Head of CDD and KYC, Americas
At a glance
Director-level Risk & Financial Compliance role at Adyen. Chicago · $190,000–$260,000 base.
financeroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Lead CDD managers across São Paulo, San Francisco and Chicago, coaching them and building the wider team’s capability
- Set Americas CDD priorities around global policy and regional regulatory and commercial needs
- Handle difficult CDD cases and decisions as a senior escalation contact for internal teams, merchants and regulators
- Work with Commercial, Compliance, Operations and Product to improve workflows, find automation opportunities and build scalable processes
- Use team metrics, regional and global OKRs, merchant feedback and operational insights to guide improvements
What you bring
- At least ten years in operations or compliance across financial services, fintech, banking, investment banking or consulting
- Seven or more years managing people, including managers or team leads, and building teams across regions and functions
Who this fits
This director-level role suits a strategic, hands-on leader who can balance commercial goals with risk controls and develop managers across a regional CDD function. Regional and global travel is part of the role. The position is office-first and based in either San Francisco or Chicago.
From the employer
This is Adyen
Adyen provides payments, data, and financial products in a single solution for customers like Meta, Uber, H&M, and Microsoft - making us the financial technology platform of choice. At Adyen, everything we do is engineered for ambition.
For our teams, we create an environment with opportunities for our people to succeed, backed by the culture and support to ensure they are enabled to truly own their careers. We are motivated individuals who tackle unique technical challenges at scale and solve them as a team. Together, we deliver innovative and ethical solutions that help businesses achieve their ambitions faster.
The role
As part of our regional growth, we are looking for a strategic and experienced leader to serve as our Head of Customer Due Diligence, Americas. You will oversee a team of five people managers and a total of ± 45, spanning onboarding to ongoing reviews, and will play a pivotal role in evolving the CDD function across the region.
You will work closely with internal stakeholders - Compliance, Commercial, Product, and Legal - and external stakeholders, including merchants and regulators, to ensure Adyen delivers a risk-aware, efficient, and scalable onboarding and review experience. This role is perfect for a builder, someone excited to drive change management, shape strategy, and create scalable processes as we continue to grow in the Americas.
What you’ll do
Team Leadership & Development
- Lead and coach a high-performing CDD team across Sao Paulo, San Francisco and Chicago, including five people managers empowering them to grow in CDD knowledge and leadership skills.
- Recruit and expand the function as needed to support regional growth, ensuring consistent coverage and capability across locations.
- Track and evaluate team performance against key metrics and global/regional OKRs, driving continuous improvement.
Strategy, Operations & Stakeholder Management
- Define and execute the regional CDD strategy, ensuring alignment with global policies while addressing region-specific regulatory and commercial needs.
- Serve as a senior escalation point for internal and external stakeholders, providing guidance on complex cases and critical decisions.
- Collaborate with Commercial teams to balance risk and business objectives, enabling pragmatic and compliant decision-making.
- Partner with Compliance, Operations, and Product teams to improve processes, identify automation opportunities, and implement scalable solutions.
- Represent the Americas CDD function in regional and global initiatives, translating customer feedback and operational insights into actionable improvements.
Who you are
- 10+ years of experience in Operations (preferably Onboarding, KYC/CDD, Risk) or Compliance within financial services, fintech, banking, investment banking, or consulting.
- 7+ years of MoM people management experience (leading managers or team leads) and building high-performing teams across regions and functions.
- A strategic, operational, and hands-on leader who can translate regulatory and business requirements into actionable, scalable solutions.
- Exceptional at influencing and aligning stakeholders across regions, functions, and seniority levels through clear, confident communication.
- Growth-oriented, focused on optimizing processes, building scalable solutions, and driving individual and team development.
- Comfortable navigating ambiguity and evolving environments, balancing commercial and risk priorities.
- Deeply merchant-focused, keeping the merchant experience at the core of every decision, process, and solution.
Willing to travel regionally and globally as required.
Compensation
We offer a competitive compensation package that includes both a base salary and equity in the form of RSUs. Base salary ranges are location-dependent:
The annual base salary range for this role is $190,000 to $260,000 plus RSU's; to learn more about our compensation philosophy, please click here.
This role is based out of our San Francisco or Chicago office. We are an office-first company and value in-person collaboration; we do not offer remote-only roles
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Adyen
We actively seek different perspectives to sharpen our ideas. Our unique culture is a product of our diverse backgrounds and experiences. No matter who you are or where you’re from, you’re welcome to be your true self at Adyen.
If you need accommodations or support during the recruitment process to perform at your best, you’ll have the opportunity to let our team know in your application. We encourage people from all backgrounds and abilities to apply.
What’s next?
Ensuring a smooth and enjoyable candidate experience is critical for us. We aim to get back to you regarding your application within 5 business days. Our interview process tends to take about 4 weeks to complete, but may fluctuate depending on the role. Learn more about our hiring process here. Don’t be afraid to let us know if you need more flexibility.
This role is based out of our San Francisco or Chicago office. We are an office-first company and value in-person collaboration; we do not offer remote-only roles.