Director, Sanctions - Europe and EEMEMA

About the role

The Director, Sanctions – Europe and EEMEMA leads Mastercard’s sanctions compliance strategy across EU markets, focusing on digital assets and emerging payment ecosystems. This senior leadership position ensures that sanctions risks are identified, assessed, and mitigated in line with regulatory expectations.

Key responsibilities

• Lead EU‑focused economic sanctions compliance (EU, UK, UN) across digital‑asset and fiat payment ecosystems.
• Design, implement, and continuously enhance compliance risk control frameworks covering financial crimes, transaction screening, and asset freezing.
• Provide senior‑level advisory on sanctions risks affecting crypto exchanges, wallet providers, on/off‑ramp solutions, and tokenized payment models.
• Oversee governance and controls related to regulatory change management and the implementation of new global trade restrictions.
• Ensure continuous regulatory exam, audit, and supervisory readiness through robust documentation, control testing, and issue management.
• Partner with product, technology, and business leaders to embed “Compliance by Design” controls into digital currency initiatives.
• Provide SME guidance on EU‑specific sanctions developments impacting digital assets and influence executive decision‑making.

Required profile

• Extensive experience in EU sanctions compliance, trade controls, financial crimes management, or related legal functions.
• Proven ability to lead senior‑level advisory and governance initiatives across complex payment ecosystems.
• Strong understanding of regulatory expectations for crypto‑related activities.

Required skills

What we offer

• Opportunity to shape global sanctions strategy at a leading payments company.
• Collaboration with cross‑functional product, technology, and business teams.
• Leadership role influencing executive decisions on emerging digital‑asset markets.