Director of Compliance

About KOHO: KOHO is a mission-driven financial services company dedicated to empowering Canadians with transparent, fee-free financial products. They prioritize work-life integration, remote-first collaboration, and a culture of trust and autonomy.

KOHO is entering a new phase, focusing on AI integration and operational efficiency while maintaining a lean, impact-driven approach.

About The Role

KOHO is seeking a Director of Compliance to lead four key pillars: the Financial Crime Office, Regulatory Relations, Complaints Management, and Compliance Testing. Reporting to the Chief Compliance Officer, this role ensures KOHO effectively detects and disrupts financial crime, manages regulatory compliance, resolves customer complaints, and independently tests compliance controls.

The mandate is broad, emphasizing evidence-based outcomes and customer-centric compliance.

What You’ll Be Doing

Financial Crime Office (Deputy Chief AML Officer)

• Lead KOHO’s AML/ATF and sanctions compliance program under the PCMLTFA, including enterprise risk assessments for money laundering, terrorist financing, and sanctions.

• Oversee transaction monitoring, alert and case management, enhanced due diligence, sanctions screening, and suspicious transaction reporting, ensuring quality and timeliness of regulatory reporting to FINTRAC.

• Direct KYC and customer risk rating standards, collaborating with the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) to address gaps in fraud and financial crime detection.

• Own the two-year AML effectiveness review, remediation, and financial crime training.

Regulatory Relations

• Serve as the central point of coordination for regulators, managing the cadence, quality, and consistency of regulatory correspondence and submissions.

• Lead regulatory examinations, reviews, and information requests, including planning, evidence collection, response quality control, and issue tracking.

• Maintain the regulatory findings and commitments register, driving remediation to validated closure.

• Manage the inventory of regulatory filings and regulatory engagement records, preparing executives and subject matter experts for regulatory meetings.

Complaints Management

• Own KOHO’s enterprise complaints management program, including policy, procedures, escalation pathways, and service standards.

• Oversee handling of escalated and designated complaints, ensuring fair, timely, well-reasoned outcomes and clear written responses to customers.

• Manage case flow with the external complaints body and oversee reporting to the FCAC and other applicable authorities.

• Deliver complaints reporting and root cause analysis, converting themes into product, process, and disclosure improvements.

Compliance Testing

• Design and deliver KOHO’s independent Compliance Testing Program, including methodology, quality standards, and reporting.

• Develop the annual risk-based testing plan, scoped and prioritized from regulatory obligations and risk concentrations.

• Maintain a quality assurance process over testing outputs, including work performed by co-source or outsourcing partners.

Team Leadership and Industry Engagement

• Lead, coach, and develop a multi-disciplinary team across financial crime, testing, and complaints, building bench strength and career paths.

• Partner with Compliance Advisory, Operational Risk, Internal Audit, Legal, and FIU for integrated risk oversight.

• Represent KOHO externally in industry associations, peer forums, and financial crime intelligence networks.

• Prepare decision-ready reporting for senior management and Board-level committees.

AI, Automation and Innovation

• Apply AI, machine learning, RPA, and advanced analytics to transaction monitoring, alert triage, complaints classification, and compliance testing.

• Lead development of automated testing scripts, intelligent workflows, and advanced reporting to increase coverage.

• Evaluate and implement emerging RegTech and financial crime technology, maintaining model governance and tuning documentation.

Who You Are

• You have 10+ years of experience in AML, financial crime, compliance testing, regulatory relations, or complaints within financial services.

• Deep knowledge of Canadian consumer protection, AML, retail banking/payments, and privacy legislation.

• Direct experience managing regulatory examinations or information requests with composure under scrutiny.

• Rigorous approach to evidence and documentation; unwelcome findings communicated constructively.

• Experience in regulated fintech, neobanks, or direct-to-consumer financial institutions. Passion for financial wellness and a relevant designation (CAMS, CFE, CIA, CPA, CRCM) is an asset.