Legal Compliance Manager

About the Company

Our client is a fast-growing international fintech group with an established presence across Asia and a strong track record in digital financial services. The Group is currently establishing a new entity in Vietnam to launch a digital lending business in partnership with licensed non-bank credit institutions (NBCIs).

The Vietnam operation will follow a lean, technology-driven model, with a small number of key professionals supported by automation. As a result, each founding team member will play a critical role in building the business from the ground up.

Role Summary

The Founding Compliance & Legal Manager will be responsible for establishing the legal, regulatory compliance and data-protection framework for the new Vietnam entity.

This is a highly hands-on role, working closely with the CEO, global legal team, external counsel and partner financial institutions compliance teams to ensure the business is fully compliant and launch-ready.

The role will also serve as the entity's statutory Data Protection Officer (DPO) under Vietnam's applicable personal data protection regulations.

Key Responsibilities

1. Data Protection & DPO

• Act as the entity's registered Data Protection Officer (DPO).
• Prepare, submit and maintain Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) and cross-border data transfer impact assessment (OTIA) dossiers with the relevant authorities.
• Manage required registrations, certifications, notifications, renewals, amendments and data-breach reporting.
• Design and implement the customer consent framework covering data collection, withdrawal and record-keeping for a fully digital lending journey.

2. Regulatory Compliance – Digital Lending

• Monitor and assess regulatory requirements applicable to the company's lending model and partnerships with NBCIs, including regulations relating to financial services, consumer finance, e-transactions and cybersecurity.
• Identify regulatory changes and lead the implementation of necessary compliance actions.
• Oversee compliance requirements relating to outsourcing arrangements and vendor data-processing activities.

3. Legal Operations

• Draft and review commercial and operational agreements, including partnership agreements, vendor contracts, office and employment-related documentation.
• Work closely with the global legal team and external counsel where required.
• Manage corporate legal matters for the Vietnam entity, including licenses, corporate filings and ERC/IRC amendments, in coordination with external corporate-secretarial providers.

4. Compliance Framework Build-out

• Establish the initial AML/KYC compliance framework together with lending partners.
• Develop internal policies and procedures covering areas such as code of conduct, data handling and conflict of interest.
• Build a practical compliance framework suitable for a lean, automation-first organization.
• As the business scales, support the development of the broader compliance team.

Requirements

• 7–13 years of relevant experience in legal, compliance or data-protection roles within a financial institution, fintech company or law firm serving financial-sector clients.
• Startup S
• Experience in consumer finance and/or digital lending is strongly preferred.
• Practical knowledge of Vietnam's personal data protection regulations and related regulatory filing requirements. Experience with DPIA/OTIA submissions is a strong advantage.
• Relevant personal data protection training/certification, or willingness to complete the required certification shortly after joining.
• Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from a reputable university is required. A lawyer's certificate/Judicial Academy qualification or equivalent professional qualification is strongly preferred.
• FLuent English is required for regular communication with the global team.
• Strong ownership and a builder/founder mindset — comfortable being the key legal and compliance resource during the early stage, working hands-on across regulatory, legal and operational matters.
• Availability to join in November or December 2026 is strongly preferred.
• The company prefers candidates with prior experience in and a strong aptitude for working in a startup environment, particularly those comfortable building functions and processes from the ground up.