Compliance Manager, Jersey and Financial Crime in London

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For over a decade, Kraken’s focus on our mission and crypto ethos has attracted many of the most talented crypto experts in the world. Before you apply, please read the Kraken Culture page to learn more about our internal culture, values, and mission. We also expect candidates to familiarize themselves with the Kraken app.

As a fully remote company, we have Krakenites in 70+ countries who speak over 50 languages. Krakenites are industry pioneers who develop premium crypto products for experienced traders, institutions, and newcomers to the space. Kraken is committed to industry-leading security, crypto education, and world-class client support through our products like Kraken Pro, Desktop, Wallet, and Kraken Futures.

The team is on a mission to accelerate the adoption of cryptocurrency so that you and the rest of the world can achieve financial freedom and inclusion. Our team is globally distributed, deeply technical, and genuinely committed to building the infrastructure the next financial system runs on.

Payward's business spans exchange, custody, derivatives, and tokenised assets across multiple regulated entities and jurisdictions. Our institutional and markets infrastructure includes a JFSC-licensed entity in Jersey and a leading tokenised equities platform operating across multiple international frameworks.

This role combines ownership of Payward's Jersey compliance programme with a senior financial crime compliance remit across the wider UK-regulated group. On the Jersey side, you'll own the compliance programme for a defined cluster of regulated activities covering obligations under the Financial Services (Jersey) Law 1998 and the Control of Borrowing (Jersey) Order, alongside tokenised asset issuance.

Across the UK group, you'll support the MLRO function through monitoring, assurance, advisory, and escalation management, operating as a senior financial crime resource for business-facing teams and the second line alike. The role is thematic in nature: as Payward's regulated footprint evolves, the specific entities and activities in scope may shift, what stays constant is the depth of subject matter expertise and the quality of compliance coverage. You'll report to the UK Chief Compliance Officer.

Work with Group Compliance to evolve the compliance framework supporting Payward's tokenised asset and issuance activities, with a particular focus on institutional-grade structures and distribution models, including tokenised equities, real-world assets, and structured or derivative-linked products offered through exchange-traded and over-the-counter channels.

• Oversee and control AML and compliance activities, including the development and deployment of policies and procedures, client onboarding and supervision, transaction monitoring, AML risk mitigation, and adverse event reporting.
• Support onboarding and oversight of institutional distribution partners (exchanges, brokers, and platforms), ensuring due diligence, KYC/AML expectations, and contractual frameworks are appropriately calibrated to the risk profile of large, regulated counterparties.
• Monitor regulatory developments in tokenised securities and real-world assets across relevant jurisdictions, with the JFSC as the primary supervisory relationship alongside FCA and international equivalents.
• Provide compliance input across the full product lifecycle, from structuring and issuance through secondary market trading and ongoing disclosures, ensuring appropriate controls around transparency, investor eligibility, and market integrity.

Support the UK MLRO function through second-line monitoring, oversight, and assurance activity, including thematic reviews, controls testing, assurance sampling, and assessment of financial crime risk exposure across the group.

• Design and execute the financial crime assurance programme, providing structured, evidence-based reporting on the effectiveness of AML/CTF controls, escalation processes, and KYC/CDD standards across the UK-regulated group.
• Lead or assist on high-risk customer reviews and complex CDD/EDD escalations, providing senior financial crime judgement where first-line teams require second-line input or sign-off.
• Manage the escalation pathway for material financial crime concerns arising across the UK-regulated group, ensuring timely triage, appropriate documentation, and escalation to the MLRO where required.
• Act as a financial crime compliance adviser to business-facing teams, providing pragmatic guidance on AML/CTF obligations, sanctions screening, KYC standards, and financial crime risk in product and operational contexts.
• Support the MLRO in preparing financial crime MI, management reporting, and board-level materials, incorporating assurance findings and thematic trend analysis across the UK group compliance governance framework.
• Assist with regulatory engagement on financial crime matters, including FCA supervisory correspondence and examination preparation, as directed by the MLRO.

Prepare compliance MI and reporting for board committees and the Jersey board, including any materials required by the JFSC. Maintain policies, procedures, and controls documentation across the institutional and markets perimeter, aligned to group-level frameworks. Contribute to cross-functional workstreams where trading venue, tokenised asset, or financial crime expertise is required.

• Solid working knowledge of Jersey financial services law: the Financial Services (Jersey) Law 1998, the Control of Borrowing (Jersey) Order, and the JFSC's regulatory framework for investment business and virtual asset service providers.
• Familiarity with the JFSC's approach to tokenised asset regulation, including how it interacts with the VASP registration regime and the wider virtual assets framework, or a demonstrated ability to get up to speed quickly on an evolving regulatory landscape.
• Demonstrable experience in AML/CTF programme delivery, including monitoring, assurance, and escalation management in a regulated financial services environment.
• Experience running or contributing to a compliance programme at senior level in a regulated financial services business, ideally with institutional or wholesale markets exposure.
• Comfort with multi-jurisdictional complexity: this role spans regulatory frameworks and you'll need to hold the full picture without losing precision on any individual regime.
• Ability to work with genuine ambiguity, products in this space are often ahead of the regulatory framework, and you'll need to make sound judgements without a ready-made playbook.
• Strong written communication: committee papers, regulatory correspondence, and policy documentation to a high standard.
• Self-directed, with clear escalation judgement, this is a lean team with high standards.

• Direct experience with tokenised securities, RWA issuance, or structured digital asset products.
• Prior experience engaging directly with the JFSC, including supervisory requests, regulatory consultations, or onsite reviews.
• Exposure to MiCA, UK MiFID, or other trading venue regulatory frameworks relevant to cross-border institutional business.
• Experience supporting multi-jurisdictional regulatory engagement or contributing to regulatory consultations.
• ICA, ACAMS, or equivalent professional qualification.

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. Kraken is powered by people from around the world and we celebrate all Krakenites for their diverse talents, backgrounds, contributions and unique perspectives. We hire strictly based on merit, meaning we seek out the candidates with the right abilities, knowledge, and skills considered the most suitable 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 are designed to evaluate competencies relevant to the role and are applied consistently across candidates for similar positions. Assessment results are considered alongside other relevant information, such as 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 that’s 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.