[Hiring] Head of Compliance @Astra

Role Description

Astra is on a mission to make payments radically better – faster, more secure, and worthy of the products built on top of them. We’re an instant-payments platform powering developers and product teams across banking, BaaS, payroll, lending, crypto, and other financial-services use cases.

As Astra grows, we’re looking for a Head of Compliance to lead and scale our enterprise compliance program across financial crimes, payments compliance, privacy, security assurance, and governance.

This leader will inherit an established program and team and will be responsible for strengthening its strategy, operating model, controls, and oversight as Astra’s products, payment flows, partnerships, and compliance obligations evolve. The Head of Compliance will serve as Astra’s designated BSA Compliance Officer and oversee the company’s BSA/AML, KYC/KYB, sanctions, payment-network, privacy, SOC 2, PCI DSS, and broader compliance-risk programs.

This is a hands-on leadership role requiring both strategic judgment and operational depth. You will work closely with Product, Engineering, Security, Legal, Operations, executive leadership, and Astra’s bank partners to translate complex requirements into practical, scalable controls that support responsible growth.

Reporting to the COO, the Head of Compliance will serve as Astra’s senior compliance leader and a key advisor to executive leadership and the Board.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of compliance experience in fintech, payments, banking, or financial services, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
• Prior experience leading a BSA/AML compliance program at a financial institution, payments company, or fintech, ideally within a sponsor-bank or bank-fintech partnership model.
• Experience overseeing multiple compliance and assurance programs, including BSA/AML, fraud, privacy, SOC 2, PCI DSS, or payment-network compliance.
• Deep, practical expertise in BSA/AML, OFAC, KYC/KYB, customer due diligence, transaction monitoring, suspicious-activity escalation, and financial-crimes risk management.
• Familiarity with the intricacies of specific payment rails, specifically: ACH, RTP, and debit networks.
• Hands-on experience building or scaling compliance programs at a startup or high-growth company.
• Experience managing sponsor bank relationships and navigating bank program compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing a compliance team while remaining closely involved in program execution.
• Ability and willingness to travel up to ~15% annually.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required; JD, MBA, or advanced degree in a relevant field strongly preferred.
• Candidates without an advanced degree but with exceptional track records and relevant certifications will be fully considered.
• CAMS, CRCM, CFE, or equivalent preferred.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation with equity in a growing fintech company.
• Remote-first culture with flexible working arrangements.
• Small team, big impact — your work directly supports Astra’s ability to scale responsibly.
• Professional growth opportunities in compliance and risk management.
• Mission-driven — build infrastructure that powers financial innovation while meeting the highest regulatory standards.