Chief Compliance and Legal Officer

Goodwin Recruiting; Vista (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 290,000; Full time

Job summary

Goodwin Recruiting is seeking a Chief Compliance and Legal Officer to lead the compliance and legal functions across the organization. The role requires strategic oversight of regulatory requirements, risk management, and practical business execution to support growth.

The successful candidate will possess a Juris Doctor, active bar license, and a track record of building and directing high-impact compliance programs in highly regulated financial services environments.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor and active bar license.
• Significant legal and compliance leadership experience in consumer finance, lending, fintech, or another heavily regulated financial services environment.
• Demonstrated success leading legal and compliance functions, not just advising from the side.
• Strong working knowledge of consumer financial laws and regulations, including TILA, ECOA, UDAAP, FCRA, FDCPA, TCPA, servicing, collections, and state licensing.
• Proven business judgment, including the ability to distinguish material risk, manageable risk, and low-probability concerns.
• Experience building, upgrading, or restructuring compliance processes, controls, or teams.
• Experience managing outside counsel and legal budgets effectively.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain legal and regulatory issues clearly to non-lawyers.
• Strong leadership, prioritization, and change management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the compliance program and department.
• Provide practical legal and regulatory guidance.
• Own outside counsel strategy and legal spend.
• Manage regulatory, licensing, and examination activity.
• Strengthen policies, monitoring, training, and controls.
• Partner with executive leadership.

Skills

Legal leadership

Regulatory knowledge

Strong communication

Business judgment

Education

Juris Doctor

Job description

Chief Compliance and Legal Officer

The Chief Compliance and Legal Officer leads the company’s compliance and legal function and is responsible

for keeping the organization aligned with regulatory requirements while supporting practical business

execution. This role is expected to bring sound judgment, strong leadership, and a disciplined operating

approach. The right person will understand the company’s products, growth objectives, customer profile, risk

profile, and regulatory environment, then translate that understanding into clear guidance, efficient processes,

and a purposeful compliance department

Chief Compliance and Legal Officer Responsibilities:

• Lead the compliance program and department
• Provide practical legal and regulatory guidance
• Own outside counsel strategy and legal spend
• Manage regulatory, licensing, and examination activity
• Strengthen policies, monitoring, training, and controls
• Partner with executive leadership

Chief of Compliance and Legal Officer Requirements:

• Juris Doctor and active bar license.
• Significant legal and compliance leadership experience in consumer finance, lending, specialty finance, fintech, or another heavily regulated financial services environment.
• Demonstrated success leading legal and compliance functions, not just advising from the side.
• Strong working knowledge of consumer financial laws and regulations, including TILA, ECOA, UDAAP, FCRA, FDCPA, TCPA, servicing, collections, and state licensing.
• Proven business judgment, including the ability to distinguish material risk, manageable risk, and low-probability concerns that don't warrant overreaction.
• Experience building, upgrading, or restructuring compliance processes, controls, or teams.
• Experience managing outside counsel and legal budgets effectively.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain legal and regulatory issues clearly to non-lawyers.
• Strong leadership, prioritization, and change management skills.