Compliance Lead, Licensing & Exam Management

Remote - Americas
Legal

About the role

Shopify is currently securing US Money Transmission Licenses (MTL) and we're looking for an experienced Compliance Lead to join our team. Reporting to the Director of Compliance and the MTL entity’s Chief Compliance Officer, you will support our ongoing licensing efforts, and post-licensure, ensure we remain in good standing with financial partners and regulators through rigorous license and exam management. You will represent our MTL entity at key industry forums, such as the Money Transmitter Regulators Association (MTRA) and ACAMS, actively networking with regulators and peers to advocate for Shopify’s interests and stay ahead of regulatory shifts. Our ideal candidate is an experienced and enthusiastic professional who has worked in financial services compliance and has deep experience engaging directly with MTL regulators. You are passionate about this space, committed to keeping a pulse on industry and regulatory news, including changes in state Money Transmitter Acts, FinCEN guidance, and emerging trends in payments regulation. You must be a team player, effective at building relationships and influencing others. You have strong documentation and communication skills. You must also be adept at problem solving, creativity, and collegiality (both internally and in dealing with external parties) to advocate for and advance our compliance program.

Team Overview

Within the Shopify Legal Team, the Compliance Team aims to ensure that Shopify is compliant with regulatory and contractual commitments while remaining agile to encourage growth and innovation. As Shopify continues to expand its financial products and services, we’re also expanding our Compliance Program to support Shopify’s mission of making commerce better for everyone. Our team’s mission is to implement and enforce policies and procedures that ensure Shopify complies with applicable laws and regulations so our merchants, partners, and third parties can trust us.

Key responsibilities

Act as the primary point of contact for state regulators, including proactive building and maintaining high-trust relationships with the regulators and advocating for Shopify as we continue to apply for MTLs and grow our products.
Support ongoing efforts to obtain our MTLs, including responding to deficiency letters and other requests from regulators.
For active licenses, ensure all required activities are completed on-time, including MSB Call Reports, annual renewals, material change notifications, and commitments to our financial partners.
Lead the coordination of MTL examinations, including gathering requested documents, briefing internal stakeholders and the entity’s Board, and managing the remediation of findings and recommendations.
Partner with your teammates and other stakeholders in Legal, Finance, Product, and Engineering teams to ensure our program remains compliant with regulations and other commitments made in our license applications and to our financial partners.
Lead projects that improve the efficiency of these activities, including through automation and AI tools.

Job requirements

Significant experience managing US Money Transmission Licenses, ideally for a FinTech or large-scale payments platform, including deep proficiency of NMLS and state-specific nuances (e.g., NYDFS, CA DFPI, Texas DOB).
Proven track record leading complex, multi-state regulatory examinations from end-to-end, demonstrating the "exam stamina" needed to manage document production, stakeholders, and remediation timelines effectively.
Excellent time management and organizational skills; managing our licenses and regulator relationships will involve a massive amount of documentation and deadlines, and you thrive in that environment, being adept at balancing priorities, stakeholders, and deadlines.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills and attention to detail; you can effectively communicate our MTL entity’s business model to regulators and translate regulatory requests to product and engineering requirements.
A creative and analytical approach to identifying and solving problems.
Superb research and analytical skills with an eye for identifying trends and driving solutions
Because of the requirements of the role, and the existing location of the Shopify Financial Services office, our strong preference is for someone who already lives in the NYC area.

Nice to Have:

Experience with international money transmission or non-US financial licenses.

About Shopify

Opportunity is not evenly distributed. Shopify puts independence within reach for anyone with a dream to start a business. We propel entrepreneurs and enterprises to scale the heights of their potential. Since 2006,...