Head of Compliance Operations and Financial Crimes

Sphere Digital Recruitment; United States; Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Sphere Labs is seeking an experienced Head of Compliance to build and lead our compliance program in a fast-paced, crypto-native environment. This hands-on leadership role partners with Product and Operations to design guardrails for new business lines and to embed compliance into day-to-day operations.

The ideal candidate has deep AML/KYC/KYB expertise, experience scaling a multi-region program, and the ability to mentor teams while writing clear SOPs and coordinating with Risk, Product, and

Qualifications

• Deep AML/KYC/KYB expertise and regulatory knowledge.
• Experience building or maturing a compliance program at scale.
• Ability to write clear, auditable SOPs and train teams.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration with Product, Ops, and Risk.

Responsibilities

• Build and mature the compliance program for Sphere Labs in a crypto-native environment.
• Write clear SOPs and embed guardrails for new business lines.
• Partner with Product and Operations to identify compliance requirements before launches.
• Oversee day-to-day compliance operations and regulatory obligations.
• Lead investigations and SAR filings; manage risk monitoring and escalations.
• Mentor and develop junior compliance staff.

Skills

AML/KYC/KYB

SOP writing

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Regulatory coordination

Risk awareness

Job description

Sphere Labs

The infrastructure moving the world's money today was built for another era: slow rails, walls between markets, and compliance layered in over time creating friction. Sphere Labs is building what comes next: modern, compliance-native infrastructure for cross-border payments and settlement, designed from the ground up to work for the businesses and regulated institutions it actually runs through. We work in active partnership with banks, licensed entities, and the regulators and jurisdictions shaping how global money moves, because the infrastructure that earns institutional trust has to be built alongside it.

Backed by Coinbase, Kraken, The Chernin Group, Jump Trading, Hudson River Trading, and some of the world's largest sovereign affiliates, we're a fully remote, global team building at the moment stablecoins are crossing into mainstream finance and regulated institutions are ready for modern rails. We hire self-starters: strong communicators and systematic thinkers who can look at a blank page and build something real. If you want a meaningful role in how global money movement evolves, and the upside that comes with getting in early, we'd like to meet you.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Head of Compliance to build, mature, and lead our compliance program in a fast-paced, crypto-native environment. This role will partner closely with the product and engineering teams in order to automate the existing program into a scalable, highly embedded into the day-to-day operations of the business. This is a hands-on leadership role: the ideal candidate is a decisive operator who can write SOPs, work cross-functionally with Product and Ops to design guardrails for new business lines, manage a compliance program at scale (including nested onboarding flows with integrator/partner relationships), and mentor others — all while combining deep AML/KYC/KYB expertise with a strong international regulatory background.

Key Responsibilities

• Program Build-Out & Maturity: Evaluate the existing compliance program, identify gaps in adoption and execution, and scale it into a program that is well-used, well-understood, and embedded across the business. This includes evaluating the risks associated with new geographic areas, and enhancing the existing program to account for those findings.

• SOP Development: Write clear, actionable Standard Operating Procedures that translate policy into repeatable, auditable day-to-day practice.

• Product & Ops Partnership on New Business Lines: Partner with Product and Operations to identify compliance requirements for new initiatives before they launch.

• Day-to-Day Compliance Operations: Own and manage the organization's daily compliance activities, ensuring consistent application of policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.

• Transaction Monitoring & Alert Disposition: Review, investigate, and disposition alerts generated by the transaction monitoring system (built and maintained by the Risk team), ensuring timely and well-documented decisions.

• Cross-Functional Partnership with Risk: Work closely and collaboratively with the Risk, Compliance, Product and Operations teams to align on system design, alert logic, thresholds, and escalation processes.

• Complaints Management: Support the handling of complaints filed with regulatory bodies, ensuring timely, accurate, and well-documented responses.

• Sales & Customer Onboarding Support: Partner with the Sales team on customer onboarding to ensure new relationships meet compliance and risk standards from day one.

• Law Enforcement Requests: Support law enforcement inquiries and requests, ensuring appropriate handling, documentation, and legal coordination.

• Investigations & SAR Filing: Lead internal investigations into suspicious activity and prepare and file Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) in accordance with regulatory requirements.

• Team Development: Train, mentor, and develop current and future junior compliance team members, building a strong bench of compliance talent.

Qualifications

• Proven experience building or significantly maturing a compliance program from the ground up, ideally within crypto, fintech, or financial services.
• Track record of meeting compliance SLAs and operating with strong, auditable rigor.
• Experience managing a compliance program at scale, including nested/multi-layer onboarding flows involving integrator or partner relationships
• Strong, hands-on knowledge of AML, KYC, and KYB frameworks and regulatory requirements.
• Direct experience with transaction monitoring systems and alert disposition/investigation processes.
• Demonstrated experience conducting investigations and filing SARs.
• Crypto-native — deep familiarity with digital assets, blockchain transactions, and the unique compliance challenges of the crypto industry.
• Highly decisive, with the judgment to make timely calls in ambiguous or high-stakes situations.
• Ability to write clear, effective SOPs and translate policy into practice.
• Excellent cross-functional collaboration skills, particularly with Risk, Product, Ops, and Sales teams.
• Excellent judgment, attention to detail, and ability to operate independently in a fast-moving environment.

$180,000 - $220,000 a year

Why Sphere?

We sit at the intersection of crypto infrastructure and regulated finance — at the moment those worlds are finally converging. That means:

The window is now: For the first time in decades, the backbone of cross-border payments is being rebuilt. Legacy systems are fading, stablecoins are entering institutional finance, and the next settlement layer is being shaped right now. We're building it alongside the institutions that will run it, not around them.

High ownership, no playbook: This is early-stage work. You’ll be making decisions, building processes from scratch, and setting the direction instead of just following one. We’re looking for people who don’t wait for instructions, but jump in and figure things out.

Adaptability is the job: Strategy pivots here aren't failures, they’re how we stay ahead of a fast-moving market and that’s our strength.

Real traction, real stakes: SpherePay is live and trusted by 200+ businesses. SphereNet is in active development with banks and regulators across 18 jurisdictions and counting. There’s real demand, real momentum, and a huge opportunity to shape what comes next.