Associate Director – AML/Compliance Governance

Job Description

Associate Director – Compliance/AML | Waystone Compliance Solutions

The Tone:
This is a full-time role at Waystone Compliance Solutions, located in the Cayman Islands. Waystone provides institutional governance, administration, risk, and compliance services to the asset management industry. This role is crucial for leading compliance and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) advisory, AML Officer oversight, and risk-based governance programmes for regulated entities, ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements and maintaining high standards of integrity.

The TL;DR
• Role: Full Time
• Type: Full-time
• Location: In-person Cayman Islands

• Mission: Lead the development, implementation, and oversight of robust AML/CFT/CPF and financial sanctions governance frameworks and independent audit programs for assigned regulated entities.
• Tech Stack: Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, document-management tools

What You’ll Actually Do
• Compliance & AML Officer Responsibilities: Act as a subject-matter expert on investor AML, provide regulatory advice, design compliance policies, and perform approved AML Officer appointments independently.
• Governance & Risk Assessment: Lead the continuous improvement of AML/CFT/CPF and financial sanctions governance frameworks, including the entity-level risk-assessment methodology and challenging related assessments.
• Independent Audit Leadership: Lead independent AML/CFT/CPF and financial sanctions audits, developing risk-based audit plans, directing testing, reviewing workpapers, and overseeing remediation governance.
• Board & Regulatory Reporting: Lead the preparation and senior review of governance packages and audit reports, present conclusions to Governing Bodies, and coordinate responses to regulatory inspections.
• Team & Business Leadership: Lead, mentor, and review Associates and Senior Associates, manage engagement planning and resources, and contribute to service design and internal capability building.

The Must-Haves
• Background: A university degree in law, business, finance, accounting, governance, compliance, risk management, or a related discipline, with a recognised professional qualification in a relevant field.
• Experience: A minimum of six years of relevant experience in financial services, compliance, audit, governance, risk management, or a related regulated environment, with demonstrable experience leading AML/CFT/CPF and financial sanctions risk assessments or independent AML audits. Strong knowledge of Cayman Islands AML/CFT/CPF legislation, CIMA regulatory measures, and financial sanctions requirements is required.
• Skills: Ability to exercise independent professional judgement, manage conflicts, lead multidisciplinary engagements, coach team members, deliver regulator-ready written work, and possess excellent Board, client, regulator, and senior-stakeholder communication skills.
• Bonus: CAMS professional qualification is strongly preferred, and experience supporting CIMA inspections or acting as an AMLCO/MLRO is preferred.