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Carbon Offset via TreeNation FD Capital Recruitment Ltd is registered at Companies House (no. 13329383) and has been providing CFOs and Finance Directors since 2018 and is operated by an ICAEW-registered practice. Our founder Adrian Lawrence FCA holds an ICAEW practising certificate.
Position title
Fractional Head of Compliance and MLRO – Payments Technology, London
Description
Location: London (hybrid)
Engagement: Long-term fractional, one day a week: leading the FCA application, then continuing as Head of Compliance & MLRO
Sector: Payments technology
Rate: Competitive day rate, dependent on experience
Role
Our client is a London-based payments technology company providing embedded payments to venues. The business is led by a founder with deep technical knowledge of payment gateways and card processing, and it now needs to apply to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to become an Authorised Payment Institution (API).
The founder is strong on the technology and new to the regulator, and the application has yet to be written. The business needs an experienced compliance professional who can lead and write it, take ownership of the regulatory frameworks behind it and coach the leadership team through the FCA's questions. Once authorisation is granted, you will continue in the role as the firm's Head of Compliance & MLRO, running the compliance function on an ongoing fractional basis.
This is a hands-on, long-term fractional role in a small, founder-led team, working one day a week. You will work directly with the CEO and the board, and you will be named in the application as one of the people responsible for the firm's regulated services.
Responsibilities
- orisation application, from the business plan and programme of operations to the policies, financial forecasts and individuals' forms, through to submission and approval
- Act as the firm's regulatory lead in dealings with the FCA, respond to requests for information, and prepare the founder and board for regulator questions and meetings
- Design and build the safeguarding framework in line with the FCA's safeguarding rules (CASS 15, introduced by PS25/12), including reconciliation, the resolution pack and audit arrangements
- Design and build the anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing framework, including the business-wide risk assessment, policies, procedures, customer due diligence and transaction monitoring
- Confirm the payment services being applied for and document the flow of funds, including the role of third-party acquiring and processing partners
- Prepare the governance documents the FCA expects, including the wind-down plan, outsourcing arrangements, incident reporting, business continuity and security policies
- Advise the CEO and board on regulatory risk, and make sure product and commercial decisions are aligned with FCA expectations
- After authorisation, continue as MLRO and Head of Compliance: run the monthly safeguarding return, the annual safeguarding audit, compliance monitoring and suspicious activity reporting
- Train staff and embed a compliance culture that suits a fast-moving technology business
Qualifications
- A proven track record of taking a payments or e-money firm through FCA authorisation, ideally as an Authorised Payment Institution, and a clear account of what you personally wrote and led
- Hands-on experience of safeguarding for payments firms, ideally under the new CASS 15 regime
- Previous experience as MLRO or Head of Compliance in a regulated payments, e-money or fintech business
- Strong working knowledge of the Payment Services Regulations 2017, the Money Laundering Regulations and FCA expectations for payment institutions
- A relevant compliance or financial crime qualification, for example from the ICA, CISI or ACAMS, is desirable
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain regulation clearly to a founder and board with a strong technology background
- Comfortable building frameworks from scratch in a small team, and working one day a week on a long-term basis
- Based in or able to travel to London, with availability to start promptly
Job Benefits
- A long-term fractional appointment: lead the application, then stay on as Head of Compliance & MLRO
- Direct access to the CEO and board, and real influence over how the compliance function is built
- The chance to write an application from the ground up and then run the regulated business you helped authorise
- A manageable commitment of one day a week
- Hybrid working in London
- A competitive day rate, dependent on experience, for ongoing fractional work
Contacts
This search is handled in confidence by FD Capital. To apply or to discuss the role, please get in touch using the contact details on this page.
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Hiring organization
Employment Type
Part-time
Beginning of employment
1st November 2026
Duration of employment
Perm
Industry
Financial Services
Job Location
London, South East, United Kingdom
Base Salary
£800-£1,000 Per day
Date posted
October 6, 2026
Valid through
October 31, 2026
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