Digital Assets Compliance

Job description

ABOUT COLUMN For companies building financial technology and transforming the financial services space, the biggest bottleneck to their growth and innovation is often the underlying banks and infrastructure stack they rely on. We have spent our careers founding and scaling companies like Plaid, Square, Meta, Blend, and Affirm, and have seen this problem firsthand — builders and developers needing to partner with traditional banks, and creating API and abstraction layers over the patchwork that is the bank, its core, and many other vendors. All of this results in a complex (and often expensive) banking supply chain involving a user, fintech, BaaS middleware provider, bank, core and the Federal Reserve. At Column, we set out to simplify and fix this. We are a bank and a software company built from the ground up, offering builders and developers technology-forward banking solutions that cut out the hundreds of vendors, middleware providers, and abstraction layers. This means a safer, more transparent, and less costly banking supply chain. Come build with us! THE OPPORTUNITY Column is hiring for a Digital Assets Compliance role to define, build, and operate Column's compliance framework for its crypto products. The GENIUS Act and other federal guidelines have started to clarify how banks can provide digital asset services. Against this backdrop, Column is looking for someone to support the ongoing development of practical systems that protect the bank while enabling innovation. This isn't a box-checking compliance role. We need a builder who understands that compliance done right is a competitive advantage — it unlocks partnerships, accelerates product velocity, and builds trust with regulators. You'll work directly with our product, engineering, and risk teams to manage systems that scale, not just procedures that look good on paper. If you have experience building programs and tooling, and monitoring and analyzing cryptocurrency transactions using best-in-class blockchain investigations tools, we want to talk to you. What this role is: This role will serve as a subject matter expert with deep specialization in digital assets compliance. You'll be embedded within our financial crimes team, developing the Bank's standards for monitoring and controlling the AML and sanctions risks inherent in the bank's stablecoin infrastructure, payment rails, and crypto-enabled banking products. What this role is NOT: This is not a securities or broker-dealer compliance role. Many crypto compliance professionals to date have focused on securities regulations for trading platforms and custodial services, but we're not looking for expertise in custody, capital markets, or investment products. We need someone who understands the AML and sanctions tooling and controls for payments, and how digital assets interact with traditional payment systems — not someone who's spent their career navigating SEC rules for crypto exchanges. This position will report directly to the Bank's Chief Compliance Officer, and the individual in the role must be willing to work in person in our Presidio-based office in San Francisco (3-4 days/week). WHAT YOU’LL DO OPERATE COMPLIANCE INFRASTRUCTURE - Operate the AML/BSA monitoring capabilities for stablecoin and crypto payment products in accordance with the GENIUS Act and Bank Secrecy Act requirements and the Bank's existing AML program - Refine and maintain a comprehensive sanctions compliance program for digital assets, including blockchain analytics, wallet screening, and sanctions risk management specific to crypto payment flows - Expand our existing suspicious activity monitoring and sanctions screening tools and processes to blend digital asset-specific workflows - Develop, test, and tune new blockchain monitoring rules - Own monthly metric reporting on stablecoin-specific activity - Build out stablecoin-specific operational policies and procedures - Stay on top of emerging risk trends in digital assets and update the program accordingly SUPPORT BUSINESS GROWTH - Serve as the primary AML subject matter advisor to product and engineering teams building the stablecoin infrastructure - Translate regulatory requirements into concrete technical specifications (e.g., "we need the ability to freeze tokens within X minutes of receiving a court order") - Conduct compliance reviews of new product features and partnerships before launch - Partner with our bank compliance team to ensure our crypto program integrates seamlessly with Column's existing BSA/AML framework - Provide guidance on due diligence evaluation requirements for customers using stablecoin rails - Respond to RFIs from partners on our stablecoin compliance program DEVELOP AND RUN OUR CRYPTO INVESTIGATIONS PORTFOLIO - Perform extensive investigations related to transaction monitoring and screening that could implicate potential money laundering, fraud, or terrorist financing - Prepare and document triage investigations and their dispositions according to FinCEN/FFIEC expectations and Bank procedures - Review transaction and wallet screening reports for potential OFAC violations and report potential true positives to the BSA Officer - Draft RFIs to partners and monitor for response - Establish lines of communication and recurring meetings with partner compliance teams - Refine investigation procedures based on operational learnings - Build out our incoming and ongoing training program for crypto investigations and crypto broadly WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL - 4-5+ years of experience in financial crimes compliance, with at least 3 years working on digital assets, crypto, or blockchain-related compliance; must include some experience in investigations - Expert knowledge of BSA/AML requirements and how they apply to digital assets under existing regulatory and industry standards - Strong understanding of stablecoin mechanics, blockchain technology, and crypto payment flows - First-principles thinker who can design robust systems from scratch, not just operate existing playbooks - Strong technical aptitude — comfortable working with engineering teams to build compliance into product architecture - Comfortable operating in ambiguity and making risk-based decisions with incomplete information - High EQ and strong stakeholder management skills; can build trust with regulators, auditors, and internal teams WHAT YOU’LL GET FROM US: - 🏥 Comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans, including options that are 100% covered by Column for you and 100% covered for your dependents! - 🐣 Comprehensive family planning and fertility benefits via partnership with Carrot, including reimbursement of up to $20,000 in qualified expenses - 🏡 Up to $2,000 (post-tax) monthly rent subsidy for employees living within 2 miles of Column’s office - 💳 FSA and HSA account options to enable use of pre-tax money for medical and dependent care expenses - 📈 401k plan, including self-directed brokerage options - 🌴 Flexible time-off policy - take the time off that you want and need to relax and recharge - 👶 100% paid parental leave, including 16 weeks for birth mothers, 12 weeks for primary caregivers, and 8 weeks for secondary caregivers - 😇 Up to $4,500 in annual reimbursements for backup childcare - 🍽️ Catered lunches and dinners for SF employees - 🚆 Commuter benefits, including paid transportation to-and-from the office - 🎉 Regular team building events, including annual offsite PAY TRANSPARENCY: Compensation packages at Column include base salary, equity, and benefits. New hire offers are made based on a candidate's experience, expertise, geographic location, and internal pay equity relative to peers. The annual base salary range for this role is $130,000 - $170,000 + equity. WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU Column is committed to working with the best and brightest people from the broadest talent pool possible. We value bringing together a team with different perspectives, educational backgrounds, and life experiences, and believe a diversity of ideas is what allows us to develop the best solutions. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation during the application and recruiting process, please reach out to accommodations@column.com. We participate in the E-Verify program in certain locations as required by law. Learn more about the E-Verify program here https://e-verify.gov.