate merchants globally. Key Responsibilities 1. Team Leadership & Operations Oversight Lead & Mentor : Directly supervise, coach, and support the CDD officers, fostering continuous learning and high analytical standards. Workflow & SLA Management: Allocate, monitor, and optimize case distribution across onboarding reviews to meet agreed-upon turnaround times (SLAs) without compromising risk rigor. Quality Assurance (QA) & 4-Eyes Review: Act as the first escalation and sign-off point for complex files; conduct spot-checks and quality reviews to maintain consistency across analyst determinations. Capacity & Metric Tracking: Track team capacity, pipeline volume, and KPIs (e.g., aging days, cycle times, pass/reject rates); deliver operational reports and actionable insights to the Global KYC Director. 2. End-to-End CDD, KYB & EDD Execution Complex Case Ownership: Oversee and handle high-risk and complex corporate structures (e.g., multi-layered shareholding, funds, state-owned entities, PSPs, aggregators, and nested payment models). Compliance Screening & Assessment: Drive deep-dive background checks, PEP/sanctions/adverse media evaluations, and source of wealth/funds verifications using internal tools and external screening platforms. Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD): Conduct in-depth compliance assessments of regulated partners to evaluate AML/CTF controls. Policy Application: Ensure all reviews align with Thunes’ Risk Appetite, Class of Trade matrix, High-Risk Country lists, and CDD Desk Procedures. 3. Escalations & Stakeholder Management Governance Escalations: Prepare structured case summaries and risk rationales for escalation to the Global KYC Director, local MLROs, and Executive Committees where required. Cross-Functional Alignment: Act as the primary liaison for commercial teams (Sales / Account Managers), Legal, and Product to resolve onboarding bottlenecks and explain CDD requirements transparently. Audit & Regulatory Support: Support internal control audits, external regulatory reviews, and remediation exercises relating to partner onboarding files. Professional Experience & Qualifications Experience: 5+ years of dedicated KYC / KYB / CDD experience within FinTech, cross-border payments, merchant acquiring, or international corporate banking. Leadership: Minimum 1–2 years of experience in a team lead, senior specialist, or supervisory role managing a team’s daily caseload and performance. Subject Matter Expertise: Deep expertise in institutional and corporate onboarding (B2B / KYB), complex beneficial ownership structures (UBO tracing), and non-bank financial institution (NBFI/PSP) risk profiles. Systems & Tooling: Hands-on experience with core AML/KYC platforms and screening tools. Analytical & Pragmatic Mindset: Ability to balance regulatory compliance standards with commercial awareness in a fast-paced scale-up environment. Certifications: ACAMS (CAMS), ICA, or equivalent AML qualification is strongly preferred. Languages: Full professional proficiency in English is required. additional languages are a strong plus given our global network.