Head of Global Capital Markets Compliance

Kraken

1d•Remote

About The Position

Payward is seeking a Head of Global Capital Markets Compliance to lead the governance, oversight, and integrity of trading and market activities across its global exchange, broker, and capital markets operations spanning securities and crypto markets. The position offers the opportunity to shape the evolution of global digital asset market structure and capital markets infrastructure within a rapidly developing regulatory landscape. The role reports to the Global Chief Compliance Officer, with responsibility for providing clear oversight, escalation, and subject matter leadership across trading and market integrity globally. This role has primary responsibility for regulated entities and trading venue obligations, while operating with a global remit across the U.S., EU, Asia, LATAM, Canada, emerging markets, and other international jurisdictions. You will act as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to senior leadership, playing an integral role in shaping Payward’s global trading, market structure, and capital markets strategy. This is a senior, accountable second-line leadership role, responsible for ensuring robust regulatory alignment while enabling business growth and expansion. This person will ensure the capital markets compliance program remains risk-based, scalable, and defensible across all jurisdictions in which Payward operates. The position works closely with Regional Compliance Officers, Legal, product and engineering teams, and operational stakeholders to ensure frameworks are operationally executable and aligned with evolving regulatory expectations. The right person must be a “systems thinker” who deploys technology solutions including automation of everything possible consistent with regulatory requirements to scale the capital markets Compliance program as a risk based, operationally effective, data driven machine. This is suited to a high-caliber compliance leader with deep expertise in market structure and trading regulation, capable of operating at the intersection of regulation, product, and global business strategy in a fast moving environment.

Requirements

10+ years in markets, trading, or capital markets compliance
Senior leadership roles within exchanges, broker-dealers, or trading platforms
Deep expertise in MiCA, MiFID II / MAR, FCA trading venue / MTF frameworks
Strong working knowledge of SEC / CFTC / NFA & global regulatory environments across APAC, Middle East, and emerging markets
Strong understanding of order book dynamics, trading mechanics, market microstructure, capital markets lifecycle (including listings), information barriers to manage price sensitive information
Familiarity with surveillance technologies and data-driven monitoring frameworks
Proven ability to lead global compliance programs
Ability to operate as a senior advisor and influence executive stakeholders
Experience managing complex, multi-jurisdictional regulatory environments
Strong background in: Trading venues/market infrastructure Market structure Market abuse frameworks Conflicts management Information barriers to manage material nonpublic information

Responsibilities

Lead the design and integration of a firmwide markets compliance framework, developing and maintaining a comprehensive understanding of the firm’s evolving capital markets ecosystem, including the interdependencies between trading venues, liquidity provision, custody, and listings, and ensuring a consistent, auditable approach to market structure, conflicts of interest, and market integrity across products, entities, and jurisdictions.
Own compliance coverage across global capital markets activities, including: Trading venues and exchange operations Broker and OTC trading OTC Derivatives Spot markets (digital assets and securities) Tokenization and digital securities Listings and issuer-related processes
Provide strategic oversight of market structure, trading conduct, and capital markets frameworks
Act as compliance lead supporting trading venue development, including alignment with FCA expectations for MTFs and similar market infrastructures
Lead and develop a global Markets Compliance team, providing direction, oversight, and prioritization across regional and functional coverage
Partner closely with Enterprise Risk and Market Risk functions to ensure integrated oversight of market, liquidity, and conduct risks across the firm.
Act as a trusted advisor to leadership on trading, market structure, and capital markets strategy
Provide commercially aligned guidance to support product innovation and global expansion
Play a key role in business structuring decisions, including entity design, operating models, and jurisdictional expansion
Ensure regulatory considerations are embedded in strategic planning, product development, and market expansion
Lead and oversee entity-level compliance frameworks across regulated entities
Ensure appropriate governance, escalation, and control frameworks for trading and market conduct
Provide independent second-line challenge to trading and capital markets activities
Manage regulators including CBI, FCA, SEC, CFTC, and other global authorities
Ensure appropriate compliance resourcing and expertise supporting regulated activities
Oversee market abuse and trading conduct risk global frameworks including: Market manipulation Insider trading Spoofing and layering Wash trading Conflicts of interest
Ensure surveillance and monitoring frameworks remain aligned with evolving regulatory expectations
Oversee continued enhancement of surveillance governance and regulatory reporting frameworks, including emerging European requirements
Review thematic trends and surveillance outputs to drive control improvements and risk identification
Maintain oversight of escalation and governance processes relating to market abuse
Ensure compliance across key regimes, including: Europe / UK: MiFID II / MAR (market conduct and surveillance), MiCA (market abuse in crypto-assets). FCA trading venue frameworks (including MTF expectations), Engagement with Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) and FCA United States: SEC, CFTC, NFA Global: VARA (UAE), MAS (Singapore), BMA / DABA (Bermuda), CIRO / UMIR (Canada)
Support expansion into emerging markets, ensuring scalable and consistent compliance frameworks
Lead compliance input into: New trading products and market structures Tokenization and digital securities Listings and issuer frameworks
Ensure market integrity, disclosure, and regulatory controls are embedded from inception
Manage conflicts of interest globally including vendor solutions
Oversee and maintain information barriers including wall crossing procedures
Lead internal investigations working closely with Employee Relations