Risk and Compliance Officer

Role Overview

You will support the institution’s second-line defence by embedding risk awareness and regulatory integrity across daily operations, from customer onboarding to loan portfolio monitoring. Working closely with frontline teams, you will identify compliance gaps, escalate material risks, and help build a control environment that protects both clients and the institution while enabling sustainable growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct periodic compliance reviews and targeted risk assessments across lending, client due diligence, and internal processes, documenting findings and recommended corrective actions.
• Monitor transactions and account activity for red flags related to money laundering, fraud, or terrorist financing, and prepare suspicious transaction reports where required.
• Support the implementation of AML/CFT policies and procedures, ensuring alignment with local regulatory expectations and industry best practice.
• Assist in the preparation of compliance reports for senior management and board committees, highlighting emerging risks and remediation progress.
• Perform quality assurance checks on client files, loan documentation, and know-your-customer records to verify completeness and regulatory adherence.
• Partner with business units to deliver regular training sessions on compliance obligations, conduct risk, and ethical decision-making.
• Participate in internal audits and regulatory inspections, coordinating information requests and tracking follow-up actions to closure.
• Maintain an up-to-date register of regulatory obligations, licensing conditions, and internal policies, flagging changes that require operational adjustments.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Law, Business Administration, Risk Management, or a closely related discipline.
• Minimum of two years’ cumulative work experience within a financial services environment, ideally in banking, microfinance, a digital lender, or a SACCO.
• At least one year of hands-on exposure to risk, compliance, audit, or AML/CFT functions, with demonstrated ability to interpret regulatory guidelines and apply them day to day.
• A professional certification or active progress toward CPA, CRISC, CAMS, ACAMS, or an ICA Diploma in Compliance is a distinct advantage.
• Familiarity with microfinance operations, client due diligence standards, and local regulatory reporting requirements is strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical and written communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, concise findings and actionable recommendations.
• Integrity and sound judgment in handling confidential information and escalating concerns appropriately.
• Candidates from broader financial services backgrounds with proven learning agility and a genuine interest in compliance work are welcome to apply.