Sr. Compliance Associate, Sanctions

BUILDING THE FUTURE OF OPEN FINANCE

Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globally accessible financial infrastructure platforms in the industry, built to advance an open, global financial system.

Before you apply, we encourage you to explore our culture page https://www.kraken.com/culture to understand what drives us and how we work.

THE TEAM

Founded in 2011, Kraken is one of the world's longest-standing crypto platforms, trusted by over 10 million individuals and institutions across the globe. It offers spot trading, margin, futures, staking, and OTC services, with products built for both individual investors and institutional clients.

At Kraken, compliance is not a checkbox. It's a core expression of who we are and how we operate. Our Global Sanctions Compliance function sits at the intersection of regulatory accountability and technology, building processes that don't just meet the standard but set it. We're looking for people who bring both sharp regulatory judgment and a builder's mindset to the table.

We're looking for a Sr. Compliance Associate, Sanctions Regulatory Reporting to join us fully remote in the US. This role reports directly to Kraken's Chief Sanctions Officer and sits at the heart of how we manage, improve and scale our sanctions reporting programme globally. You won't just be executing a filing process. You'll be actively improving it, driving automation across the end-to-end workflow and partnering with engineering and AI teams to build something more scalable and regulator-ready.

THE OPPORTUNITY

• Own the preparation, quality control and timely submission of all outbound sanctions regulatory reports, including OFAC reports, the OFAC Annual Report of Blocked Property and reporting obligations across Payward's international jurisdictions.
• Maintain a filing calendar and proactively escalate risks of late or incomplete submissions to sanctions leadership, applying rigorous human oversight before every regulatory submission.
• Identify and drive automation opportunities across the sanctions reporting workflow, from alert ingestion and case creation to report generation and filing tracker updates.
• Work with AI and engineering teams to scope and test connectors between sanctions tooling and downstream reporting systems, using AI-assisted platforms including Claude to accelerate template drafting, narrative generation and QC workflows.
• Partner with Regional Compliance Officers across non-US jurisdictions to solicit and incorporate local regulatory feedback, ensuring regional perspectives are integrated while maintaining sanctions programme integrity.
• Serve as a trained backup for sanctions investigations and account closure decisions, supporting caseload surges and ensuring timely resolution to minimise regulatory exposure and client impact.
• Document current-state processes and propose improvements that reduce manual effort without compromising regulatory accuracy or accountability.

SKILLS YOU SHOULD HODL

• 3+ years of experience in sanctions compliance, regulatory reporting or a related financial crimes compliance function, ideally gained within financial services such as banking, crypto or fintech.
• Working knowledge of OFAC regulations, SDN list screening and sanctions regulatory reporting obligations.
• Hands-on experience using automation and AI tools, such as Claude or ChatGPT, to make the team faster and the work better.
• Experience working with APIs, workflow connectors and case management systems such as Hummingbird, Zendesk or equivalent.
• Strong attention to detail with demonstrated experience in QC or review processes involving regulatory deliverables.
• Ability to interpret regulatory guidance and apply it to real-world filing and reporting scenarios.
• Strong written communication skills with experience drafting or reviewing compliance reports.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent filing deadlines with a high degree of accuracy.
• High degree of integrity, discretion and ability to handle confidential and sensitive information.
• A bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.

NICE TO HAVES

• CAMS certification or equivalent.
• Familiarity with UK and other non-US sanctions regimes.
• Experience reviewing sanctions enforcement actions and translating regulatory expectations into operational controls.
• Working knowledge of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency ecosystems.
• Experience supporting regulatory exams, audits or enforcement-related inquiries.
• Familiarity with cross-border regulatory reporting across multiple jurisdictions.

Unless a specific application deadline is stated in the job posting, applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Please note, applicants are permitted to redact or remove information on their resume that identifies age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.

We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment on our team, assessing candidates in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

Payward is powered by people from around the world and we celebrate the diverse talents, backgrounds, contributions, and unique perspectives that everyone brings to the table. We hire based on merit, seeking out people with the right abilities, knowledge, and skills for the job. We encourage you to apply for roles where you don't fully meet the listed requirements, especially if you're passionate or knowledgeable about crypto.

We may ask candidates to complete job-related skills or work-style assessments as part of our hiring process. These assessments evaluate competencies relevant to the role and are applied consistently across candidates for similar positions. Results are considered alongside experience and interviews, and are not the sole basis for any employment decision.

As an equal opportunity employer, we don't tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind, whether based on race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, citizenship, religion, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

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