Compliance Specialist

Straddle is building the trust layer for how money moves in the United States. The payments infrastructure that underpins $100 trillion in annual volume was designed for a world of batch processing and banking hours. We're replacing it with a single API that connects identity verification, bank account connectivity, and real-time payment processing across every major rail. About the Role The Compliance Support Associate is the front line for merchants and partners moving money on Straddle. You will answer payment questions, unblock stuck transactions, and handle the day-to-day compliance work that keeps our ACH program healthy. You will work closely with our Compliance Lead to enable your success. On a daily basis, you will manage merchant tickets related to payment status, ACH returns, holds, and authorization questions - triaging what needs immediate action versus what can be queued for review or escalated. You will run authorization reviews on flagged transactions, document your findings, and monitor queues for transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, and KYB document review. This is a generalist role. About half of your week will look like customer support with a compliance lens. The other half will look like junior compliance work with a customer-facing edge. You will also help maintain the SOPs, help center articles, and runbooks that keep our program consistent and audit-ready — and when an exam or internal audit comes around, you will support evidence pulls, artifact organization, and draft responses as directed by the Head of Compliance. Straddle moves money for merchants who depend on us to be both fast and confident in the payments landing. The Compliance Support Associate is where customer trust meets regulatory rigor. You will see every part of the platform, learn the rails deeply, and grow into a Risk Analyst, Customer Success Lead, or Payment Operations Specialist depending on your performance and interests. We expect strong written communication, comfort with ambiguity, and willingness to learn the NACHA rules and BSA/AML basics. Key Responsibilities Merchant Support – Respond to tickets related to payment status, ACH returns, holds, and authorization questions. Triage urgency, communicate clearly with merchants and partners, and see issues through to escalation or resolution with a customer-first instinct and a compliance-aware lens. Transaction Authorization Reviews – Run authorization reviews on flagged transactions, evaluate whether activity falls within expected patterns, and document your findings and decisions clearly for the record. Queue Monitoring – Monitor daily queues for transaction monitoring alerts, sanctions screening results, and KYB document review. Identify items requiring escalation and route them appropriately without letting anything age out unaddressed. KYC/KYB Onboarding Support – Work alongside Risk Analysts on customer due diligence reviews for new merchant onboarding. Gather documentation, flag discrepancies, and help ensure every new customer has cleared the required checks before going live. Exception Resolution – Investigate and resolve payment exceptions including ACH returns and disputes. Gather the relevant context, determine the appropriate action, and document the outcome in our case management system. Documentation & Knowledge Base – Maintain and improve compliance and risk-related internal SOPs, runbooks, and help center articles at help.straddle.com. Keep documentation current as rules, tools, and processes evolve. Audit & Exam Support – Support audit and exam preparation by pulling evidence, organizing artifacts, and drafting responses to information requests as directed by the Compliance Lead. Maintain organized, reliable records that hold up under scrutiny. Escalation & Reporting – Escalate suspicious activity, sanctions hits, and potential rule violations with clear documentation and proper context. Know when to escal… Required Qualifications Professional Experience – 1 to 2 years of experience in customer support, customer success, payment operations, or compliance. Ideally at a fintech, bank, or payments company where the work had real regulatory stakes. Written Communication – Strong written communication skills and a customer-first instinct. You write clearly under pressure, explain complex situations in plain language, and document decisions in a way that stands on its own. Comfort with Structure and Tools – Comfortable with structured tools and documentation workflows. We use Plain, Linear, Notion, Salesforce, and our own internal dashboards. You do not need to know all of them, but you pick up new tools quickly and use them consistently. Startup Readiness – Comfortable working with ambiguity in a small, fast-moving company. You can hold multiple workstreams at once, prioritize intelligently, and ask for help when something is outside your lane. Attention to Detail – Detail-oriented and methodical. When a task exists, you handle it to completion. When it does not, you create one to not allow tasks to slip through the cracks. Integrity and Discretion – High integrity and sound judgment with sensitive information. You will see customer financial data, transaction details, and compliance case files daily. Confidentiality and professional conduct are non-negotiable. Preferred Qualifications Payments and Compliance Exposure – Familiarity with ACH, NACHA rules, BSA/AML, KYC/KYB, or sanctions concepts Tool Familiarity – Not a requirement at all, but prior experience with Plain, Linear, or Notion would be beneficial. Knowing the tools we already use means less ramp time and more time doing the actual work. Certification Interest – Interest in or progress toward CAFS, CAFCA, CAMS, or similar industry certifications. We support continuing education. Regulated Industry Background – Prior experience at a fintech, financial institution, or other regulated-industry employer where compliance was treated as a real operational function, not an afterthought. AI-Augmented Work – Experience using AI tools to improve work quality or efficiency. We are a technology company and expect our team to use the best tools available. Benefits Flexible Work Environment – Hybrid options so you can work where you are most productive. Denver area preferred for this role, with in-office collaboration on compliance-sensitive work. Equity Ownership – As an early team member, you will receive equity in the form of options — your contributions grow the company, and you share in the upside. Unlimited PTO – Take the time you need to rest and recharge. We trust our team to balance time off with results. Health & Wellness Coverage – Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, with 100% employee premium coverage on select plans. Paid Parental Leave – Fully paid time off for new parents, including adoption and foster care. Professional Development – Paid courses, certifications, and conference opportunities — including support for CAFS, CAFCA, CAMS, or similar compliance credentials. Home Office & Equipment Stipend – A stipend to set up your workspace and get the tools you need to work comfortably and effectively. Team Retreats – Regular company offsites to align on strategy, collaborate face-to-face, and build the team. Mission-Driven Work – Help build infrastructure that moves money more efficiently, securely, and transparently for modern businesses. #J-18808-Ljbffr