Director, Consumer Compliance

Bakkt; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-friendly culture

Competitive benefits

Equity

Growth opportunities

Job summary

Bakkt is seeking a Director of Consumer & Regulatory Compliance to lead the 2LoD for neobanking-as-a-service products in the US, manage sponsor-bank governance, and align regulatory strategies across digital assets and traditional fiat services. You will scope risk, oversee payments and fraud controls, and partner with product, engineering, and operations to embed compliance-by-design.

This role requires deep knowledge of UDAAP, Reg E, Reg Z, NACHA rules, and cross-border considerations, with a

Qualifications

• 5+ years of compliance or legal experience within a fintech, challenger bank, or sponsor-bank program.
• Strong operational knowledge of US consumer banking regulations (UDAAP, Reg E, Reg Z).
• Deep understanding of payment operations, network rules (NACHA, Visa/Mastercard), and modern fraud typologies with mitigation tools.
• Proven experience conducting operational and enterprise risk assessments within a complex fintech or digital assets environment.
• Proven experience establishing or managing governance programs with partner/sponsor banks.
• Practical experience operating within a Three Lines of Defense risk management framework.
• Knowledge of digital assets compliance, brokerage environments, or European regulations (MiCA and GDPR) is a plus.
• Superb communication skills to partner with product, engineering, marketing, and operations teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Rollout: Own the compliance strategy and execution for the rollout of Bakkt's neobanking-as-a-service initiatives.
• Regulatory Oversight: Manage compliance policies and oversight for US consumer regulations, including UDAAP, Regulation E, and Regulation Z.
• Marketing & Advertising Reviews: Conduct comprehensive compliance reviews and approvals of marketing collateral, advertising, and user-facing communications.
• Sponsor Bank Governance: Serve as the primary compliance interface and manage governance frameworks and relation management.
• Second Line of Defense Oversight: Monitor and evaluate First Line of Defense operations to identify gaps, conduct risk assessments, and advise on process improvements.
• Quality Control (QC): Independently test 1LoD processes, including KYC onboarding, fraud alert clearing, Reg E, etc.
• Payments Risk Oversight: Manage and mitigate risks with payment rails (ACH, Wires, Cards), monitor returns, chargebacks, and NACHA/card rules.
• Fraud Strategy & Prevention: Provide 2LoD oversight of fraud prevention strategies to minimize losses and protect consumers.
• Comprehensive Risk Assessments: Lead enterprise, operational, and product risk assessments with KRIs and mitigations.
• Digital Asset & Brokerage Collaboration: Align regulatory approaches with digital assets and brokerage teams.
• European Regulatory Alignment (Plus): Support assessment of MiCA and GDPR requirements for global expansion.

Skills

Regulatory compliance strategy

Fraud risk management

Payments risk oversight

Risk assessments

Partner bank governance

Three Lines of Defense

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Powering the next generation of global finance

About Us

Bakkt (NYSE: BKKT) is a regulated financial technology company building a financial operating system for the AI and token economy.

Through Bakkt Markets, Bakkt Agent and Bakkt Global, the Company operates regulated infrastructure for trading, stablecoin settlement and cross-border payments; intelligence and distribution capabilities for financial products; and strategic access to differentiated assets and global markets. Bakkt serves financial institutions, fintechs and consumer brands seeking to deliver trusted financial services at scale.

The Opportunity

As the Director of Consumer & Regulatory Compliance, you will join our Second Line of Defense (2LoD) to build, oversee, and scale the compliance framework for our neobanking as a service rollout. Reporting directly to the Chief Compliance Officer, you will own the regulatory compliance strategy for our neobanking-as-a-service products, manage partner bank governance, and support our digital asset and brokerage operations.

Additionally, you will be instrumental in designing and overseeing our risk management and fraud prevention frameworks, ensuring safe, secure, and compliant payment operations across the platform. This is a high-impact, cross-functional role requiring deep expertise in US consumer protection regulations, partner bank relationships, and a forward-looking mindset to help scale our fintech and digital asset ecosystems domestically and globally.

What You'll Do

Neobanking-as-a-Service Compliance

• Lead the Rollout: Own the compliance strategy and execution for the rollout of Bakkt's neobanking-as-a-service initiatives.
• Regulatory Oversight: Manage compliance policies and oversight for US consumer regulations, including UDAAP, Regulation E, and Regulation Z.
• Marketing & Advertising Reviews: Conduct comprehensive compliance reviews and approvals of marketing collateral, advertising, and user-facing communications.

Partner Bank & Ecosystem Governance

• Sponsor Bank Governance: Serve as the primary compliance interface and manage robust partner bank governance frameworks and relationship management.
• Second Line of Defense Oversight: Monitor and evaluate First Line of Defense operations (such as onboarding, customer service, and fraud operations) to identify gaps, conduct risk assessments, and advise on process improvements.
• Quality Control (QC): Independently test 1LoD processes, including KYC onboarding, fraud alert clearing, Reg E, etc.
• Payments Risk Oversight: Manage and mitigate risks associated with multiple payment rails (ACH, Wires, Cards), monitoring return rates, chargebacks, and ensuring strict adherence to NACHA and card network rules.
• Fraud Strategy & Prevention: Provide 2LoD oversight of fraud prevention strategies, addressing Account Takeover (ATO), synthetic identity fraud, and transactional fraud to minimize financial losses and protect consumers.
• Comprehensive Risk Assessments: Lead periodic enterprise, operational, and product risk assessments, defining risk tolerances, key risk indicators (KRIs), and mitigation plans for the consumer banking ecosystem.
• Digital Asset & Brokerage Collaboration: Partner closely with Financial Crimes Compliance, Licensing, and Brokerage teams to align regulatory approaches across digital assets and traditional fiat services.
• European Regulatory Alignment (Plus): Support the assessment of European consumer banking compliance requirements and design pathways to align with MiCA Conduct of Business and Investor Protection rules.

What You'll Need

• Experience: 5+ years of compliance or legal experience within a fintech, challenger bank, or a sponsor-bank program.
• Regulatory Expertise: Strong operational knowledge of US consumer banking regulations (specifically UDAAP, Reg E, and Reg Z).
• Fraud & Payments Risk Acumen: Deep understanding of payment operations, network rules (e.g., NACHA, Visa/Mastercard), and modern fraud typologies alongside mitigation tools.
• Risk Frameworks: Proven experience conducting operational and enterprise risk assessments within a complex fintech or digital assets environment.
• Partner Bank Relations: Proven experience establishing or managing governance programs with partner/sponsor banks.
• Three Lines of Defense Familiarity: Practical experience operating within a formalized Three Lines of Defense risk management framework.
• EU & Digital Asset Knowledge (Preferred): Knowledge of digital assets compliance, brokerage environments, or European regulations (such as MiCA and GDPR) is a significant plus to support our global expansion.
• Collaborative Mindset: Superb communication skills and the ability to partner effectively with product, engineering, marketing, and operations teams to build compliance-by-design.

Why Bakkt?

• Shaping the Future: Bakkt is a regulated financial technology company building a financial operating system for the AI and token economy.
• Impact: You will have a direct hand in building a global payments and digital asset ecosystem from the ground up.
• Inclusivity and Flexibility: We support a highly collaborative, remote-friendly culture with competitive benefits, equity, and growth opportunities.

Bakkt is devoted to having diversity in its workforce and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Bakkt does not make any employment decisions based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, veteran status, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law. Must successfully pass a post-offer background check and drug screen.

California Candidate Privacy Notice

Before submitting your application, please review Bakkt's California Candidate Privacy Notice and Notice at Collection, which explains how Bakkt collects, uses, retains, and discloses applicant and candidate personal information during the recruiting process. The notice is available here: https://bakkt.com/candidate-privacy/