Deputy Sanctions Officer (Director) at Kraken

About Kraken

Kraken is a mission-driven global crypto exchange dedicated to accelerating worldwide adoption of digital assets to enable financial freedom and inclusion. With operations in 70+ countries and a team fluent in 50+ languages, Kraken builds secure, innovative products such as Kraken Pro, Kraken Futures, Kraken Wallet, and Kraken Desktop—serving traders, institutions, and newcomers alike.

As a fully remote organization, Kraken fosters a culture of collaboration, integrity, and crypto-native conviction. The company continues to lead in security, compliance, and education, empowering its global community of “Krakenites” to build the future of crypto.

About the Role

Reporting directly to the Chief Sanctions Officer, the Deputy Sanctions Officer (Director) is a senior leadership role responsible for maintaining and enhancing Kraken’s Global Sanctions Compliance Program (GSCP). This position ensures adherence to international sanctions frameworks, strengthens governance and risk controls, and drives continuous improvement across all sanctions-related processes.

This is an individual contributor role with executive-level visibility, requiring strong cross-functional collaboration, exceptional documentation, and strategic communication skills.

Key Responsibilities

• Program Ownership: Oversee and evolve Kraken’s enterprise-wide Global Sanctions Compliance Program, ensuring alignment with global laws, regulations, and internal policies.

• Risk Assessment: Lead annual and ad hoc sanctions risk assessments across enterprise and product lines, identifying emerging risks and implementing effective remediation plans.

• Governance & Controls: Develop and maintain documentation for sanctions controls, implement governance testing routines, and collaborate with engineering teams to automate key processes.

• Reporting & Metrics: Design and deliver reports to executive leadership, tracking Key Risk Indicators (KRIs), Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and program health metrics.

• Audit & Regulatory Engagement: Coordinate audit materials and responses for internal and external reviews, serving as Kraken’s subject matter expert in regulatory engagements.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Product, Engineering, Legal, Finance, and Client Engagement teams to integrate risk-based compliance controls into new and existing products.

• Continuous Improvement: Promote data-driven decision-making and process automation to enhance efficiency across sanctions functions.

• Documentation & Response Management: Prepare Voluntary Self-Disclosures (VSDs), respond to subpoenas, and contribute to regulatory correspondence as needed.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional experience in sanctions compliance, audit, or risk management, preferably within financial services, fintech, or crypto.

• 2+ years in a supervisory, managerial, or audit leadership capacity.

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced certifications (e.g., CGSS) preferred.

• Strong understanding of OFAC, EU, UK, and international sanctions frameworks, reporting requirements, and related technologies.

• Experience managing regulatory exams, audits, and control environments.

• Proven ability to author business and technical requirements and communicate effectively with engineering teams.

• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives and driving process improvements in high-growth environments.

• Exceptional communication, analytical, and quantitative decision-making skills.

Preferred Attributes

• Expertise in decentralized and centralized finance compliance models.

• Experience with regulatory strategy and audit preparation.

• Ability to balance risk mitigation with innovation in a fast-evolving crypto landscape.

• Strategic, detail-oriented thinker who can thrive in ambiguity and drive measurable outcomes.