Operational Risk Manager Jobs in Issaquah, WA (NOW HIRING)

Circle (NYSE: CRCL) is one of the world's leading internet financial platform companies, building the foundation of a more open, global economy through digital assets, payment applications, and programmable blockchain infrastructure. Circle's platform includes the world's largest regulated stablecoin network anchored by USDC, Circle Payments Network for global money movement, and Arc, an enterprise-grade blockchain designed to become the Economic OS for the internet. Enterprises, financial institutions, and developers use Circle to power trusted, internet-scale financial innovation. Learn more at circle.com.

What you'll be part of:

Circle is committed to visibility and stability in everything we do. As we grow as an organization, we're expanding into some of the world's strongest jurisdictions. Speed and efficiency are motivators for our success and our employees live by our company values: High Integrity, Future Forward, Multistakeholder, Mindful, and Driven by Excellence. We have built a flexible work environment where new ideas are encouraged and everyone is a stakeholder.

What you'll be responsible for:

As part of the Global Risk Management (GRM) team, you will play a key role in protecting Circle from internal and external fraud risk. You will own Circle's fraud risk management program, oversee fraud analytics and detection capabilities, and partner across functions to ensure fraud risk is proactively managed in line with regulatory obligations, enterprise risk appetite, and Circle's global footprint. You will be accountable for ensuring Circle's fraud risk program meets applicable regulatory and licensing obligations, including maintaining documentation, investigative rigor, and timely regulatory reporting.

What you'll work on:

• Define and execute Circle's global fraud risk strategy, aligned with enterprise risk appetite, regulatory standards, and local licensing requirements (e.g., money transmission, e-money, payment services, and virtual asset regulations).

• Develop and maintain the enterprise fraud risk framework, policies, and controls, covering threats such as synthetic identity fraud, account takeovers, authorized push payment fraud, internal misconduct, social engineering, scams, and emerging typologies (e.g., deepfakes, AI-driven impersonation, mule networks).

• Lead the design and maintenance of Circle's documented Fraud Risk Management Program, addressing both internal and external fraud consistent with Circle's regulatory obligations across jurisdictions.

• Lead or partner with relevant stakeholders (e.g., Compliance, Legal, Finance, Talent, Security) to investigate suspected or actual internal wrongdoing, ensuring timely incident reporting to the NYDFS, or other regulatory requirements and maintenance of complete records for regulator review.

• Oversee or support investigations into suspected or actual internal or external fraud, escalation protocols, and retention of comprehensive case documentation in line with regulatory expectations.

• Oversee a comprehensive fraud risk management program that demonstrates compliance with regulatory expectations, including those from FinCEN, OCC, FCA, MAS, AMF, ACPR, and other key global regulators.

• Lead fraud analytics and oversee detection systems and AI-driven tools to identify emerging patterns while minimizing false positives and customer friction.

• Ensure fraud risk management is embedded across Circle's control environment, including financial crime compliance (AML/CTF), cybersecurity, product risk, and operational resilience programs.

• Conduct fraud risk assessments across products, customer segments, channels, and geographies, ensuring risks are identified, mitigated, and reported to senior management and regulators where required.

• Define and monitor key fraud metrics (KPIs and KRIs) to assess performance, support enterprise risk reporting, and evidence compliance with ongoing regulatory obligations.

• Serve as a key liaison with regulators, law enforcement, and industry partners, representing Circle in fraud-related matters and ensuring Circle meets its regulatory disclosure, escalation, and remediation duties.

• Ensure the fraud program remains dynamic and continuously evolving, with regular effectiveness reviews, testing, and updates to reflect emerging threats, operational changes, and evolving regulatory expectations globally.

• Drive continuous improvement through root-cause analysis of incidents, technology innovation, and process optimization.

What you'll bring to Circle:

• 10+ years of experience in fraud risk management in fintech, payments, banking, or financial services.

• Strong understanding of fraud threats, including synthetic identities, deepfakes, account takeovers, scams, and transaction fraud.

• Proven experience managing fraud risk under global regulatory frameworks (e.g., U.S. AML Act, FinCEN guidance, PSD2, MiCA, UK Fraud Act, MAS PSN01, FATF standards).

• Hands-on experience with fraud detection systems, data analytics, and AI/ML-driven risk solutions.

• Demonstrated ability to assess risks, design controls, and deliver enterprise-level reporting aligned to regulatory expectations.

• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders in Risk, Compliance, Legal, and Technology.

• Excellent communication skills-able to translate complex risk and regulatory concepts for diverse audiences.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Risk, or related field (advanced degree or certifications such as CFE, CAMS, or ACAMS preferred).

Circle is on a mission to create an inclusive financial future, with transparency at our core. We consider a wide variety of elements when crafting our compensation ranges and total compensation packages.

Starting pay is determined by various factors, including but not limited to: relevant experience, skill set, qualifications, and other business and organizational needs. Please note that compensation ranges may differ for candidates in other locations.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, or any other protected status required by the laws in the locations where we hire. Additionally, Circle participates in the E-Verify Program in certain locations, as required by law.

Should you require accommodations or assistance in our interview process because of a disability, please reach out toaccommodations@circle.comfor support. We respect your privacy and will connect with you separately from our interview process to accommodate your needs.

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