Risk, Payments & AML Compliance Advisor

Prestigious Consulting is a professional HR consultancy firm. We focus on improving organizational performance through strategic people & process management. We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Risk, Payments & AML Compliance Advisor

Location: Remote

Employment Type: Part-time / Independent Advisory Duration: 1 month initially, with possible extension up to 3 months Time Commitment: 8–12 hours per week Engagement: Suitable for professionals with existing employment or consulting commitments

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Risk, Payments & AML Compliance Advisor to provide senior-level risk and compliance guidance to an early-stage research-funding and cross-border payments platform. The Advisor will review the platform's operating model, identify regulatory and financial-crime risks, recommend appropriate controls, and support the team in achieving launch readiness.

Key Responsibilities

Assess payment, escrow, licensing and regulatory requirements across relevant markets. Conduct AML/CFT, sanctions and financial-crime risk assessments. Develop risk-based KYC, KYB, CDD/EDD, sanctions-screening and transaction-monitoring requirements. Review escrow, banking and payment partners and their agreements. Identify fraud, bribery, corruption, operational and payment risks. Develop/review risk registers, KRIs and incident-response procedures. Review data-protection, cybersecurity and information-security risks. Draft/review AML, sanctions, anti-fraud, risk and data-protection policies. Translate regulatory requirements into practical product and operational controls. Advise founders and the product/engineering team on compliance and launch readiness. Support control testing, implementation and post-launch monitoring where required.

Requirements

Degree in Law, Finance, Accounting, Economics, Risk Management or a related field. Minimum 10 years' experience in risk management, financial-crime compliance or regulatory compliance, including at least 5 years in a senior/leadership role. Direct experience in payments, fintech, banking, money transfer, escrow or custody. Strong knowledge of AML/CFT, sanctions, KYC/KYB, CDD/EDD, transaction monitoring and suspicious activity reporting. Experience with payment regulation in at least two African markets, preferably Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya or South Africa. Experience designing compliance frameworks for new products, markets or start-ups/scale-ups. Experience conducting third-party/partner due diligence and reviewing commercial agreements. Strong understanding of cross-border payments and FX-related risks. Excellent written communication and ability to provide practical, commercially sound advice. Preferred: CAMS, ICA, CFE, FRM, PRM, CRMA or equivalent certification. Experience in grant-making, development finance, NGO or research-funding environments. Familiarity with ARS 1651 / Good Financial Grant Practice. Experience with Canadian, UK or EU payment regulations. Experience working with regulators, central banks or financial intelligence units. Familiarity with RegTech, ISO 27001 or PCI DSS. Key Competencies: Strong independent judgement and integrity Practical, risk-based approach Commercial awareness Excellent analytical and communication skills Ability to work independently with minimal supervision Strong collaboration skills across technical and non-technical teams High level of confidentiality and discretion Compensation Fixed monthly retainer or day rate, commensurate with experience.