Head of Compliance in New York at Jobgether

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Head of Compliance based in the United States.

This is a hands-on compliance leadership role within a fast-moving, crypto-native environment operating at the intersection of digital assets and regulated finance.
You will build, mature, and scale a compliance program designed to support cross-border payments and settlement.
The role combines strategic leadership with direct operational ownership across AML, KYC, KYB, transaction monitoring, investigations, and regulatory obligations.
You will work closely with Risk, Product, Operations, and Sales to embed compliance controls directly into products and business processes.
A key focus will be translating regulatory requirements into practical SOPs, scalable workflows, and automated guardrails for new markets and business lines.
You will also help develop the compliance team, establish strong operating standards, and make sound decisions in ambiguous or high-stakes situations.
This is an opportunity to shape a foundational compliance function while contributing to the evolution of modern global payments infrastructure.

• Evaluate the existing compliance framework, identify gaps in adoption, execution, and geographic coverage, and lead initiatives to mature the program into a scalable, well-embedded operating model.
• Develop and maintain clear, actionable, and auditable Standard Operating Procedures that translate compliance policies and regulatory requirements into consistent day-to-day practices.
• Partner with Product and Operations teams to identify compliance requirements, define appropriate controls, and establish guardrails before launching new products, markets, or business lines.
• Own daily compliance operations, ensuring policies, procedures, regulatory requirements, and service-level commitments are consistently applied.
• Manage transaction monitoring activities, including reviewing, investigating, documenting, and dispositioning alerts generated by the transaction monitoring environment.
• Collaborate closely with Risk, Product, Operations, and Compliance stakeholders on monitoring logic, thresholds, system design, escalation procedures, and control effectiveness.
• Support complaints submitted to regulatory authorities, coordinating timely, accurate, and appropriately documented responses.
• Partner with Sales and onboarding teams to ensure new customers and business relationships meet applicable compliance and risk standards.
• Support law enforcement inquiries and information requests, ensuring appropriate documentation, escalation, and coordination with relevant legal stakeholders.
• Lead internal investigations into suspicious activity and prepare and file Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) in accordance with applicable requirements.
• Assess compliance risks associated with geographic expansion and adapt policies, procedures, and controls to address evolving regulatory and operational requirements.
• Manage complex onboarding structures, including nested or multi-layer relationships involving integrators and external partners.
• Train, mentor, and develop junior compliance professionals while building a strong and scalable compliance function.
• Promote a culture of accountability, sound judgment, operational rigor, and continuous improvement across the organization.

• Proven experience building, scaling, or significantly maturing a compliance program, ideally within crypto, fintech, payments, banking, or broader financial services.
• Demonstrated ability to manage compliance operations at scale, including complex or nested onboarding flows involving integrators, partners, or other third parties.
• Strong hands-on expertise across AML, KYC, and KYB frameworks, controls, and regulatory requirements.
• Direct experience working with transaction monitoring systems, including alert review, investigation, escalation, and disposition.
• Demonstrated experience conducting suspicious activity investigations and preparing or filing SARs.
• Strong understanding of digital assets, blockchain transactions, and the distinctive compliance risks associated with crypto-native financial activity.
• Track record of meeting compliance SLAs while maintaining strong documentation, consistency, and auditability.
• Ability to assess emerging risks, including those associated with geographic expansion, new products, and evolving business models.
• Strong ability to write clear SOPs and translate complex regulatory requirements into practical, repeatable processes and controls.
• Excellent judgment and decision-making skills, with the confidence to make timely calls in ambiguous, sensitive, or high-stakes situations.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, particularly when working with Risk, Product, Operations, and Sales teams.
• Exceptional attention to detail, organizational skills, and ability to operate independently in a rapidly changing environment.
• Highly adaptable, proactive, and comfortable building processes and structures where established playbooks may not yet exist.

• $180,000–$220,000 annual salary.
• High-ownership leadership opportunity within an early-stage organization.
• Opportunity to build and shape a compliance program from the ground up rather than simply operate an established framework.
• Exposure to the convergence of crypto infrastructure, regulated finance, stablecoins, and cross-border payments.
• Significant influence over compliance strategy, operational controls, and the development of new business lines and markets.
• Fully remote, globally distributed working environment.
• Opportunity to work closely with Product, Engineering, Risk, Operations, Sales, and senior leadership.
• Opportunity to mentor and build a growing compliance function.
• Fast-paced environment offering substantial autonomy, decision-making responsibility, and professional growth.