Chief Compliance Officer

About Tenor Legal: Tenor is the premier legal services firm known for innovation and excellence across one of the broadest and most dynamic networks of talent in the legal industry. We work with Fortune 500 companies and top-tier law firms, offering exceptional legal professionals on both flexible secondment and permanent placements.

The Opportunity

Tenor Legal is partnering with a high-growth, unicorn-stage fintech company to identify its next Chief Compliance Officer. This is a senior leadership hire — the CCO will own and rebuild the compliance function, lead a team of 10, and operate as a key voice across the executive team, with direct access to the General Counsel, CEO, and Board. The company has scaled rapidly through a bank partnership model powering consumer credit and lending products, and it needs a compliance leader who can match that pace.

About the Client

Our client is a venture-backed fintech company that partners with major consumer brands to deliver embedded financial products at scale. Operating through a bank partnership model, the company has experienced significant growth in both product breadth and partner volume. As the business continues to scale, the compliance function needs a leader who can build the infrastructure to support that trajectory while navigating the regulatory complexity inherent in the model.

Key Details

• Engagement type: Permanent placement
• Location: San Francisco / Bay Area or New York City
• Reports to: General Counsel, with direct access to CEO, Board, and leadership team
• Team: 10-person compliance team — this will be your team to shape
• Compensation: $350,000–$400,000 base salary, 25% annual bonus, and significant stock options (seven figures)

Responsibilities

• Compliance Program Rebuild & Scaling (~30%): Assess the current state of the compliance program and build the frameworks, policies, and workflows needed to support a high-growth fintech operating through bank partnerships. The program has gone through multiple leadership transitions — this is an opportunity to define what "mature" looks like for a company at this stage.
• Consumer Lending & Financial Product Compliance (~25%): Own regulatory compliance across the company's consumer lending and credit card products, including obligations under TILA, ECOA, UDAAP, fair lending, and applicable state lending laws. Ensure the compliance infrastructure evolves as new products launch.
• Team Leadership & Development (~20%): Lead, mentor, and restructure a compliance team that has been operating without consistent leadership. Refocus the team on core compliance work, fill open roles, and build a bench that can scale with the business.
• Regulatory & Bank Partner Oversight (~15%): Serve as the primary compliance interface with issuing bank partners and their regulatory expectations. Monitor the regulatory landscape for developments affecting the bank partnership model and advise the leadership team on risk posture and exposure.
• Cross-Functional Advisory (~10%): Partner with product, engineering, legal, and partnerships teams to embed compliance considerations into product development, go-to-market strategy, and partner onboarding — advising in real time, not after the fact.

Qualifications

• 10 years of compliance experience in consumer financial services, with meaningful time in fintech, payments, consumer lending, or card issuing
• Demonstrated experience building, rebuilding, or significantly scaling a compliance program — not just maintaining one
• Strong working knowledge of consumer lending regulations (TILA, ECOA, UDAAP, fair lending) and the regulatory dynamics of bank partnership models
• Track record of operating in high-growth, fast-moving environments where ambiguity is the norm
• Executive presence and the gravitas to engage credibly with C-suite leaders, board members, and banking partners
• Experience leading and developing compliance teams

Preferred Experience

• Direct experience at a fintech operating through a bank partnership or BaaS model
• Credit card or co-branded card program compliance experience
• Familiarity with BSA/AML frameworks, even if not the primary owner
• Experience navigating regulatory exams or managing remediation efforts
• JD or relevant advanced degree (valued but not required)
• CRCM or similar compliance certification

Why This Role

This isn't a caretaker hire. The company has the capital base, the leadership team, and the business trajectory to support a CCO who wants to build — not just maintain. You'll inherit a team, a mandate, and direct access to the people who make decisions. For the right person, this is a chance to step into a true executive seat at a company that's defining the next generation of consumer financial products.

Tenor Legal is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.