Global Head of Compliance

About OpenFX

OpenFX is on a mission to move money as freely as data, unrestricted by time zones, banking hours, or legacy systems. We are building the infrastructure that will power the next generation of cross-border payment systems for institutions. The team's execution has been exceptional, and we're scaling at a remarkable pace. Our stellar early team comes with experience from J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Stripe, PayPal, FalconX, Mastercard, Affirm, Polygon, Kraken and others. We're backed by Accel, Lightspeed, NfX and other top-tier investors.

About the Role

We are seeking a strategic and dynamic Global Head of Compliance to build, scale and lead our compliance function across all of OpenFX's regulated entities worldwide. This is a foundational leadership role at a high-growth company operating at the intersection of cross-border payments, foreign exchange, stablecoins, and institutional financial infrastructure.

You will own the design and execution of OpenFX's global compliance program, encompassing AML/CFT, sanctions, regulatory compliance, and licensing across the US, Canada, Latin America, UK, EU, UAE, and new markets as we expand. You will serve as the company's senior compliance voice with regulators, banking partners, and the Board, and will build a global team of compliance leaders to support our rapid growth.

This role reports to the General Counsel and works in close partnership with Legal, Product, Engineering, Operations, and Finance. Compliance is a P0 priority for the Company and is embedded in everything we build.

What You'll Do

Build and Lead the Global Compliance Function

• Build and scale a comprehensive global compliance program covering AML/CFT, sanctions, regulatory compliance, and financial crime prevention across all jurisdictions where OpenFX operates
• Recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing team of compliance professionals across multiple regions
• Establish and maintain the Three Lines of Defence governance framework, defining clear accountabilities between first-line compliance operations, second-line oversight, and internal audit
• Set the strategic direction for compliance technology and tooling, including transaction monitoring, blockchain analytics, KYC/KYB platforms, and screening systems

AML/CFT and Financial Crime

• Own and enhance OpenFX's global AML/CFT and sanctions compliance programs, ensuring they effectively prevent, detect, and report money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes
• Oversee client onboarding, KYC/KYB, Customer Due Diligence (CDD), and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) frameworks globally, ensuring consistency and adherence to local regulatory standards
• Ensure the effectiveness of transaction monitoring and surveillance systems, and provide independent challenge to suspicious activity analysis and reporting
• Lead the company's sanctions compliance program, including policy development, screening protocols, and escalation procedures

Regulatory Strategy and Licensing

• Partner with Legal, Operations and business teams to develop and execute licensing and market entry strategies across multiple jurisdictions
• Serve as the primary compliance point of contact with regulators worldwide, including FinCEN, U.S. state regulators, the FCA, DNB, and other relevant authorities
• Own and support regulatory examinations, audits, and inquiries, and manage remediation of any findings
• Monitor the evolving global regulatory landscape for payments, money transmission, crypto-assets (including MiCA/CASP), and foreign exchange, and translate developments into actionable compliance strategy

Cross-Functional Partnership and Governance

• Serve as a strategic partner to Product, Engineering, and Business teams, providing compliance guidance on new product development, market expansion, and operational changes
• Manage compliance requirements from banking partners, digital asset partners, and payment networks, serving as the primary compliance contact for partner-related inquiries and audits
• Report regularly to senior leadership and the Board on the state of the compliance program, key risks, and emerging regulatory trends
• Build and maintain a strong compliance culture across the organization through training, communication, and leadership by example

What We're Looking For

Required Qualifications

• 15+ years of compliance experience in payments, fintech, banking, or financial services, with progressively senior leadership responsibilities
• Demonstrated experience building and scaling a compliance function, including hiring and managing compliance teams across multiple jurisdictions
• Deep expertise in AML/CFT, sanctions, and financial crime compliance, with hands-on experience designing and executing compliance programs, policies, and controls
• Strong knowledge of regulatory frameworks across multiple jurisdictions, including US (BSA/AML, FinCEN MSB, state MTLs), UK (FCA, MLRs, PSRs, EMRs), and EU (PSD2, AMLD, EMD)
• Experience serving as MLRO, BSA Officer, CCO, or equivalent senior compliance role at a regulated financial institution
• Proven track record of managing regulatory relationships and navigating examinations, audits, and enforcement actions
• Experience with cryptocurrency, stablecoin, or digital asset compliance, including familiarity with blockchain analytics tools (Chainalysis, Elliptic, TRM Labs) and crypto-specific regulatory frameworks
• Experience with banking and financial partner compliance management
• Exceptional communication and executive presence, with the ability to advise and influence senior leadership and Board members
• Strong ability to execute across multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

Strongly Preferred

• Knowledge of MiCA/CASP, FCA crypto-asset registration requirements, and US state-level virtual currency regulations
• Experience with cross-border payments and FX compliance
• Familiarity with UAE (CBUAE, DFSA/FSRA) or Canadian regulatory frameworks
• Experience at a high-growth startup or scale-up
• Familiarity with compliance technology platforms, including transaction monitoring systems (e.g., Actimize, ComplyAdvantage) and RegTech solutions
• Law degree or professional compliance certifications (CAMS, ICA, ACAMS)

What Makes a Successful Candidate

• You are a builder at heart—energized by creating compliance infrastructure from the ground up, not just maintaining what exists
• You think strategically about compliance as a business enabler, not just a cost center or gating function
• You are hands-on and lead by example, comfortable rolling up your sleeves to draft a policy, review an alert, or negotiate with a regulator
• You balance rigor with pragmatism, delivering defensible compliance outcomes without over-engineering processes
• You are a trusted advisor who builds strong relationships across functions and earns credibility through sound judgment and clear communication
• You thrive in ambiguity and are comfortable making well-reasoned decisions with imperfect information
• You are passionate about the potential of new financial infrastructure and excited to help shape the regulatory environment for it

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and benefits package
• Meaningful equity in a rapidly growing, well-funded company
• Opportunity to build a global compliance function from the ground up at a company that highly values compliance and is at the forefront of fintech innovation
• Direct partnership with senior leadership, with high visibility across the company
• Collaborative, mission-driven culture with emphasis on personal and professional growth

OpenFX is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.