Licensing and Audit Manager

Overview

This role leads and manages licensing and audit functions for a regulated payments business operating as a money transmitter in the United States. Responsibilities include obtaining and maintaining state licenses, managing regulatory examinations and audits, and driving remediation of gaps identified through those processes.

The position reports to the Chief Compliance Officer and partners closely with Compliance, Legal, Finance, Product, Engineering, and Operations as the business scales.

On-site attendance in the Los Angeles office is preferred. Remote candidates will be considered, with regular travel to the Los Angeles office required to collaborate with the team and cross-functional stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end license lifecycle for the money transmission business, including:
  • Preparing, filing, and tracking new state license applications and change-of-control, key-individual, and other amendment filings in NMLS
  • Managing renewals and ongoing license maintenance across all states
• Serve as the primary point of contact for state regulators and, where applicable, federal regulators during licensing cycles, including responding to:
  • Deficiency requests
  • Supplemental information requests
  • Follow-up inquiries
• Maintain a licensing calendar and inventory of:
  • License conditions
  • Surety bonds
  • Net worth and permissible investment requirements
  • Registered agents
  • Renewal deadlines
  • Partner with Finance and Legal to gather supporting information and documentation
• Prepare, review, and submit regulatory reports, including the NMLS MSB Call Report and other periodic state and federal filings, ensuring:
  • Accuracy
  • Consistency with source data
  • On-time submission
• Manage regulatory examinations from notification through close-out, including:
  • Coordinating request lists
  • Organizing and reviewing document production
  • Preparing management and subject matter experts for interviews
  • Serving as the day-to-day contact for examiners
• Manage the audit program, including:
  • Bank and partner audits
  • The annual independent Title 31 BSA/AML audit
  • Compliance Management System (CMS) audit
  • Coordinate scope, timing, evidence, and findings with independent auditors and internal stakeholders
• Lead audit and examination remediation by:
  • Logging findings and gaps
  • Assigning owners
  • Defining corrective action plans with realistic timelines
  • Tracking progress to completion
  • Validating that fixes are effective
  • Reporting status to the CCO and leadership
• Establish and run quality assurance and monitoring for licensing and audit activities, including a central repository of:
  • Examination responses
  • Audit evidence
  • Regulatory correspondence
  • Ensure consistent and efficient responses over time
• Monitor changes in state and federal money transmission laws and regulations (including licensing, surety, reporting, and examination requirements), assess impact, and partner with the CCO and Legal to update policies, procedures, and processes
• Continuously improve licensing and audit processes by identifying manual steps and recurring pain points and designing templates, trackers, workflows, and automation to support scalable, audit-ready operations as the organization expands into new states, products, and partners
• Partner with Product, Engineering, Operations, Finance, and Legal to evaluate licensing impact and regulatory notification requirements for new products, markets, and business changes before launch
• Support the CCO and Compliance Program Manager with licensing- and audit-related compliance program documentation, including:
  • Controls Inventory
  • Risk assessments
  • Policies and procedures
• Provide direction and work prioritization for the Compliance Analyst supporting licensing and examination activities, and support the CCO as needed

Requirements

• 5+ years of hands-on experience working in NMLS, actively applying for and maintaining state money transmission licenses for a licensed money transmitter or similarly regulated fintech
• Demonstrated experience interacting directly with state and federal regulators (e.g., state banking departments, FinCEN, and the IRS) during licensing cycles and examinations, including responding to findings and deficiency requests
• Experience preparing and filing the NMLS MSB Call Report and other periodic regulatory reports
• Working knowledge of state money transmission laws and the Bank Secrecy Act as applicable to MSBs, and of consumer protection requirements such as Reg E (familiarity with digital asset or cross-border payments is a plus)
• Proven experience managing examinations and audits (regulatory, bank partner, and independent audits such as Title 31 or CMS) and leading remediation through to closure
• Exceptional attention to detail and organization, with the ability to manage many concurrent filings, deadlines, and requests without compromising accuracy
• Process-improvement mindset, including comfort building or redesigning processes, trackers, and workflows, and using tools or automation to make licensing and audit work more efficient and repeatable
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the credibility to work with regulators, auditors, executives, and cross-functional teams
• Sound judgment and ability to escalate appropriately to the CCO, balancing regulatory requirements with business needs
• Prior experience in a start-up or high-growth environment, or building programs from scratch, is preferred
• Bachelor’s degree preferred; relevant certifications (such as CAMS or CRCM) are a plus

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in a start-up or high-growth environment, or building programs from scratch
• Relevant certifications such as CAMS or CRCM

Compensation & Benefits

• Compensation Range: $179K - $210K

Location

• Los Angeles office (on-site attendance preferred)
• Remote candidates will be considered with regular travel to the Los Angeles office required

Equal Opportunity / Hiring Notices

• For US Applicants: qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered in a manner consistent with the requirements of the State of California Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.
• For EU Applicants: in accordance with applicable EU and local regulations, including the Estonian Employment Contracts Act, Equal Treatment Act, and Gender Equality Act, equal treatment is ensured throughout the hiring process.