The client is seeking a Lead Compliance & Risk professional to provide European regulatory leadership for a crypto and DeFi-focused business. The role will lead the development and implementation of the firm’s compliance framework across the EU/EEA, interpret and operationalize European crypto regulations including MiCA, and oversee licensing, registration, and passporting strategies within the EU. The position serves as the primary point of contact with European regulators and national competent authorities.
You will oversee financial crime compliance, including AML/CFT, KYC, sanctions screening, and transaction monitoring programs, and conduct enterprise-wide risk assessments with a focus on European exposure and cross-border risks. The role also includes establishing and maintaining robust compliance governance structures across European entities, contributing to senior management by updating leadership on regulatory risks in the European landscape, and leading regulatory audits, inspections, and inquiries across European jurisdictions.
Working closely with product and legal teams, you will support compliance-by-design for EU market offerings and assess regulatory implications of new crypto products within Europe to enable strategic expansion. You will build and lead a distributed compliance team across Europe and promote a culture of compliance and regulatory awareness. The successful applicant is expected to bring 10+ years of compliance, legal, or regulatory experience in traditional financial services with more recent focus on financial technology/crypto, deep expertise in European regulatory frameworks (including MiCA and AML directives), strong knowledge of blockchain and digital asset ecosystems (ideally DeFi), and demonstrated leadership in scaling compliance functions and managing cross-border compliance programs, with prior banking/TradFi experience.