Chief Compliance Officer

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain an effective compliance program for crypto and fiat payments services, covering AML, CFT, sanctions, consumer protection, financial security, reporting, data protection, and privacy for a global business. Work directly on program design and documents while managing internal and external teams.
• Oversee licensing management and strategy, determining licensing needs for new products, jurisdictions, and partnerships; lead applications and renewals end-to-end.
• Stay current with compliance developments and industry best practices, updating policies and procedures accordingly.
• Conduct regular risk assessments, identify compliance risks, and develop mitigation strategies.
• Provide ongoing training and education to employees to foster a culture of compliance and ethical behavior.
• Lead internal investigations into compliance issues, coordinate with external auditors, and implement corrective actions.
• Build a tech- and AI-forward compliance function by evaluating and deploying AI and automation for monitoring, reporting, and licensing tracking.
• Prepare and present compliance reports to senior leadership and the board, highlighting key issues, trends, and recommendations.
• Serve as primary point of contact for regulatory agencies, examiners, banking partnerships, and third-party regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with Legal, Finance, Operations, and other departments to ensure compliance across all business activities.
• Scale the compliance team as needed to support efficient operations for a rapidly growing company.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in compliance, with strong background in cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology, data privacy, or financial services.
• 3+ years of experience as a CCO or similar role in a scaling organization, including regulated businesses.
• Experience building compliance functions from scratch with a scrappy, builder mentality; comfortable with ambiguity and operating without a defined playbook.
• Deep understanding of regulatory requirements for digital currencies, blockchain technology, and payments, including AML, KYC, and data privacy regulations.
• Licensing experience setting strategy and leading applications for payments or crypto businesses; global or multi-jurisdictional experience is a strong plus.
• Strong strategic thinking, analytical skills, ability to translate data into actionable insights, pragmatic business and risk judgment, and high integrity.
• Genuine tech and AI orientation; actively follow AI-assisted compliance and RegTech developments; think about automation and tooling to extend a lean team's reach.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills to influence and collaborate across all levels, including the board.
• Experience in a startup or high-growth environment strongly preferred.

Nice-to-Haves

• Global or multi-jurisdictional licensing experience.