Head of Financial Crimes Compliance
Latitude, New York, NY, United States
Latitude is an early‑stage payments fintech building modern infrastructure for global money movement. We help businesses move value instantly, securely, and with full compliance—leveraging blockchain rails while delivering a seamless, enterprise‑grade experience.
Our team has built and scaled payments and financial infrastructure at Uber, Coinbase, Stripe, Amazon, and Facebook—bringing deep experience across fintech, marketplaces, and global‑scale systems. In January 2025, we raised an $8M seed round led by NEA, with participation from Lightspeed Faction, Coinbase Ventures, Paxos, Bitso, Solana Ventures, and others.
The Role
We’re hiring our first Head of Financial Crimes Compliance (FCC) to architect, operationalize, and lead our compliance strategy across BSA/AML, sanctions, licensing, and financial crime‑related risk. Reporting to the General Counsel, this is a senior role for a seasoned leader who can roll up their sleeves and design the program, set policy, manage regulatory engagement, and build processes and tooling while we scale.
This role will also serve as the firm’s board‑appointed BSA Officer, with full accountability for compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and related regulatory obligations. The role will also dual‑hat as the firm’s OFAC Sanctions Compliance Officer, responsible for administering the firm’s Sanctions Compliance Program. Where fraud serves as a predicate offense for FCC‑related risks, the Head of FCC will also be responsible for factoring in fraud and payments‑related risk into the broader FCC control framework.
Program Ownership and Strategy
Design, implement, and continuously improve a risk‑based BSA/AML and Sanctions Compliance Program (policies, standards, procedures, governance, testing, training).
Maintain an FCC program implementation plan to support timely program enablement.
Conduct the annual FCC‑risk assessment covering BSA/AML and Sanctions.
Serve as the firm’s board‑appointed BSA and Sanctions Compliance Officer, responsible for program oversight, reporting, and annual filings/certifications.
Establish FCC risk appetite standards and metrics in alignment with enterprise risk management (ERM) standards and board oversight.
Define FCC KRIs and KPIs and reporting cadence for executive leadership and the Board.
Partner with Product, Engineering, and Operations teams on FCC‑related tooling requirements to support process excellence.
Governance and Reporting
Chair internal compliance committee; deliver board‑level reporting on program health, key risks, issues, testing results, and remediation status.
Coordinate with Legal, Risk, InfoSec, and Finance on cross‑functional matters impacting FCC‑related risks.
Own KYC/KYB, CDD/EDD, transaction monitoring, case management, SAR/STR processes, OFAC screening, list management, and reporting requirements.
Stand up cross‑border controls (jurisdictional risk mapping, licensure checks, VASP/PSP counterparty risk, and Travel Rule requirements as applicable).
Regulatory and Financial Partner Engagement, Program Management, and Reporting
Serve as the primary contact for regulators, auditors, and bank partners on FCC‑related matters.
Coordinate exams, audits, independent testing, compliance monitoring and testing, and model validation related to the FCC program.
Lead regulatory remediation and corrective action plans (CAPs) for FCC‑related matters, tracking commitments and outcomes to closure and providing periodic reporting to senior management and the Board.
Partnerships and Licensing
Structure and manage bank and non‑bank financial institution FCC‑related controls and partnerships, including program governance, adherence to SLAs, reporting, FCC‑related support for bank/financial partner periodic review and onboarding, and change management.
Support licensing strategy, including MSB registration, MTL roadmap, evaluation and management of FX/crypto‑specific requirements and passporting implications, in partnership with Legal, Ops, and outside counsel.
Operations and Process Enablement
Build and mentor a lean compliance team responsible for day‑to‑day program execution.
Select and administer vendor ecosystem (KYB/KYC/IDV, sanctions screening, blockchain analytics, transaction monitoring, case management, AI process optimization) to support effective and scalable program execution (with a bias for process automation and operational efficiency over headcount).
Embed compliance‑by‑design across product, engineering, and go‑to‑market; run impact assessments for new features and geographies.
What We're Looking For
Required
8–10 years of progressive experience in BSA/AML and sanctions compliance, with in‑house leadership at a payments and/or crypto company (or equivalent).
Demonstrated expertise in cross‑border payments (e.g., corridors, fiat/crypto touchpoints, correspondent banking, remittance).
Proven track record in regulatory remediation and/or greenfield program development (policies, controls, governance, testing).
Experience managing bank/financial partner relationships (program oversight, reporting, exams, reporting, periodic reviews).
Deep knowledge of applicable U.S. and international requirements (e.g., BSA, OFAC, FATF, travel rule regimes, licensing frameworks).
Hands‑on building experience, ability to set strategy and execute, and to thrive in a high‑speed, start‑up environment.
Preferred
Exposure to blockchain analytics tools (e.g., Chainalysis, TRM, Elliptic) and payment (fraud) risk platforms.
Experience with MSB/MTL licensing, e‑money regulations, PSPs, VASP frameworks, and cross‑jurisdictional compliance.
Experience with FCC model risk governance (alerting thresholds, segmentation, tuning, back‑testing) and data quality controls.
Prior board and regulatory reporting experience and comfort with external counsel coordination.
Compensation
The base salary range for this role is $185,000 – $245,000, commensurate with experience.
At Latitude, we believe success starts with our people - healthy, inspired, and empowered to live fully both in and outside of work.
We support your:
Health and well‑being: comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance with generous company contribution
Financial future: meaningful equity in an early‑stage, high‑growth company, and a 401(k) for retirement savings
Time and flexibility: unlimited PTO, 10 federal holidays, and a flexible working model so you can do your best work from wherever you thrive
Latitude is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.
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Our team has built and scaled payments and financial infrastructure at Uber, Coinbase, Stripe, Amazon, and Facebook—bringing deep experience across fintech, marketplaces, and global‑scale systems. In January 2025, we raised an $8M seed round led by NEA, with participation from Lightspeed Faction, Coinbase Ventures, Paxos, Bitso, Solana Ventures, and others.
The Role
We’re hiring our first Head of Financial Crimes Compliance (FCC) to architect, operationalize, and lead our compliance strategy across BSA/AML, sanctions, licensing, and financial crime‑related risk. Reporting to the General Counsel, this is a senior role for a seasoned leader who can roll up their sleeves and design the program, set policy, manage regulatory engagement, and build processes and tooling while we scale.
This role will also serve as the firm’s board‑appointed BSA Officer, with full accountability for compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and related regulatory obligations. The role will also dual‑hat as the firm’s OFAC Sanctions Compliance Officer, responsible for administering the firm’s Sanctions Compliance Program. Where fraud serves as a predicate offense for FCC‑related risks, the Head of FCC will also be responsible for factoring in fraud and payments‑related risk into the broader FCC control framework.
Program Ownership and Strategy
Design, implement, and continuously improve a risk‑based BSA/AML and Sanctions Compliance Program (policies, standards, procedures, governance, testing, training).
Maintain an FCC program implementation plan to support timely program enablement.
Conduct the annual FCC‑risk assessment covering BSA/AML and Sanctions.
Serve as the firm’s board‑appointed BSA and Sanctions Compliance Officer, responsible for program oversight, reporting, and annual filings/certifications.
Establish FCC risk appetite standards and metrics in alignment with enterprise risk management (ERM) standards and board oversight.
Define FCC KRIs and KPIs and reporting cadence for executive leadership and the Board.
Partner with Product, Engineering, and Operations teams on FCC‑related tooling requirements to support process excellence.
Governance and Reporting
Chair internal compliance committee; deliver board‑level reporting on program health, key risks, issues, testing results, and remediation status.
Coordinate with Legal, Risk, InfoSec, and Finance on cross‑functional matters impacting FCC‑related risks.
Own KYC/KYB, CDD/EDD, transaction monitoring, case management, SAR/STR processes, OFAC screening, list management, and reporting requirements.
Stand up cross‑border controls (jurisdictional risk mapping, licensure checks, VASP/PSP counterparty risk, and Travel Rule requirements as applicable).
Regulatory and Financial Partner Engagement, Program Management, and Reporting
Serve as the primary contact for regulators, auditors, and bank partners on FCC‑related matters.
Coordinate exams, audits, independent testing, compliance monitoring and testing, and model validation related to the FCC program.
Lead regulatory remediation and corrective action plans (CAPs) for FCC‑related matters, tracking commitments and outcomes to closure and providing periodic reporting to senior management and the Board.
Partnerships and Licensing
Structure and manage bank and non‑bank financial institution FCC‑related controls and partnerships, including program governance, adherence to SLAs, reporting, FCC‑related support for bank/financial partner periodic review and onboarding, and change management.
Support licensing strategy, including MSB registration, MTL roadmap, evaluation and management of FX/crypto‑specific requirements and passporting implications, in partnership with Legal, Ops, and outside counsel.
Operations and Process Enablement
Build and mentor a lean compliance team responsible for day‑to‑day program execution.
Select and administer vendor ecosystem (KYB/KYC/IDV, sanctions screening, blockchain analytics, transaction monitoring, case management, AI process optimization) to support effective and scalable program execution (with a bias for process automation and operational efficiency over headcount).
Embed compliance‑by‑design across product, engineering, and go‑to‑market; run impact assessments for new features and geographies.
What We're Looking For
Required
8–10 years of progressive experience in BSA/AML and sanctions compliance, with in‑house leadership at a payments and/or crypto company (or equivalent).
Demonstrated expertise in cross‑border payments (e.g., corridors, fiat/crypto touchpoints, correspondent banking, remittance).
Proven track record in regulatory remediation and/or greenfield program development (policies, controls, governance, testing).
Experience managing bank/financial partner relationships (program oversight, reporting, exams, reporting, periodic reviews).
Deep knowledge of applicable U.S. and international requirements (e.g., BSA, OFAC, FATF, travel rule regimes, licensing frameworks).
Hands‑on building experience, ability to set strategy and execute, and to thrive in a high‑speed, start‑up environment.
Preferred
Exposure to blockchain analytics tools (e.g., Chainalysis, TRM, Elliptic) and payment (fraud) risk platforms.
Experience with MSB/MTL licensing, e‑money regulations, PSPs, VASP frameworks, and cross‑jurisdictional compliance.
Experience with FCC model risk governance (alerting thresholds, segmentation, tuning, back‑testing) and data quality controls.
Prior board and regulatory reporting experience and comfort with external counsel coordination.
Compensation
The base salary range for this role is $185,000 – $245,000, commensurate with experience.
At Latitude, we believe success starts with our people - healthy, inspired, and empowered to live fully both in and outside of work.
We support your:
Health and well‑being: comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance with generous company contribution
Financial future: meaningful equity in an early‑stage, high‑growth company, and a 401(k) for retirement savings
Time and flexibility: unlimited PTO, 10 federal holidays, and a flexible working model so you can do your best work from wherever you thrive
Latitude is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.
#J-18808-Ljbffr