Head of Risk & Compliance

Madison-Davis, LLC; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Madison-Davis, LLC, a rapidly expanding international payments company, is seeking an experienced Head of Risk & Compliance to lead its regulatory compliance function and support growth across domestic and international markets.

You will oversee compliance strategy, strengthen risk management practices, and partner with senior leadership to ensure regulatory requirements are effectively integrated into business operations.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in compliance, financial crimes, regulatory affairs, or risk management within banking, fintech, payments, or financial services.
• Strong working knowledge of US BSA/AML regulations, OFAC sanctions, and state money transmitter requirements.
• Experience managing compliance programs within a payments organization operating across multiple jurisdictions.
• Solid understanding of payment processing, cross-border transactions, digital wallets, virtual accounts, and emerging financial technologies.
• Demonstrated leadership experience overseeing compliance professionals and engaging with regulators.
• Experience developing risk-based frameworks, implementing controls, and managing regulatory obligations.
• Ability to communicate effectively with senior executives and influence business decisions.
• Strong analytical judgment, organizational skills, and ability to manage competing priorities in a high-growth environment.
• Interest in applying automation, AI, and modern compliance technologies to improve efficiency and scalability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of company-wide compliance policies, governance structures, and risk management programs.
• Oversee adherence to US federal and state regulations, including BSA/AML, OFAC, FinCEN, consumer protection requirements, and money transmitter licensing obligations.
• Coordinate compliance activities across international operations, ensuring alignment with applicable local regulations and global regulatory standards.
• Provide oversight of financial crime controls, including KYC, customer due diligence, transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, suspicious activity reporting, and fraud prevention.
• Manage regulatory examinations, audits, reporting obligations, and relationships with supervisory authorities, financial institutions, and payment partners.
• Conduct compliance risk assessments, identify control weaknesses, and implement improvements to strengthen operational effectiveness.
• Advise executive leadership on regulatory developments, product launches, geographic expansion, and emerging compliance risks.
• Partner with Legal, Product, Operations, Risk, and local compliance teams to incorporate regulatory requirements into business initiatives.
• Oversee compliance education, internal reporting, and initiatives that promote accountability throughout the organization.
• Identify opportunities to utilize technology, automation, and AI to improve compliance processes and support business growth.

Skills

US regulatory expertise

Regulatory leadership

Financial crime compliance

Cross-functional collaboration

Regulatory examinations

Automation in compliance

Job description

A rapidly expanding international payments company is seeking an experienced Head of Risk & Compliance to lead its regulatory compliance function and support continued growth across domestic and international markets.

This individual will oversee compliance strategy, strengthen risk management practices, and partner with senior leadership to ensure regulatory requirements are effectively integrated into business operations. The ideal candidate combines deep US regulatory expertise with hands-on experience in payments, financial crime compliance, and building scalable programs within a fast-moving environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of company-wide compliance policies, governance structures, and risk management programs.
• Oversee adherence to US federal and state regulations, including BSA/AML, OFAC, FinCEN, consumer protection requirements, and money transmitter licensing obligations.
• Coordinate compliance activities across international operations, ensuring alignment with applicable local regulations and global regulatory standards.
• Provide oversight of financial crime controls, including KYC, customer due diligence, transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, suspicious activity reporting, and fraud prevention.
• Manage regulatory examinations, audits, reporting obligations, and relationships with supervisory authorities, financial institutions, and payment partners.
• Conduct compliance risk assessments, identify control weaknesses, and implement improvements to strengthen operational effectiveness.
• Advise executive leadership on regulatory developments, product launches, geographic expansion, and emerging compliance risks.
• Partner with Legal, Product, Operations, Risk, and local compliance teams to incorporate regulatory requirements into business initiatives.
• Oversee compliance education, internal reporting, and initiatives that promote accountability throughout the organization.
• Identify opportunities to utilize technology, automation, and AI to improve compliance processes and support business growth.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in compliance, financial crimes, regulatory affairs, or risk management within banking, fintech, payments, or financial services.
• Strong working knowledge of US BSA/AML regulations, OFAC sanctions, and state money transmitter requirements.
• Experience managing compliance programs within a payments organization operating across multiple jurisdictions.
• Solid understanding of payment processing, cross-border transactions, digital wallets, virtual accounts, and emerging financial technologies.
• Demonstrated leadership experience overseeing compliance professionals and engaging with regulators.
• Experience developing risk-based frameworks, implementing controls, and managing regulatory obligations.
• Ability to communicate effectively with senior executives and influence business decisions.
• Strong analytical judgment, organizational skills, and ability to manage competing priorities in a high-growth environment.
• Interest in applying automation, AI, and modern compliance technologies to improve efficiency and scalability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.