Compliance Operations Associate - São Paulo (Hybrid)

Clara is the leading platform in Latin America for companies to execute and manage every payment operation. More than 50,000 leading and fast-growing businesses run on our corporate cards, bill pay, financing and B2B payments, and in 2025 the Financial Times named Clara the region’s fastest-growing company. We’re passionate about helping every company we work with become more effective—and, through that, raising the region’s competitiveness. We’re ~400 people, backed by Notable Capital, Coatue, Kaszek, monashees, DST Global, ICONIQ, General Catalyst and Goldman Sachs, among others.

What you'll do

• We are looking for a hands-on Compliance Operations Associate based in Brazil to join the Legal & Compliance team and report directly to the Head of Legal & Compliance. The role will support customer onboarding, ongoing reviews and the operational AML/CFT agenda across Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.

• You will manage high-volume casework with sound judgment, clear evidence and reliable execution, while helping us improve controls, workflows and automation.

• Review onboarding, remediation and reassessment cases for customers in Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.

• Analyze corporate documents, ownership structures, Ultimate Beneficial Owners (UBOs), business models, expected activity and the consistency of customer information.

• Perform KYC/KYB and enhanced due diligence, including PEP, sanctions and adverse-media screening, and document the rationale for each conclusion.

• Execute ongoing transaction monitoring and review AML/CFT alerts from initial assessment through documented closure or escalation.

• Investigate unusual or potentially suspicious activity, request additional information, conduct enhanced reviews and escalate cases in line with internal governance.

• Support the full range of operational AML/CFT activities assigned to Compliance, including periodic and event-driven reviews, customer-risk classification, control execution, remediation and the preparation of internal or regulatory reporting inputs.

• Apply the KYC Manual, AML/CFT policies, risk criteria, checklists, SLAs and escalation rules consistently across cases.

• Maintain complete, accurate and auditable records of evidence, pending items, decisions, approvals and follow-up actions.

• Manage the Compliance pipeline by risk, priority and SLA, providing visibility into volumes, aging, backlogs and material exceptions.

• Escalate higher-risk cases, exceptions and matters requiring a risk decision to the appropriate Compliance leadership or governance forum.

• Work closely with Operations, Fraud, Risk, Credit, Product, Engineering and Data to resolve process gaps and strengthen preventive and detective controls.

• Support AML/CFT risk assessments, quality reviews, control testing, metrics, procedures, playbooks and training materials.

• Identify opportunities for responsible automation and contribute to requirements, testing, implementation and ongoing validation while preserving human review and auditability.

• Who you are

• We’re looking for someone who meets the minimum requirements to be considered for the role. The preferred qualifications are a bonus, not a requirement.

• Must Haves

• 2+ years of experience in Compliance Operations, KYC, KYB, AML/CFT, transaction monitoring or customer onboarding, ideally in a fintech, financial institution or payments company.

• Practical experience reviewing legal entities, UBOs, ownership structures, customer documentation and AML/CFT alerts.

• Working knowledge of customer due diligence, enhanced due diligence, PEP and sanctions screening, adverse media and suspicious-activity escalation.

• Ability to manage high-volume queues, meet SLAs and maintain clear, complete and auditable case records.

• Sound judgment, attention to detail and the ability to apply policies consistently while recognizing when escalation is required.

• Strong ownership, organization and clear communication across multiple teams and countries.

• Must Haves

• Experience with AML/CFT requirements or Compliance operations in Brazil, Mexico or Colombia.

• Experience using case-management, screening or transaction-monitoring tools.

• Experience supporting regulatory reporting, audits, control testing or remediation plans.

• Spanish proficiency.

• Experience or strong interest in workflow automation, data analysis or the responsible use of AI in Compliance operations.

• Where we work

• This is a hybrid role: you'll split your time between the office, customers and home. We don't set a minimum number of office days for most roles — you'll spend time in the office naturally, and most days during your ramp-up or when your leader asks.

• Why Clara

• A high talent-density team driven to make an impact in Latin America — low ego, high ownership.

• Competitive salary and stock options (ESOP) from day one.

• An annual learning budget and accelerated development paths.

• English is our working language, with Spanish and Portuguese every day.

• How we work

• Clarity — Open and direct communication: we say what we mean and give context where it matters.

• Simplicity — If it can be simpler, it should be.

• Ownership — We own everything we do, end to end. When something needs to happen, we don't wait.

• Pride — We hold ourselves to a high standard, and it shows in what we deliver.

• ABC (Always Be Changing) — We adapt fast, embrace change, and keep learning.

• Inclusivity — Diverse ideas, stories and perspectives build a better Clara.

• If you meet the must-haves, apply — the nice-to-haves are a bonus, not a requirement.