Head of Compliance

Sphere Labs

$180K — $220K *
US-AnywhereRemote in United States
Finance & Insurance
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Proven experience in building or maturing compliance programs, preferably in crypto, fintech, or financial services.
  • Track record of achieving compliance Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with rigorous audit standards.
  • Experience managing scaled compliance operations, including complex onboarding flows with partner relationships.
  • Strong foundational knowledge of AML, KYC, and KYB regulatory frameworks.
  • Direct experience with transaction monitoring systems and managing investigations.
  • Hands-on experience conducting investigations and filing Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) in a regulatory context.
  • In-depth knowledge of digital assets and the compliance challenges within the crypto industry.
  • Decisive judgment for high-stakes decision-making in complex scenarios.
  • Ability to create clear, actionable Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
  • Strong collaboration skills across Risk, Product, Operations, and Sales teams.
  • Exceptional attention to detail and ability to adapt in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

  • Evaluate and enhance the current compliance program, ensuring it is well-integrated and understood throughout the organization.
  • Write clear Standard Operating Procedures that convert policies into practical, auditable processes.
  • Collaborate with Product and Operations teams to outline compliance needs for new business initiatives prior to launch.
  • Manage the daily compliance activities to ensure policies and regulatory requirements are consistently applied.
  • Review and address alerts from the transaction monitoring system, ensuring thorough documentation of decisions.
  • Work cross-functionally with Risk to align on compliance system design and escalation procedures.
  • Assist in managing regulatory complaints, ensuring timely and documented responses.
  • Support customer onboarding to maintain regulatory compliance from the outset.
  • Coordinate responses to law enforcement requests with thorough documentation and legal review.
  • Lead internal investigations related to suspicious activities and oversee SAR filings as per regulations.
  • Mentor and develop junior compliance team members to foster internal talent.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health insurance coverage.
  • Flexible work hours and remote work options.
  • Professional development opportunities and mentorship programs.
  • Generous paid time off and holiday schedules.
  • Work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment within a cutting-edge industry.
Full Job Description
About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Head of Compliance to build, mature, and lead our compliance program in a fast-paced, crypto-native environment. This role will partner closely with the product and engineering teams in order to automate the existing program into a scalable, highly embedded into the day-to-day operations of the business. This is a hands-on leadership role: the ideal candidate is a decisive operator who can write SOPs, work cross-functionally with Product and Ops to design guardrails for new business lines, manage a compliance program at scale (including nested onboarding flows with integrator/partner relationships), and mentor others - all while combining deep AML/KYC/KYB expertise with a strong international regulatory background.

Key Responsibilities

  • Program Build-Out & Maturity: Evaluate the existing compliance program, identify gaps in adoption and execution, and scale it into a program that is well-used, well-understood, and embedded across the business. This includes evaluating the risks associated with new geographic areas, and enhancing the existing program to account for those findings.
  • SOP Development: Write clear, actionable Standard Operating Procedures that translate policy into repeatable, auditable day-to-day practice.
  • Product & Ops Partnership on New Business Lines: Partner with Product and Operations to identify compliance requirements for new initiatives before they launch.
  • Day-to-Day Compliance Operations: Own and manage the organization's daily compliance activities, ensuring consistent application of policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
  • Transaction Monitoring & Alert Disposition: Review, investigate, and disposition alerts generated by the transaction monitoring system (built and maintained by the Risk team), ensuring timely and well-documented decisions.
  • Cross-Functional Partnership with Risk: Work closely and collaboratively with the Risk, Compliance, Product and Operations teams to align on system design, alert logic, thresholds, and escalation processes.
  • Complaints Management: Support the handling of complaints filed with regulatory bodies, ensuring timely, accurate, and well-documented responses.
  • Sales & Customer Onboarding Support: Partner with the Sales team on customer onboarding to ensure new relationships meet compliance and risk standards from day one.
  • Law Enforcement Requests: Support law enforcement inquiries and requests, ensuring appropriate handling, documentation, and legal coordination.
  • Investigations & SAR Filing: Lead internal investigations into suspicious activity and prepare and file Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) in accordance with regulatory requirements.
  • Team Development: Train, mentor, and develop current and future junior compliance team members, building a strong bench of compliance talent.


Qualifications

  • Proven experience building or significantly maturing a compliance program from the ground up, ideally within crypto, fintech, or financial services.
  • Track record of meeting compliance SLAs and operating with strong, auditable rigor.
  • Experience managing a compliance program at scale, including nested/multi-layer onboarding flows involving integrator or partner relationships
  • Strong, hands-on knowledge of AML, KYC, and KYB frameworks and regulatory requirements.
  • Direct experience with transaction monitoring systems and alert disposition/investigation processes.
  • Demonstrated experience conducting investigations and filing SARs.
  • Crypto-native - deep familiarity with digital assets, blockchain transactions, and the unique compliance challenges of the crypto industry.
  • Highly decisive, with the judgment to make timely calls in ambiguous or high-stakes situations.
  • Ability to write clear, effective SOPs and translate policy into practice.
  • Excellent cross-functional collaboration skills, particularly with Risk, Product, Ops, and Sales teams.
  • Excellent judgment, attention to detail, and ability to operate independently in a fast-moving environment.


$180,000 - $220,000 a year

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