Compliance Lead, Payments Compliance & Licensing Program (New York City)

About The Role

As Shopify expands its financial products and services, we're developing our compliance program to support our US money transmission licenses (MTLs). We hold MTLs in multiple states and are working through the next wave of licenses. We seek a Compliance Lead to build out this program to ensure we remain in good standing with regulators and financial partners, as well as contribute more broadly across our wider compliance work.

Key Responsibilities

• Own key areas of Shopify's MTL program: licensing applications, renewals, state examinations, and ongoing regulator engagement
• Build and maintain high-trust relationships with state regulators (NY DFS, CA DFPI, TX DOB, and other state regulators)
• Represent Shopify in regulator-facing interactions - meetings, exams, written responses, supervisory engagement, and industry conferences (MTRA, ACAMS, NMLS events)
• Identify the positions Shopify should advocate for, and know where our red lines are
• Contribute across the broader compliance program - sanctions, AML/KYC, lending compliance, policy work - wherever the team's priorities point
• Use AI tooling extensively to automate compliance workflows (reporting, monitoring, response drafting) and bring forward new ideas for where it should be applied next
• Partner with Legal, Finance, Product, and Engineering to advise on compliance risks and surface practical paths forward
• Develop playbooks, internal resources, and process documentation that scale with Shopify's product expansion

Job Requirements

• Multiple years of experience in financial services compliance, with direct exposure to money transmission regulations
• Hands-on experience engaging with regulators - exams, licensing applications, formal correspondence, or supervisory engagement. Deep tenure in a licensing and exam management role isn't required if you've built similar experience in your compliance career
• Broad working knowledge of compliance in areas such as sanctions, AML, KYC, and lending compliance (e.g., UDAAP, ECOA)
• Exceptional written and verbal communication - you can hold your own with a regulator and translate complex requirements into clear internal guidance
• A builder's mindset - energized by ambiguity, comfortable taking positions, and excited by an environment where the program is being built, not maintained
• Demonstrated curiosity about AI and a clear point of view on how you'd apply it to compliance work
• Direct experience with NMLS system
• Presented at ACAMS or attended MTRA or NMLS conferences
• Acted as primary point of contact during state examinations (any program size)
• Used AI tools (Claude, GPT, etc.) to automate compliance workflows - call reports, investigations, regulator responses, policy drafting
• Operated inside a high-growth fintech or tech company expanding into regulated financial services

Bonus Experience

• Used AI tools (Claude, GPT, etc.) to automate compliance workflows - call reports, investigations, regulator responses, policy drafting
• Operated inside a high-growth fintech or tech company expanding into regulated financial services

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, we’ve grown to over 8,300 employees and generated over $1 trillion in sales for millions of merchants in 175 countries. This is life-defining work that directly impacts people’s lives as much as it transforms your own. This is putting the power of the few in the hands of the many, is a future with more voices rather than fewer, and is creating more choices instead of an elite option.

About You

Moving at our pace brings a lot of change, complexity, and ambiguity—and a little bit of chaos. Shopifolk thrive on that and are comfortable being uncomfortable. That means Shopify is not the right place for everyone. Before you apply, consider if you can: Care deeply about what you do and about making commerce better for everyone Excel by seeking professional and personal hypergrowth Keep up with an unrelenting pace (the week, not the quarter) Be resilient and resourceful in face of ambiguity and thrive on (rather than endure) change Bring critical thought and opinion Put AI agents and tools to work on the tasks they're built for, and focus on the work only humans can do Embrace differences and disagreement to get shit done and move forward Work digital-first for your daily work