Compliance Director – High-Risk

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in California.

📋 Description

• Act as the main compliance liaison for Sales, Partnerships, and Underwriting, offering practical and documented guidance on prospects and deals.

• Spearhead compliance strategy for gaming and gambling sectors, including iGaming, sports betting, sweepstakes, and predictive markets.

• Conduct regulatory analysis on a state-by-state and provincial basis, covering licensing, registration, and merchant/vendor eligibility criteria.

• Create and uphold underwriting standards, risk-tiering, approval gates, and escalation processes for high-risk industries.

• Assess new sectors, business models, and frameworks such as ISV, marketplace, and merchant-of-record models.

• Execute market and regulatory research to establish minimum requirements prior to launch.

• Draft and maintain procedures, onboarding guides, and underwriting playbooks.

• Interpret laws, card network regulations, and sponsor bank requirements into actionable guidance for Product, Sales, Technology, and Operations teams.

• Collaborate with Payment Operations, Underwriting, and Partnerships to enhance onboarding processes and eliminate bottlenecks.

• Mentor and guide the Compliance Operations team through coaching and reviewing work products.

• Assist sponsor bank and network relationships regarding onboarding and sector-specific issues.

• Support AML/BSA, sanctions, fraud, KYC/KYB, and risk-signal escalation initiatives.

• Contribute to readiness for audits and regulatory examinations, policy revisions, and the mitigation of onboarding and merchant-risk issues.

• Monitor changes in U.S. and Canadian regulations and network rules, updating guidance accordingly.

• Prepare summaries ready for decision-making for senior management, sponsor banks, and partners.

⛳️ Requirements

• Over 7 years of experience in compliance, risk, or regulatory roles within payments, fintech, banking, or similar regulated fields.

• Practical experience with merchant underwriting and onboarding, including KYC/KYB and risk-based approval processes.

• Familiarity with high-risk merchant sectors such as gaming and gambling, nutraceuticals, CBD, or similar, along with relevant card network and sponsor bank requirements.

• Demonstrated ability to interpret regulatory and card network mandates and apply them to real-world merchants, products, and business models.

• Strong grasp of risk management, controls, and sponsor bank oversight expectations.

• Experience collaborating directly with sales, business development, or product teams on deals and entering new markets.

• Proven experience in drafting policies, procedures, and guides utilized by business teams.

• Capability to lead complex, cross-functional projects involving multiple dependencies and senior stakeholders.

• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clarify ambiguity into coherent plans, trade-offs, and decisions.

• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (or their Google equivalents).

• Preferred: Juris Doctor or law degree, with bar admission in good standing.

• Preferred: Experience with gaming and gambling regulations, including state licensing, vendor registration, and eSweepstakes or similar emerging frameworks.

• Preferred: Knowledge of U.S. regulations (FinCEN, state money transmission, CCPA) and Canadian regulations (FINTRAC, RPAA, PIPEDA, Quebec Law 25).

• Preferred: Experience with payment networks (Visa, Mastercard, Interac, Discover) and sponsor banks.

• Preferred: Understanding of the fintech-bank partnership model and expectations for third-party risk.

• Preferred: Experience working at a card network, processor, acquirer, or sponsor bank.

• Preferred: Certifications such as CAMS or CFE.

• Preferred: Prior support experience for a BSA Officer, CAMLO, or compliance leadership.

🏝️ Benefits

• Equity

• Benefits