Compliance Director - High-Risk

About Finix

You Will:

• Serve as the primary compliance partner to Sales, Partnerships, and Underwriting, giving fast, practical, well-documented guidance on prospects and deals
• Lead compliance strategy for our gaming and gambling vertical, including iGaming, sports wagering, sweepstakes, and predictive markets, with state-by-state and provincial regulatory analysis, licensing and registration requirements, and merchant and vendor eligibility standards 
• Develop and maintain underwriting standards, risk-tiering, approval gates, and escalation paths for high-risk sectors suc as nutraceuticals, wellness, CBD, and digital products and services, so that low-risk applicants move quickly and higher-risk applicants receive appropriate scrutiny
• Lead compliance evaluation of new sectors, business models, and structures (e.g., ISV, marketplace, and merchant-of-record models), performing market and regulatory research and setting minimum requirements before launch
• Write and maintain procedures, onboarding guides, and underwriting playbooks for high-risk and restricted verticals
• Translate laws, card network rules, and sponsor bank requirements into clear guidance for Product, Sales, Technology, and Operations teams
• Work closely with Payment Operations, including Underwriting and Partnerships, to streamline onboarding workflows and remove bottlenecks without weakening controls
• Guide and develop the Compliance Operations team through coaching, review of work product, and clear standards for quality and documentation
• Support sponsor bank and network relationships on onboarding and sector-related matters, including approvals, due diligence requests, and program reviews
• Support the AML/BSA, sanctions, and fraud programs from the business side, including KYC/KYB standards and escalation of risk signals from onboarding and monitoring
• Contribute to audit and regulatory exam readiness, policy and procedure updates, and remediation of findings tied to onboarding and merchant risk
• Monitor regulatory and network rule changes (US, Canada, state and provincial) that affect target sectors and update guidance accordingly, working with external counsel where appropriate
• Prepare clear, decision-ready summaries for senior management, sponsor banks, and partners

You Have:

• 7+ years of experience in compliance, risk, or regulatory roles within payments, fintech, banking, or similar regulated environments
• Hands-on experience with merchant underwriting and onboarding, including KYC/KYB and risk-based approval frameworks
• Experience with high-risk merchant verticals such as gaming and gambling, nutraceuticals, CBD, or similar, and with the card network and sponsor bank requirements that apply to them
• Proven ability to interpret regulatory and card network requirements and apply them to real merchants, products, and business models
• Strong understanding of risk management and controls, and of sponsor bank oversight expectations
• Experience working directly with sales, business development, or product teams on deals and new market entry
• Experience drafting policies, procedures, and guides that business teams actually use
• Experience leading complex, cross-functional work with multiple dependencies and senior stakeholders
• Exceptional written and verbal communication, with the ability to turn ambiguity into clear plans, trade-offs, and decisions
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (or Google equivalents)

You Are:

• Business-minded and solutions-oriented: you find the compliant path to yes and are clear and firm when the answer must be no
• Comfortable with ambiguity: you operate effectively in new sectors where the rules are unsettled
• Proactive: you don't wait to be asked; you identify what needs to happen and make it happen
• Detail-oriented: you catch the small things others miss because you know they matter
• Collaborative: you build relationships easily and know great compliance work requires cross-functional partnership
• A natural coach: you raise the quality of the people and teams around you without needing a title over them

Nice to Have:

• Juris Doctor or law degree, with bar admission in good standing
• Experience with gaming and gambling regulation, including state licensing, vendor registration, and eSweepstakes or similar emerging frameworks
• Familiarity with U.S. frameworks (FinCEN, state money transmission, CCPA) and Canadian frameworks (FINTRAC, RPAA, PIPEDA, Quebec Law 25)
• Experience with payment networks (Visa, Mastercard, Interac, Discover) and sponsor banks
• Knowledge of the fintech-bank partnership model and bank third-party risk expectations
• Experience at a card network, processor, acquirer, or sponsor bank
• Certifications such as CAMS or CFE
• Prior experience supporting a BSA Officer, CAMLO, or compliance leadership