KYC Team Manager

About Swan

Swan is Europe’s embedded banking specialist. We empower software companies to embed banking features like accounts, cards, and payments directly into their products, under their own brand. Swan processes over €1.5 billion in monthly transactions for more than 150 companies—like Pennylane, Indy, Agicap, Libeo, and Lucca. Founded in 2019, the company has received growth capital from leading investors such as Lakestar, Accel, Creandum, Bpifrance and Eight Roads. Swan is a principal member of Mastercard and a licensed financial institution, regulated by the French banking authority (ACPR).

Job Description

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced KYC Team Manager to join our rapidly expanding team. Swan primarily onboards small and medium-sized companies and self-employed freelancers opening business accounts. While we use the term "KYC," it also refers to Know-Your-Business (KYB) processes. In this role, your focus is on the "big picture". Your mission is to scale our KYC department , optimize workflows for hyper-growth, and lead the team to deliver high-volume KYC cases while upholding our world-class quality standards.

Your mission

Strategic Leadership & Scaling:

• Drive team performance by identifying strategic growth paths to consistently meet Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for both output and quality.
• Prioritize key department projects, ensuring the KYC team is aligned with cross-functional stakeholders to achieve organizational goals.
• Scale and optimize workflows by collaborating with Product, Engineering, and Risk departments to refine internal tools and automate processes.
• Monitor service quality and operational execution, implementing data-driven enhancements to improve overall departmental efficiency.

People Management:

• Lead and develop a high-performing team, guiding the transition toward a more specialized, analysis-focused department that embodies operational excellence.
• Conduct regular 1:1s to provide actionable feedback, mid-year/annual performance reviews, and the implementation of Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) when necessary.
• Cultivate a culture of growth by providing ongoing mentorship and coaching to enhance the maturity and technical skills of the team.

Governance, AML & Compliance:

• Handle high-level escalations from partners and conduct thorough retrospectives on incidents to prevent recurrence.
• Define and adapt Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in accordance with internal policies, evolving procedures, and applicable legislation.
• Maintain regulatory integrity by analyzing complex edge cases and collaborating with the Compliance team to translate new requirements into operational reality.
• Ensure the implementation and enhancement of new processes, fostering energy and momentum with various stakeholders to deliver consistent and scalable operations.
• Contribute to the maintenance of AML/KYC policies, ensuring all operational procedures are current and accurate.

Preferred Experience

You’re a great match if:

• 5+ years of experience in KYC/AML/Financial Security at a fintech, payment institution, bank, or fast-paced start-up/scale-up environment, with at least 2 years of experience managing a team and its performance.
• Strong understanding of the AML/CFT regulatory framework.
• Proven success in formulating and executing strategies based on deep knowledge of operations metrics and analytics.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail, enabling data-informed decision making.
• Proactive in identifying systemic inefficiencies and leading continuous improvement projects that optimize workflow accuracy.
• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Ability to navigate high-volume environments while maintaining quality and a sense of production priority and urgency.
• Excellent communication skills in English.

Our ideal teammate: empathetic, skilled, and frank. We value challenging each other and leaving egos at the door.

About Swan — Perks of being a Swanee:

• Holidays: 25 days + RTT
• Meal Vouchers: meal voucher card for work days
• Transport: monthly mobility package; eligible for alternative commuting modes
• Health insurance (mutuelle): Alan
• Sports: discounts with Classpass and Gymlib
• Well-being support: access to Moka Care
• Hybrid remote policy: up to 2 days per week from home
• Offsite: annual gathering to reconnect and discuss topics
• Diversity and inclusion: commitment to improvement

Our values

Swan’s core values guide our actions daily. They include:

• Simplicity: making complex things simple
• Long Term: commitments to growth and climate action
• Excellence: delivering high-quality banking services
• Be Human: acting with kindness and integrity

You can find out more about our culture.

Recruitment process

• Pre-screen: A 30-minute video call with our Talent Acquisition Manager
• Hiring Manager: Interview focused on role-related skills and alignment
• Case study: Take-home task, followed by a panel presentation
• HR Interview: Interview with HRBP of the Ops department
• Final Interview: with Head of Operations Excellence