Compliance Manager, Institutional & Markets

Location

United Kingdom; Cyprus; Ireland; Portugal

Employment Type

Full time

Location Type

Remote

Department

Compliance

Building the Future of Crypto

Our Krakenites are a world class team with crypto conviction, united by our desire to discover and unlock the potential of crypto and blockchain technology.

What makes us different?

Kraken is a mission focused company rooted in crypto values. As a Krakenite, you'll join us on our mission to accelerate the global adoption of crypto, so that everyone can achieve financial freedom and inclusion. For over a decade, Kraken's focus on our mission and crypto ethos has attracted many of the most talented crypto experts in the world.

The team

Payward is one of the world's longest standing and most trusted cryptocurrency exchanges. We're on a mission to accelerate the adoption of cryptocurrency so that you and the rest of the world can achieve financial freedom and inclusion. Our team is globally distributed, deeply technical, and genuinely committed to building the infrastructure the next financial system runs on.

Payward's business spans exchange, custody, derivatives, and tokenised assets across multiple regulated entities and jurisdictions. Our institutional and markets infrastructure includes a JFSC licensed entity in Jersey and a leading tokenised equities platform operating across multiple international frameworks.

The opportunity

This role sits at the institutional and markets end of Payward's compliance function. You'll own the compliance programme for a defined cluster of regulated activities covering obligations under the Financial Services (Jersey) Law 1998 and the Control of Borrowing (Jersey) Order, alongside tokenised asset issuance. The role is thematic in nature: as Payward's regulated footprint evolves, so will the specific entities and activities in scope - what stays constant is the subject matter expertise and the quality of compliance coverage.

Tokenised Assets Compliance

• Work with Group Compliance to evolve the compliance framework supporting Payward's tokenised asset and issuance activities, focusing on institutional grade structures and distribution models.
• Oversee and control all AML and compliance activities, including developing and deploying policies and procedures, client onboarding and supervision, transaction monitoring, AML risk mitigation, adverse event reporting, etc.
• Support onboarding and oversight of institutional distribution partners (e.g., exchanges, brokers, platforms), ensuring due diligence, KYC/AML expectations and contractual frameworks align with risk profiles.
• Monitor regulatory developments in tokenised securities and real world assets across relevant jurisdictions, with the JFSC as primary supervisory relationship, alongside FCA and international equivalents.
• Advise on product design and structuring, leveraging experience from traditional financial instruments such as structured products, ETFs, ADRs, and other securitised exposures, ensuring tokenisation models reflect underlying asset characteristics, investor rights, and distribution mechanics while aligning with regulatory frameworks.
• Provide compliance input across the full product lifecycle-from structuring and issuance to secondary market trading and ongoing disclosures-ensuring controls around transparency, investor eligibility, and market integrity. Work closely with product, legal, and institutional teams to assess regulatory perimeter risks and jurisdictional constraints early in the design phase.

Institutional Business Advisory

• Provide first line compliance support to Payward's institutional and markets facing teams: covering new products, business development activity, institutional counterparty due diligence, and financial promotions in a non retail context.
• Identify regulatory perimeter questions early and work through them with legal and product before they become blockers.

Governance & Reporting

• Prepare compliance MI and reporting for board committees and the Jersey Board, including materials required by the JFSC.
• Maintain policies, procedures, and controls documentation across the institutional and markets perimeter, aligned to group level frameworks.
• Contribute to cross functional workstreams where trading venue or tokenised asset expertise is required.

Skills you should HODL

• Solid working knowledge of Jersey financial services law: the Financial Services (Jersey) Law 1998, the Control of Borrowing (Jersey) Order, and the JFSC's regulatory framework for investment business and virtual asset service providers.
• Familiarity with the JFSC's approach to tokenised asset regulation, including how it interacts with the VASP registration regime and the wider virtual assets framework, or a demonstrated ability to get up to speed quickly on an evolving regulatory landscape.
• Experience running or contributing to a compliance programme in a regulated financial services business, ideally with institutional or wholesale markets exposure.
• Comfort with multi jurisdictional complexity: this role spans regulatory frameworks and you'll need to hold the full picture without losing precision on any individual regime.
• Ability to work with genuine ambiguity - products in this space are often ahead of the regulatory framework, and you'll need to make sound judgements without a ready made playbook.
• Strong written communication: committee papers, regulatory correspondence, and policy documentation to a high standard.
• Self directed, with clear escalation judgement - this is a lean team with high standards.

Nice to haves

• Direct experience with tokenised securities, RWA issuance, or structured digital asset products.
• Prior experience engaging directly with the JFSC, including responding to supervisory requests, participating in regulatory consultations, or managing onsite reviews.
• Exposure to MiCA, UK MiFID, or other trading venue regulatory frameworks relevant to cross border institutional business.
• Experience supporting multi jurisdictional regulatory engagement or contributing to regulatory consultations.

Equal Opportunity Statement

We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment on our team, assessing candidates in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

As an equal opportunity employer, we don't tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind. Whether that's based on race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, citizenship, religion, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state or local laws.

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