Head of Compliance, France

Circle

Circle

Legal
Paris, France · Paris, France · Remote
Posted on Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Circle is a financial technology company at the epicenter of the emerging internet of money, where value can finally travel like other digital data — globally, nearly instantly and less expensively than legacy settlement systems. This ground-breaking new internet layer opens up previously unimaginable possibilities for payments, commerce and markets that can help raise global economic prosperity and enhance inclusion. Our infrastructure – including USDC, a blockchain-based dollar – helps businesses, institutions and developers harness these breakthroughs and capitalize on this major turning point in the evolution of money and technology.

What you’ll be part of:

Circle is committed to visibility and stability in everything we do. As we grow as an organization, we're expanding into some of the world's strongest jurisdictions. Speed and efficiency are motivators for our success and our employees live by our company values: Multistakeholder, Mindfulness, Driven by Excellence and High Integrity. Circlers are consistently evolving in a remote world where strength in numbers fuels team success. We have built a flexible and diverse work environment where new ideas are encouraged and everyone is a stakeholder.

What you’ll be responsible for:

Circle is looking for an experienced Head of Compliance to join our growing team in France. In this role, you will be responsible for leading the compliance strategy for Circle France, in the process of being regulated as an Electronic Money Institution and registered as a Digital Asset Service Provider. You will partner with global compliance program colleagues to ensure appropriate local implementation and execution of financial crime and regulatory compliance controls. This role will support local regulatory engagements in the EEA and will serve as Correspondant et declarant . The role will also involve working with a broad range of cross-functional partners, including Finance, Tax, Legal, Business, Policy and other Compliance and Enterprise Risk Management team members to support the regulatory compliance and risk strategy design and implement the day to day functioning of our compliance programs.

You will be responsible for creating and managing a highly effective program that demonstrates compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, and is within our risk appetite and tolerance levels. The right candidate will possess and demonstrate deep regulatory, risk management, process and systems design, and execution experience focused on outcomes.

What you'll work on:

  • Support strategy formulation, framework design and execution of our Compliance program to ensure applicable regulatory requirements and our company’s risk requirements are being met comprehensively
  • Work closely with Compliance, ERM, Legal, Product, Operations and other cross-functional teams to understand the overall business environment and be the single point of contact for the day to day implementation and execution of Compliance policies related to Circle France
  • Support any ongoing cross-functional local license application processes through the development of necessary materials, addressing queries and coordinating regulatory responses
  • Ensure adherence to all regulatory reporting obligations and responsiveness to any regulatory engagements
  • Partner with other leaders to design and implement the entire Compliance framework and system for our business
  • Interface with local regulators and other external stakeholders in explaining our Compliance and Risk Management program
  • Serve as a main point of contact for Compliance and Risk Management with key stakeholders and partners with respect to relevant technology and operational process designs
  • Monitor AML and other relevant regulatory developments, and maintain advanced knowledge of new and amended laws and regulations, and ensure processes are in place to keep the business updated on such developments
  • Proactively analyze trends and patterns in alerts for AML and other parts of Compliance and effectively design our program
  • Perform oversight over our processing environment to ensure local compliance requirements are being followed as expected
  • Develop, maintain and review policies, procedures and processes to ensure compliance with applicable internal, legal and regulatory standards
  • Be responsible for coordinating with teams to handle escalations and reporting of suspicious transactions pursuant to regulatory obligations
  • Support the AML and Compliance Program through production of key performance indicators (metrics) and other reporting
  • Report on and oversee internal and external investigations of money laundering and other financial crimes both alone and in collaboration with other internal stakeholders and outside counsel

You will aspire to our four core values:

  • Multistakeholder - you have dedication and commitment to our customers, shareholders, employees and families and local communities.
  • Mindful - you seek to be respectful, an active listener and to pay attention to detail.
  • Driven by Excellence - you are driven by our mission and our passion for customer success which means you relentlessly pursue excellence, that you do not tolerate mediocrity and you work intensely to achieve your goals.
  • High Integrity - you seek open and honest communication, and you hold yourself to very high moral and ethical standards. You reject manipulation, dishonesty and intolerance.

What you’ll bring to Circle:

  • 12+ years of relevant experience within a financial services/technology regulatory compliance role, law enforcement role, or government agency role with deep expertise in financial crimes
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience as stated above
  • Have expert knowledge of regulatory obligations in France, including specifically, MLRO, AML/Counter Terrorist Financing/Sanctions and Digital Asset regulatory requirements
  • Have extensive experience in direct interaction experience with relevant regulatory agencies
  • Experience working hands-on with other cross-functional team leaders, such as lawyers, engineers, product managers, data analysts, operations analysts in improving compliance processes and systems
  • Proven ability to work with global teams in setting appropriate compliance programs
  • Knowledge of compliance requirements (red flags, typologies), process and system intricacies used in online, mobile and blockchain-based environments
  • Possess strong leadership qualities with the ability to manage both small and large teams, and demonstrate a strong work ethic as well as a high degree of integrity
  • Be capable of assessing and developing individual and team skills and providing timely constructive feedback
  • Strong communication, planning and project management skills
  • Establishes trust and collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders and team members.
  • Strong attention to detail
  • Experience/familiarity with Slack, Apple MacOS and GSuite.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at Circle. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Additionally, Circle participates in the E-Verify Program in certain locations, as required by law.

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