Compliance Officer - Rwanda

About HoneyCoin

HoneyCoin is building the financial infrastructure that powers Africa’s next wave of commerce. We make it possible for businesses to collect, convert and settle money across borders quickly, affordably and reliably, using a hybrid of fiat and stablecoin rails that reduces the cost and friction associated with legacy banking.

Our platform is live across Africa, Europe, North America and Asia, serving enterprise customers across multiple markets.

Our values: Agency · Work ethic · Sense of urgency · Attention to detail · Curiosity

Role Purpose

The Compliance Officer – Rwanda will be responsible for the day-to-day management and oversight of HoneyCoin Rwanda’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism programme.

The role will ensure that the company complies with applicable AML/CFT laws and regulatory requirements, maintains effective financial-crime controls and meets its reporting obligations to the Financial Intelligence Centre, the National Bank of Rwanda and other competent authorities.

The Compliance Officer will also act as HoneyCoin Rwanda’s primary regulatory liaison and provide management and the Board of Directors with clear and timely reporting on the effectiveness of the AML/CFT programme.

Key Responsibilities
1. AML/CFT Programme Management

• Act as the designated manager responsible for the company’s day-to-day compliance with applicable AML/CFT laws and regulations.
• Oversee the company’s transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, customer due diligence and regulatory reporting processes.
• Maintain and regularly review HoneyCoin Rwanda’s AML/CFT policies, procedures and internal controls.
• Ensure that the AML/CFT programme remains proportionate to the nature, size, complexity and risk profile of the business.
• Monitor the effectiveness of financial-crime controls and recommend improvements where necessary.

2. Financial-Crime Risk Advisory

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of evolving Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Proliferation Financing risks, trends and techniques.
• Advise management and relevant business teams on emerging financial-crime risks.
• Recommend appropriate changes to policies, procedures, systems and internal controls to mitigate identified risks.
• Support the assessment of AML/CFT risks relating to customers, products, transactions, partners, delivery channels and geographic markets.
• Review new products, partnerships and market initiatives from an AML/CFT perspective.

3. Transaction Monitoring and Regulatory Reporting

• Receive and review internal reports relating to unusual or potentially suspicious activity.
• Investigate and evaluate reported activity to determine whether an external Suspicious Transaction Report should be submitted to the Financial Intelligence Centre.
• Ensure Suspicious Transaction Reports are complete, accurate and submitted within the prescribed regulatory timelines, ideally within 24 hours of confirming a suspicion.
• Ensure Currency Transaction Reports are filed for transactions exceeding FRW 10,000,000 in the prescribed format and within the required timelines.
• Maintain complete, accurate and confidential records of internal investigations, reporting decisions and regulatory submissions.
• Ensure that suspicious-activity investigations and reporting decisions are handled independently and appropriately.

4. Regulatory Liaison

• Serve as HoneyCoin Rwanda’s primary point of contact for the Financial Intelligence Centre, the National Bank of Rwanda and other competent authorities on AML/CFT matters.
• Respond promptly and accurately to regulatory or law-enforcement information requests, enquiries and directives.
• Coordinate regulatory inspections, reviews and meetings relating to AML/CFT compliance.
• Maintain appropriate records of regulatory correspondence, requests, responses and action items.
• Escalate significant regulatory matters, compliance breaches or financial-crime risks to senior management and the Board.

5. Governance and Board Reporting

• Report to the Board of Directors at least annually on the status and effectiveness of HoneyCoin Rwanda’s AML/CFT programme.
• Present the results of AML/CFT risk assessments and compliance-monitoring activities.
• Report material compliance incidents, control weaknesses, suspicious-activity trends and regulatory developments.
• Advise the Board on the resources, systems and controls required to maintain an effective AML/CFT programme.
• Provide additional reports to management or the Board whenever significant compliance matters arise.

6. Audit and Assurance

• Coordinate periodic independent reviews of the AML/CFT programme through internal or external audits.
• Ensure auditors have access to the records, information and supporting evidence required to complete their reviews.
• Maintain a register of audit findings, regulatory recommendations and agreed remediation actions.
• Work with relevant teams to ensure identified deficiencies are addressed within agreed timelines.
• Monitor remediation progress and verify that corrective actions have been implemented effectively.
• Maintain readiness for regulatory inspections and independent compliance reviews.

7. Internal Collaboration and Compliance Culture

• Work closely with Product, Engineering, Operations, Finance, Legal and Commercial teams to embed AML/CFT requirements into products and business processes.
• Provide practical AML/CFT advice to employees and relevant stakeholders.
• Support the development and delivery of AML/CFT training across the business.
• Ensure employees understand their responsibilities for identifying, escalating and reporting suspicious activity.
• Promote a strong culture of regulatory compliance, accountability and ethical decision-making.

Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in Law, Finance, Accounting, Compliance, Risk Management, Business or a related field.

• A relevant professional qualification in AML, compliance, financial crime or risk management, such as ACAMS or ICA, is preferred.
• Any regulatory approval or professional designation required to perform the role in Rwanda will be an advantage.

Experience

• Demonstrable experience in AML/CFT, financial-crime compliance, regulatory compliance or risk management within fintech, banking, payments, remittances or another regulated financial institution.
• Experience managing or supporting an AML/CFT compliance programme.
• Practical experience reviewing unusual activity and preparing Suspicious Transaction Reports or Currency Transaction Reports.
• Experience working with financial regulators, auditors or law-enforcement authorities.
• Experience preparing compliance reports for senior management, committees or Boards.
• Experience working within a cross-border payments, digital-assets or stablecoin environment is highly desirable.

Technical Knowledge

• Strong knowledge of Rwanda’s AML/CFT laws, regulations and reporting requirements.
• Good understanding of the regulatory expectations of the Financial Intelligence Centre and the National Bank of Rwanda.
• Strong knowledge of transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, KYC/KYB, customer due diligence and enhanced due diligence.
• Understanding of Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Proliferation Financing risks.
• Ability to interpret regulatory requirements and translate them into practical policies, procedures, workflows and internal controls.
• Familiarity with compliance-monitoring systems, case-management tools and regulatory-reporting processes.

Key Skills and Competencies

• Strong analytical and investigative skills.
• Sound professional judgement, integrity and independence.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong regulatory-reporting and policy-drafting ability.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information appropriately.
• Strong stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to challenge constructively and escalate matters appropriately.
• Highly organised, detail-oriented and evidence-focused.
• Comfortable working in a fast-moving, technology-driven environment.
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Example KPIs

• Percentage of STRs and CTRs submitted accurately and within prescribed regulatory timelines.
• Timeliness and quality of responses to regulatory and law-enforcement requests.
• Completion and annual review of the AML/CFT risk assessment.
• Completion of scheduled AML/CFT monitoring and control-testing activities.
• Number and severity of overdue regulatory, audit or compliance-remediation actions.
• Timely resolution of internal suspicious-activity investigations.
• Completion rate for mandatory AML/CFT employee training.
• Quality and timeliness of management and Board compliance reporting.
• Effectiveness of transaction-monitoring and sanctions-screening controls.
• Number of material AML/CFT breaches, reporting failures or repeat audit findings.