Head of Compliance — Sphere

The Bitcoin Street Journal; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Sphere Labs seeks an experienced Head of Compliance to build, mature, and lead our global compliance program in a fast-paced crypto-native environment. This role partners closely with Product and Engineering to automate and embed compliance into day-to-day operations, with a focus on onboarding, investigations, and regulator coordination.

The ideal candidate brings deep AML/KYC/KYB knowledge, a track record of scalable program leadership, and the ability to write clear SOPs while mentoring

Qualifications

• Proven experience building or maturing a compliance program in crypto/fintech.
• Track record meeting compliance SLAs with auditable rigor.
• Experience managing program at scale with multi-layer onboarding with partners.
• Strong AML/KYC/KYB frameworks knowledge.
• Experience with transaction monitoring and alert disposition processes.

Responsibilities

• Build, mature and lead the compliance program across the business.
• Develop clear SOPs translating policy into repeatable practice.
• Partner with Product & Ops to define compliance for new initiatives.
• Own day-to-day compliance operations and regulatory requirements.
• Manage transaction monitoring alerts and investigations with the Risk team.
• Collaborate with Risk, Product, Ops and Sales on system design and processes.
• Support complaints handling with regulators and onboarding.
• Assist law enforcement inquiries and SAR filings.
• Mentor junior team members and develop compliance talent.

Skills

AML/KYC/KYB

Leadership

SOP writing

Cross-functional collaboration

Crypto-native

Tools

Transaction monitoring systems

Regulatory reporting tools

Job description

• Company: Sphere
• Location: United States
• Sector: Blockchain
• Source: web3.career

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.

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.

180000 – 220000 USD a year