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 globally accessible financial infrastructure platforms in the industry, built to advance an open, global financial system.

The team

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.

As Director, US Operations, you will lead operations for Payward’s US equities business: our registered broker-dealer, Kraken Securities LLC, and the operations behind traditional stocks as well as xStocks, our tokenized equities product. You will own the trade operating model, the end-to-end order and settlement flow, cash flows, corporate actions, reconciliations, and regulatory readiness across the business.

This is a hands-on leadership role in a regulated entity. You will be a registered principal of Kraken Securities LLC, named on Form BD, and accountable for the operational side of the firm’s regulatory obligations. It extends well beyond day-to-day management and requires genuine fluency in both traditional market plumbing and the operational realities of a digital-asset business.

You will stay close to company strategy and cross-functional initiatives so the global executive team’s goals translate into clear operating priorities. As a trusted partner, you will work across Compliance, Legal, Finance, Product, Engineering, and Marketing to drive key initiatives forward, and build the team that scales the business as the firm grows.

The opportunity

• Own the end-to-end order flow for US equities, from inception through clearing and settlement, including reconciliation, corporate actions, and exception management

• Own xStocks operations: token issuance and redemption, inventory and liquidity management, movement of client and firm assets, and settlement across exchange, custodian, and on-chain venues

• Serve as a named principal of Kraken Securities LLC and act as an operational control point — including dual-approval (“four eyes”) sign-off on transactions and asset movements, with coverage across time zones

• Design and implement the operating model for Kraken Securities and xStocks, aligned to strategic goals

• Build and run the operating systems for the business — policies, written supervisory procedures, controls, books and records, business continuity, and KPIs — and translate C-suite goals into clear targets for each business unit

• Own launch readiness for new products and markets: prepare systems, policies and procedures, and test them end to end with our clearing firm, custodians, exchange partners and R&D teams to ensure compliance with US regulations

• Partner with Finance on financial controls around bank payments, customer funds and reserve requirements

• Ensure desk coverage and settlement/ reconciliation controls and man power in place to support 24X5 and transitioning to 24x7

• Own vendor and partner operations — clearing, custody, market data, liquidity providers and technology vendors — including onboarding, SLAs and ongoing oversight

• Own severity-1 operational escalation and incident response for the US entities, including root-cause review and remediation

• Set performance targets, monitor progress, and report KPIs and costs transparently to leadership

• Hire and develop a high-performing operations team, build the licensing bench and succession plan, and build the organizational structure to scale

• Partner with functional leaders across Marketing, Compliance, Product, Engineering, and Operations to keep initiatives aligned and moving

• Contribute to strategy and growth planning to help build a sustainable business

• Support functions such as HR and IT in building procedures that link to corporate strategy

What you bring

• 12+ years of experience in brokerage or fintech operations, and/or at an operations consulting firm, including time inside a FINRA-registered broker-dealer

• Experience in crypto, brokerage, advisory, fintech, or another highly regulated industry

• In-depth knowledge of traditional financial markets — execution, clearing, settlement, custody, margin, securities lending, and corporate actions

• Working understanding of digital assets and tokenized securities, including custody models, on-chain settlement, and the operational controls they demand

• Direct experience operating under SEC and FINRA rules — books and records, supervisory procedures, trade reporting, and examination response

• Experience standing up or scaling operations for a new regulated product or entity, including launch readiness and regulatory approval processes

• A proven record of defining structured approaches to solve complex challenges

• End-to-end understanding of company value drivers and a strong working understanding of business analytics

• Experience hiring, managing, and developing operations teams

• Exceptional judgment and the executive presence to work comfortably with C-suite leaders, regulators, and external partners

• Required at hire, or within an agreed window from start date: FINRA Series 7 (General Securities Representative), Series 99 (Operations Professional) and Series 24 (General Securities Principal)

• Preferred: Series 27 or 28 (Financial and Operations Principal)

• Also valued: Series 57 (Securities Trader) and Series 4 (options principal), or willingness to obtain them — these strengthen our principal coverage across trading and options

• Must be eligible for registration and disclosure on Form BD, and comfortable carrying named-principal responsibility in a regulated entity

• Series 63 / 65 / 66 as required by state registration

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.

Our commitment

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.

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