Financial Crime Prevention Lead

At Aspire, we’re more than just a FinTech company—we’re the leading all-in-one financial operating system built to empower the world’s innovators and entrepreneurs. We are on a mission to reinvent business finance, empowering startups and businesses to realise their full potential.

Founded in 2018, Aspire has raised over USD 300M+ across equity and debt from world-class investors. In 2023, we successfully closed an oversubscribed USD 100 million Series C equity round led by Sequoia Capital and Lightspeed Ventures with participation of Tencent, Paypal Ventures, LGT Capital Partners, Picus Capital and MassMutual Ventures. To power our solutions, we have partnered with some of the best companies in the world such as Visa and Wise and empowered more than 50,000 businesses using our suite of products.

Aspire has consistently been recognized for excellence, earning Best Employer and Startup of the Year by the Asia FinTech Awards in 2022 and 2023, ranked as LinkedIn’s Top Startup in Singapore, and listed on CB Insights’ Top 100 Global Fintech in 2023 and 2024.

You will be amazed by the energy and experience of our team! Aspire serves as an environment for you to innovate and drive change with our team of ex-entrepreneurs, ex-founders, and high-achievers with international and diverse backgrounds.

Are you a top talent who is passionate about entrepreneurship? Join our rapidly growing team to make an impact in the fintech space! 

About the Team

At Aspire, we are committed to empowering our customers throughout their journey with us. Our Operations Team ensures customers can operate seamlessly on our platform, and guarantee the best and safest customer experience possible.

About the Role

As the Financial Crime Prevention lead, you oversee Aspire’s  development and optimization of rules-based systems, machine learning models, and detection tools that empower Fraud Operations, AML/Screening teams, and product teams to mitigate risks while scaling Aspire’s global operations effectively and efficiently.

You will define the vision for Aspire’s financial crime detection capabilities, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements and business growth objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Fraud Management
  • Own the detection effectiveness and efficiency metrics:
    • Transaction Detection Rate (TDR)
    • Account Detection Rate (ADR)
    • Value Detection Rate (VDR)
    • Alert False Positive Rates
  • Own the financial fraud metrics:
    • Customer fraud losses
    • Aspire fraud losses
• Strategic Leadership:
  • Define together with the product teams the roadmap for financial crime detection systems, including fraud models, AML monitoring rules, and risk-scoring frameworks.
  • Drive innovation by integrating AI/ML, automation, and predictive analytics into Aspire’s financial crime prevention toolkit.
• System Development & Optimization:
  • Oversee the design and maintenance of scalable rules-based systems to detect fraud, money laundering, and other illicit activities.
  • Continuously refine detection thresholds and models using insights from investigations, QC/QA findings, and business feedback to reduce false positives.
• Cross-functional Collaboration:
  • Partner with Compliance,Fraud Ops, AML/Screening Ops, and Product teams to embed fraud prevention measures into Aspire’s offerings and automate workflows.
  • Represent the department in leadership discussions, balancing risk mitigation with customer experience and operational efficiency.
• Team Management:
  • Lead and mentor a team of analysts and subject matter experts focused on financial crime detection.
  • Foster a culture of innovation, data-driven decision-making, and regulatory compliance.

Minimum Qualifications

• Experience:
  • Minimum 7 years experience in fraud management in a FinTech or regulated financial institution; experience in transaction monitoring, AML, or Operations roles is a plus.
  • Proven track record of designing and scaling risk detection systems (rulewriting in rules-based engines, machine learning models). 
  • Experience in developing customer journeys which are safe by design.
  • Experience supporting global operations and/or scaling processes in multiple markets is a plus.
• Knowledge:
  • Strong understanding of KYB, Fraud, Transaction Monitoring, and QA functions
  • Relevant certifications e.g. CAMS (Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist) or CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner)  are preferred
  • Understanding of fraud detection tools (e.g., Sardine, Threatfabic, Feedzai), AML platforms (e.g., LexisNexis, Nice Actimize,), and data architectures.
• Skills:
  • Excellent problem-solving skills, the ability to think first principles, and break complex and ambiguous issues down into structured, actionable solutions
  • Hands-on experience with designing and implementing detection rules.
  • Excellent analytical skills, including the ability to leverage data to drive insight and improvement
  • Proficiency in SQL, Python, or R for data analysis and model development
  • Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to explain complex concepts simply - to different audiences

What we offer

• Uncapped flexible annual leave.
• Hybrid work arrangement. 
• Training subsidy for your professional growth.
• Wellness benefit.
• Team bonding budget to foster collaboration and sense of belonging.
• Flexibility to work from anywhere (for up to 90 days per annum).
• Culture is Key: We always strive to cultivate a special culture that brings special talents together - You can learn more about our culture on our careers site and LinkedIn Life page.
  

Equal Opportunity Statement 

Aspire is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by applicable laws. 

Please note: by submitting your application, you acknowledge that you have read and understood Aspire’s Data Protection Policy for Employees, Freelancers, Contractors and Job Applicants (the “Policy”), and consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal data by Aspire for the purposes set out in the Policy. You may withdraw consent for such collection, use and disclosure, and make an access or correction request in respect of your personal data, in accordance with the Policy by emailing people@aspireapp.com.