Alpaca
Director of Financial Crimes - AML
Job Description
At this stage, you won’t inherit a team—you’ll build one. In the near term, your focus will be on developing and executing the core processes around transaction monitoring, alert clearing, investigations, and SAR filing. Over time, you’ll play a strategic role in hiring and scaling a high-performing Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) to support our growing platform.
We’re looking for a self-starter who understands both the regulatory expectations and operational realities of financial crimes risk in crypto—and is excited to be both the architect and the executor of this critical function.
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Own the end-to-end financial crimes operations, including transaction monitoring, alert clearing, case investigations, and SAR filings.
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Design and implement workflows and procedures for identifying, investigating, and escalating suspicious activity.
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Identify gaps and inefficiencies in existing tools and processes, and work cross-functionally to improve them.
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Collaborate with engineering, product, and legal teams to ensure compliance controls are built into new systems and features from the start.
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Act as the primary subject matter expert on financial crimes risks, providing guidance and insight across the business.
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Lay the groundwork for a scalable FIU, including developing playbooks, success metrics, and long-term resourcing plans.
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Stay ahead of regulatory developments in the crypto space and adjust internal practices accordingly.
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4–6 years of relevant experience in financial crimes compliance, BSA/AML, or related areas, ideally with exposure to crypto, fintech, or high-growth startups.
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Demonstrated ability to work independently on complex, cross-functional projects with minimal supervision.
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Experience with resolving alerts, creating and refining processes, transaction monitoring systems, alert review, and SAR drafting.
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A strong understanding of U.S. AML and sanctions laws and regulatory expectations, with the ability to apply them in a fast-moving crypto context.
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A “builder” mindset—comfortable operating an evolving playbook, setting priorities, and adapting as you go.
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Clear, concise communication skills and a track record of translating risk into actionable business decisions.
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CAMS, CFE, or other relevant certification.
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Familiarity with blockchain analytics tools (e.g., Chainalysis, TRM Labs).
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Experience preparing for regulatory exams or responding to inquiries.
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Exposure to global compliance frameworks.
How We Take Care of You:
- Competitive Salary & Stock Options
- Benefits: Health benefits start on day 1. In the US this includes Medical, Dental, Vision. In Canada, this includes supplemental health care. In Japan, you are offered local benefits. Internationally, this includes a stipend value to offset medical costs.
- New Hire Home-Office Setup: One-time USD $500
- Monthly Stipend: USD $150 per month via a Brex Card
- Work with awesome hard working people, super smart and cool clients and innovative partners from around the world
Alpaca is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace dedicated to pursuing and hiring a diverse workforce.
Alpaca
Alpaca's easy to use APIs allow developers and businesses to trade algorithms, build apps and embed investing into their services.
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