Senior CDD Risk Analyst, Direct Customer Onboarding

Adyen•San Francisco, CA

4d•$119,000 - $154,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Adyen is seeking an experienced Senior CDD Risk Analyst for its Direct Customer Onboarding team. The role focuses on improving onboarding quality and quality-control processes while managing high-complexity enterprise onboarding cases. The analyst serves as a subject matter expert and mentor, helping develop the team and partnering with Quality Assurance, Compliance, Commercial, Sales, Account Management, Product, Engineering, and Operations to improve onboarding while maintaining regulatory compliance. The role leads onboarding for strategic and complex enterprise merchants, conducting multi-jurisdictional due diligence and assessing opaque corporate structures and risks involving politically exposed persons, sanctions, adverse media, and high-risk industries. It translates second-line compliance policies into practical first-line procedures, leads calibration sessions, carries out quality checks, and supports consistent, accurate decision-making. The analyst identifies onboarding bottlenecks and works with cross-functional partners to optimize workflows, tooling, and automation. The role also participates in merchant and commercial discussions, explains compliance requirements, and develops practical compliant onboarding pathways. As a mentor, the analyst provides complex-case guidance and leads training on emerging risk typologies and regulatory changes. This role is based in Adyen’s San Francisco office. Adyen is office-first and expects employees to work in the office at least three days per week on average. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without new visa sponsorship; visa transfers may be supported, but H-1B cap sponsorship is not provided.

Requirements

At least 6 years of experience in CDD, KYC/EDD operations, or a second-line risk or compliance role within a FinTech, payment service provider, or financial institution.
Deep expertise evaluating complex risk scenarios, including layered corporate structures, offshore or nominee entities, UBO transparency, and high-risk business models.
Knowledge of scheme rules and multi-jurisdictional AML/CFT standards, including DNB, FCA, FinCEN, MAS, RBI, or AUSTRAC.
Experience navigating complex commercial dynamics and high-pressure go-live targets while maintaining risk controls.
Ability to negotiate and implement risk-mitigation solutions that support safe business growth and meet regulatory requirements.
Experience with direct customer interactions and merchant-facing work, bridging compliance requirements with commercial discussions and operational needs.
Analytical mindset and proficiency using data and analytics to identify onboarding friction and support automation and tooling enhancements.
High autonomy and resilience, with strong written and verbal communication skills.
Willingness and ability to share knowledge, coach colleagues, and collaborate across operational, second-line, and commercial teams.
Must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for new visa sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience as a Quality Checker or QA auditor in first- or second-line functions.
Experience with and understanding of financial products and/or issuing, such as business bank accounts, card issuing, and capital.

Responsibilities

Lead onboarding for strategic and complex enterprise merchants, including multi-jurisdictional due diligence and assessment of complex corporate structures and associated risks.
Translate second-line compliance policies into actionable first-line procedures and lead team calibration sessions.
Perform regular quality-control checks, uphold first-time-right accuracy, and support consistent application of quality standards, SOPs, and risk reasoning.
Identify operational bottlenecks and collaborate with Product, Engineering, Compliance, and Operations to improve workflows, tools, and automation.
Partner with Commercial, Sales, and Account Management teams on high-stakes negotiations and merchant escalations; participate in merchant and commercial calls and explain compliance requirements.
Develop practical, compliant onboarding pathways that balance regulatory integrity with business growth.
Mentor CDD analysts and provide guidance on complex cases.
Develop and lead training on emerging risk typologies and regulatory changes.
Use data and analytics to identify root causes of onboarding friction and contribute to process and tooling improvements.