London, England, United Kingdom · Remote OK
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: Operational Execution, FCA Regulation, Strategy Consulting, Payment Operations, Risk Management
United States · Remote OK
$96k–$192k/yr
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: Lifecycle Marketing, CRM Strategy, Customer Segmentation, Copywriting, Data Analysis
London, England, United Kingdom · Remote OK
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: Performance Marketing, Paid Growth, Systems Thinking, Prompt Engineering, Workflow Automation
United States · Remote OK
$96k–$192k/yr
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: Performance Marketing, Paid Growth, Systems Thinking, Prompt Engineering, Workflow Automation
London, England, United Kingdom · Remote OK
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: SQL, Python, dbt, Airflow, A/B Testing
London, England, United Kingdom · Remote OK
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: SEO, Answer Engine Optimization, LLM Visibility Monitoring, Workflow Automation, Content Pipeline Management
United Arab Emirates · Remote OK
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: Financial Reporting, Regulatory Reporting, Client Asset Safeguarding, Custody Management, VARA Compliance
United States · Remote OK
$92k–$192k/yr
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: SEO, Answer Engine Optimization, LLM Visibility Monitoring, Workflow Automation, Content Pipeline Management
United States · Remote OK
$117k–$260k/yr
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: Paid Search, Paid Social, App Acquisition, Display Advertising, Video Marketing
London, England, United Kingdom · Remote OK
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: Paid Search, Paid Social, App Acquisition, Display Advertising, Video Marketing
Poland · Remote OK
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: Playwright, Appium, Maestro, Espresso, UI Automation
United States · Remote OK
$73k–$145k/yr
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: SOX Compliance, Internal Audit, Business Process Controls Testing, US GAAP, COSO Framework
United States · Remote OK
$117k–$260k/yr
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: KOL Business Development, Team Management, Affiliate Marketing, Crypto Trading Knowledge, Marketing Analytics
London, England, United Kingdom · Remote OK
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: KOL Business Development, Team Management, Affiliate Marketing, Crypto Trading Knowledge, Marketing Analytics
London, England, United Kingdom · Remote OK
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: Brand Design, Systems Thinking, Visual Identity, Motion Design, Figma
United States · Remote OK
$110k–$221k/yr
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: Product Management, UX Design, AI Prototyping, Retail Trading, Quantitative Analysis
Brazil · Remote OK
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: TypeScript, React, React Native, Frontend Development, Engineering Management
United States · Remote OK
$110k–$220k/yr
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: Brand Design, Systems Thinking, Visual Identity Standards, Figma, Adobe Creative Suite
London, England, United Kingdom · Remote OK
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: Product Management, UX Design, AI Prototyping, Retail Trading, SQL
Ireland · Remote OK
Building the Future of Open Finance Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globall…
Skills: Operational Leadership, Regulatory Compliance, Risk Management, Outsourcing Oversight, Fraud Prevention
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Lead the day-to-day operations of UK entities and drive the operational transition toward full FCA authorisation. Manage regulatory readiness, payment infrastructure scaling, and the execution of growth initiatives for the UK business.
Requires 8-12 years of experience with a background in strategy consulting and operational leadership within a scaling UK fintech or bank. Must have deep familiarity with the UK regulatory environment, including SMCR and safeguarding rules.
Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globally accessible financial infrastructure platforms in the industry, built to advance an open, global financial system.
Before you apply, we encourage you to explore our culture page to understand what drives us and how we work.
Founded in 2011, Kraken is one of the world's longest-standing crypto platforms, trusted by over 10 million individuals and institutions across the globe. It offers spot trading, margin, futures, staking, and OTC services, with products built for both individual investors and institutional clients.
Kraken is building the leading regulated crypto and payments platform in the UK. The UK is moving from MLR registration to a full FSMA authorisation regime, and we are moving with it. We have live authorisation workstreams with the FCA, a fast growing payments business spanning our EMI and institutional payments infrastructure, and an ambition to make the UK one of Kraken’s most important markets globally.
We are hiring a Chief Operating Officer to be the operational backbone of that transition. This is a hands on individual contributor role with unusual scope: you will own the operational running of the UK business including our EMI, Payward Services Limited, support our licensing workstreams through to authorisation, and get stuck into the special projects and growth initiatives that move the UK business forward. As the UK regime lands and the business scales, the role scales with it.
This is a role for someone early in a steep trajectory: an operator who has done the consulting to operating transition, is hungry for a remit that outstrips their years, and wants to build a regulated business from the inside at the exact moment the UK regime crystallises.
Run day-to-day operations across UK entities, including EMI operations at Payward Services Limited: safeguarding, payment services requirements, operational risk and incident management, outsourcing and intra-group coordination, audit and regulatory readiness, and Board/ExCo/management reporting.
Lead the operational work behind our FCA authorisation efforts, including crypto (CASP) authorisation and our MiFID scope application. Partner with Legal, Compliance, and the UK CEO to turn regulatory requirements into governance processes, controls, documentation, and evidence the FCA expects from an authorised firm.
Serve as the operational counterpart to the FCA alongside Legal and Compliance: information requests, supervisory queries, incident notifications, and closing out follow-up actions. (Strategic FCA relationship ownership sits with the UK CEO — you ensure nothing operational slips.)
Identify and execute growth opportunities for the UK business, prioritizing payments: scaling EMI and fiat rails, growing institutional and B2B payments, and landing commercial partnerships that expand our UK footprint.
Own UK product operations and launch readiness, centered on payments (on/off-ramp, fiat funding rails) alongside consumer and institutional trading. Gate go-lives against regulatory and operational requirements, own financial promotions oversight (three lines of defence), and build the controls that let regulated products ship fast and scale.
8-12 years of experience, with roots in strategy consulting (MBB, Big 4 strategy, or boutique) and a proven track record of operational execution in-house / in industry.
Operated inside a scaling UK fintech, bank, or crypto firm in roles like special projects, chief of staff, operations strategy, or operations lead, with a track record of taking on scope beyond your title.
Deep familiarity with the UK regulatory environment. You have operated inside an FCA regulated firm, ideally a MiFID investment firm, bank, or EMI, and you understand SMCR, safeguarding, financial promotions rules, Consumer Duty, operational resilience, outsourcing rules, and what supervision actually feels like.
A track record of running complex cross functional programmes with no formal authority over the people involved, and of picking up work outside your job description because it needed doing.
Structured and rigorous on governance and controls, but allergic to bureaucracy. You know the difference between a control that protects the firm and a process that slows it down.
Excellent communicator across regulators, boards, engineers, and commercial partners.
Comfortable with ambiguity, a broad remit, and a title that means ownership rather than headcount.
This is an individual contributor role with executive scope. You measure yourself by what you ship and land, not by headcount, and that is exactly what excites you.
Payments fluency: you understand how money moves, whether from an EMI, a bank, a PSP, or a fintech building on payments rails, and you can go deep on funding flows, safeguarding, and payment operations without a translator.
Crypto or digital assets experience, either in industry or through regulated product launches.
Exposure to SMCR environments. As the UK business matures there is scope for this role to grow into greater formal responsibility.
Experience supporting or leading an authorisation, licence application, or regulatory change programme end to end.
Former founder, GM, or early operations hire at a fintech or crypto startup.
Unless a specific application deadline is stated in the job posting, applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
Please note, applicants are permitted to redact or remove information on their resume that identifies age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.
We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment on our team, assessing candidates in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.
Payward is powered by people from around the world and we celebrate the diverse talents, backgrounds, contributions, and unique perspectives that everyone brings to the table. We hire based on merit, seeking out people with the right abilities, knowledge, and skills for the job. We encourage you to apply for roles where you don't fully meet the listed requirements, especially if you're passionate or knowledgeable about crypto.
We may ask candidates to complete job-related skills or work-style assessments as part of our hiring process. These assessments evaluate competencies relevant to the role and are applied consistently across candidates for similar positions. Results are considered alongside experience and interviews, and are not the sole basis for any employment decision.
As an equal opportunity employer, we don't tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind, whether based on race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, citizenship, religion, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.
Own the power of your money. Crypto, stocks, futures and more — since 2011.
Kraken helps people own the power of their money. Founded in 2011, we're one of the world's longest-standing crypto platforms, now offering crypto, stocks, futures, staking, payments and more. Trusted by millions of institutions, professional traders, and consumers across 190+ countries. Built on the belief that everyone should own the power of their money, Kraken has been a category leader in crypto since 2011. We've grown into a global financial platform offering crypto, stocks, futures, staking, payments and institutional infrastructure — all on a single foundation built for the future of finance. Our product lineup: — Kraken: the world's leading hybrid investment platform, built for the future of finance from the ground up — Kraken Pro: the all-in command center that unleashes your trading potential — Krak: the next-generation money platform that turns every type of asset into usable money Proof of Reserves since 2014. Assets held 1:1. Trusted by 13M+ people, thousands of institutions, and a growing community of developers building on Kraken rails. Our mission: accelerate the global adoption of crypto so everyone can achieve financial freedom and inclusion. Risk Disclosure: https://www.kraken.com/en-ca/social-media-disclosure
Offices: Remote First, US
Own the power of your money. Crypto, stocks, futures and more — since 2011.
Kraken helps people own the power of their money. Founded in 2011, we're one of the world's longest-standing crypto platforms, now offering crypto, stocks, futures, staking, payments and more. Trusted by millions of institutions, professional traders, and consumers across 190+ countries. Built on the belief that everyone should own the power of their money, Kraken has been a category leader in crypto since 2011. We've grown into a global financial platform offering crypto, stocks, futures, staking, payments and institutional infrastructure — all on a single foundation built for the future of finance. Our product lineup: — Kraken: the world's leading hybrid investment platform, built for the future of finance from the ground up — Kraken Pro: the all-in command center that unleashes your trading potential — Krak: the next-generation money platform that turns every type of asset into usable money Proof of Reserves since 2014. Assets held 1:1. Trusted by 13M+ people, thousands of institutions, and a growing community of developers building on Kraken rails. Our mission: accelerate the global adoption of crypto so everyone can achieve financial freedom and inclusion. Risk Disclosure: https://www.kraken.com/en-ca/social-media-disclosure
Offices: Remote First, US
