How to hire a Head of Compliance for an EU payment institution

# How to hire a Head of Compliance for an EU payment institution

Hiring a Head of Compliance for a regulated EU PI / EMI is not the same as hiring a "compliance manager" for an unregulated SaaS. The candidate has to defend product launches in front of regulators, not just write SOPs.

Why generic compliance hires fail in regulated finance

Most agencies submit candidates with strong policy-writing CVs who have never sat in front of an FCA, BaFin, MFSA, CySEC or Banca d'Italia inquiry. The regulator interaction is the load-bearing skill, and it is invisible on a CV unless you ask the right questions.

If your candidate has never been the named MLRO or CCO with personal regulatory liability, they have not done the job.

What we look for at KICKFIND

1. **Named MLRO / CCO / FCO history.** The candidate has held the title in a licensed EU PI / EMI / EMI-equivalent. 2. **Regulator interactions end-to-end.** Audit, RFI, on-site review - they can talk through the file, the finding, the close. 3. **Product trade-off receipts.** They have killed a feature on a regulatory call. Or shipped one the lawyers wanted to kill, with a paper trail. 4. **Multi-jurisdiction comfort.** EU passporting is messy - the candidate has felt it. 5. **Build-vs-buy opinions.** Real ones. Not a slide deck.

Three screening questions that filter fast

• *"Walk us through the last regulator interaction you owned end-to-end. What was the finding and what changed?"*
• *"Describe a moment you pushed back on the commercial side on a compliance call. What was the trade-off?"*
• *"Pick one EU regulation you've shipped a control around in the last 12 months. Talk us through the gap, the control, and how you measure its effectiveness."*

Submit your role

If you are hiring a compliance lead for an EU PI / EMI, [submit a hiring brief](/submit-hiring-brief) and we will calibrate within one business day.