ROLE OVERVIEWCoinflow's risk and compliance function has grown quickly across the US, Canada, and EU, and it now needs to mature from a collection of jurisdictional efforts into a coordinated, defensible group-level program. As our first Sr. Manager, Compliance Program & Governance, reporting directly to the Chief Risk Officer, you'll build the infrastructure that connects it all: regulatory change management, governance cadence, sponsor bank management, audit readiness, remediation tracking, product/tooling development, and second-line control testing.
This role works as a direct extension of the CRO. The CRO is accountable for the program; you're accountable for making sure nothing falls through the cracks between intake and closure. When an issue lands (a sponsor bank finding, a regulatory change, an audit observation, a self-identified gap), you take it, build the plan, line up the right people across Underwriting, AML, Legal, Engineering, and Operations, and drive it to a documented close.
Plainly: the CRO should never have to ask you for a status update. You should be the one bringing it. This is a building role at a rapidly scaling fintech, with a direct path to shaping how our program operates for years to come.
To be clear about scope, this role does not own transaction monitoring tuning, alert investigation, SAR decisioning, or merchant underwriting; those sit with our existing first-line teams. It is not a regulatory expert role for any specific jurisdiction; the BSA Officer and the MLROs hold those mandates.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES- Own the policy, SOP, and control framework that governs the program across regions: version control, approval workflows, attestation tracking, and refresh cycles. Make sure it holds up under testing.
- Harmonize policies across the US, Canada, EU, and future jurisdictions into group policy with local addenda where possible, and own the policy exception process end to end.
- Build and run an independent second-line testing and monitoring program for BSA/AML controls (CIP, KYC, CDD, EDD). Own the testing calendar, sampling methodology, and documentation so we walk into exams and bank partner reviews with evidence already assembled.
- Serve as the program-level owner for bank and payment partner relationships, integrating incoming requirements, controls, and reporting obligations into workflows that minimize disruption to first-line teams.
- Pre-review bank onboarding due diligence responses before they reach the CRO, and standardize the partner escalation guide so relationships are managed consistently.
- Own Risk change intake as the single front door for FinCEN, FINTRAC, EU AMLD, MiCA, sponsor bank, and card scheme changes. Triage, assign owners, and build execution plans. Nothing sits open without you knowing why.
- Lead audit and exam readiness. Maintain evidence libraries, response playbooks, and document rooms; coordinate responses to internal audits, sponsor bank reviews, and regulatory exams; and drive findings through to closure.
- Own the risk and gap register. Intake self-identified gaps and findings from partner due diligence reviews, assign owners, and drive items to closure with audit-ready evidence. If something is stuck, escalate before it becomes a finding.
- Design and operate the governance cadence, including our Risk and Compliance Committee, and chase committee action items until they're done.
- Prepare board-level reporting and maintain a command center that gives the CRO, CEO, and board a coherent view of program health across jurisdictions.
- Partner with Product and Engineering on tooling requirements that reflect our policies and SOPs, so workflows in our tools act as the SOP itself rather than a disconnected series of steps.
- Own rollout planning, acceptance criteria, and training for new tools so Risk and Compliance teams are ready to adopt them on day one.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS- 5-10 years of experience in compliance, risk, audit, consulting, or related program management roles, with at least three years in fintech, payments, startups, or banking.
- Prior experience building or standing up a program from scratch or in a high-growth environment, not just maintaining a mature program at a large institution. Much of the work in this role exists today but is divided across multiple people and lacks structure; you'll turn it into a coherent, documented program.
- A constitutional inability to let things sit open. You track your own commitments and other people's commitments to you, and you follow up before anyone has to ask. If a thread goes quiet for three days, you're already pinging it.
- Comfort holding people accountable without authority. You lead through clarity, persistence, and a willingness to be the one who says "I still need this from you" for the fourth time, professionally, without flinching.
- Strong project management instincts and a bias for visibility. You can hold five workstreams in your head, prioritize ruthlessly, and build lightweight structure (trackers, dashboards, standing updates) so everyone knows their responsibilities across every active project.
- Compliance generalist fluency. You can read a regulation, a policy, or an audit finding and immediately understand what it asks for, even if the specific regime is new to you.
- Strong judgment about what matters. You can distinguish a material risk from a cosmetic gap and escalate accordingly.
- Based in or willing to relocate to Chicago; this role is in office four days per week.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS- Prior experience supporting regulatory examinations or sponsor bank audits as a respondent.
- Experience with multi-jurisdictional compliance programs, particularly across US, Canada, and EU regimes.
- Prior experience designing or executing second-line testing programs for BSA/AML or equivalent AML regimes.
- CAMS, CRCM, CFE, or equivalent certification.
WHAT WE OFFER- The chance to be Coinflow's first compliance program leader and shape how the program operates for years to come.
- Competitive compensation including base salary and equity.
- Direct partnership with the CRO and regular exposure to Coinflow's founders, leadership team, and board.
- Comprehensive benefits, including health and wellness coverage, 401(k), and flexible time off.
- A clear path to people management as the function grows.
- Real ownership: the mandate to turn distributed, multi-jurisdictional efforts into one coherent, defensible program.
The base salary range for this role is $180,000 - $210,000 USD + equity. The actual base salary offered depends on a variety of factors, including but not limited to experience, education, skills, qualifications, and business needs.
Join the team rewriting how money moves worldwide-and become a driving force in the $194 trillion cross-border payments market.
