Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globally accessible financial infrastructure platforms in the industry, built to advance an open, global financial system.
Before you apply, we encourage you to explore our culture page to understand what drives us and how we work.
Founded in 2011, Kraken is one of the world's longest-standing crypto platforms, trusted by over 10 million individuals and institutions across the globe. It offers spot trading, margin, futures, staking, and OTC services, with products built for both individual investors and institutional clients.
The Director, Legal Operations will serve as the centralized owner for Legal’s operations, technology, data, and execution. This role is responsible for Legal AI strategy and implementation, partnering closely with Engineering, Product, Security, Finance, and other stakeholders to modernize and scale Kraken’s legal function. As Kraken’s regulatory footprint and business complexity grow, this leader will own operational strategy, tooling, process design, and metrics—driving automation, AI adoption, workflow standardization, and vendor optimization. This role ensures Legal operates as a strategic, data-driven partner to the business rather than a reactive cost center.
This leader will also be responsible for Legal’s financial, resourcing, and demand management foundations—ensuring the right work is done by the right resource at the right cost, with predictable outcomes as the organization scales.
Serve as DRI for Legal Operations, Legal Technology, and Legal AI strategy, execution, and governance.
Own Legal’s operating model across workflows, processes, resourcing, and service delivery.
Own budget planning, forecasting, accruals, and cost modeling with Finance.
Manage legal billing and outside counsel.
Lead resourcing, capacity planning, headcount modeling, role design, and make/buy/automate decisions.
Manage the legal technology stack (CLM, matter management, AI tools, knowledge management, intake, spend management).
Enforce centralized ownership, standardization, and compliance across legal technology.
Evaluate AI tooling, drive build-vs-buy decisions, translate requirements into technical roadmaps, ensure secure deployment, measure ROI, and lead integrations.
Establish metrics, dashboards, and controls for workload, demand, spend, cycle times, efficiency, risk, and outcomes.
Design and operate intake, triage, and demand-management frameworks, including prioritization models, service tiers, SLAs, and self-service pathways.
Optimize vendor and contractor management, spend controls, billing review, performance measurement, and work allocation.
Design, implement, and adopt AI-enabled legal workflows at scale.
Evolve the Legal knowledge management strategy (playbooks, templates, decision trees, guidance) for reuse and automation.
Prioritize operational, process, and technology initiatives based on impact, risk reduction, and ROI.
Lead change management, training, and adoption for new processes, technologies, and AI systems.
Ensure compliance with regulatory, security, privacy, and compliance standards.
Maintain operational controls to reduce legal, regulatory, and model risk.
Enable attorneys to focus on legal judgment, strategy, and advisory work.
10+ years in Legal Operations, legal technology, process design, finance-adjacent operations, or operational leadership.
Experience scaling legal operations, legal technology, financial management, and data-driven execution.
Experience driving automation and AI initiatives from strategy through deployment, governance, adoption, and ROI measurement.
Understanding of legal workflows (contracts, regulatory, litigation, investigations, intake, outside counsel management) and process redesign.
Hands-on experience optimizing legal technology platforms (CLM, matter management, spend management, intake, knowledge management, AI tools).
Ability to translate requirements into technical roadmaps and operational plans.
Experience establishing metrics, dashboards, controls, and OKRs.
Communication skills to influence legal leaders, executives, and technical teams.
Experience operating in ambiguity and leading transformation in high-growth environments.
Experience in fintech, crypto, financial services, or regulated industries.
Background in enterprise AI governance, model risk management, or secure AI deployment.
People management experience in Legal Operations or adjacent functions.
Experience benchmarking Legal Operations practices, tooling, and cost structures against industry standards.
Unless a specific application deadline is stated in the job posting, applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
Please note, applicants are permitted to redact or remove information on their resume that identifies age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.
We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment on our team, assessing candidates in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.
Our commitmentPayward is powered by people from around the world and we celebrate the diverse talents, backgrounds, contributions, and unique perspectives that everyone brings to the table. We hire based on merit, seeking out people with the right abilities, knowledge, and skills for the job. We encourage you to apply for roles where you don't fully meet the listed requirements, especially if you're passionate or knowledgeable about crypto.
We may ask candidates to complete job-related skills or work-style assessments as part of our hiring process. These assessments evaluate competencies relevant to the role and are applied consistently across candidates for similar positions. Results are considered alongside experience and interviews, and are not the sole basis for any employment decision.
As an equal opportunity employer, we don't tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind, whether based on race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, citizenship, religion, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.
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Skills Required
- 10+ years in Legal Operations, legal technology, process design, finance-adjacent operations, or operational leadership
- Experience scaling legal operations, legal technology, financial management, and data-driven execution
- Experience driving automation and AI initiatives from strategy through deployment, governance, adoption, and ROI measurement
- Understanding of legal workflows including contracts, regulatory matters, litigation, investigations, intake, and outside counsel management
- Hands-on experience optimizing CLM, matter management, spend management, intake, knowledge management, and AI platforms
- Ability to translate requirements into technical roadmaps and operational plans
- Experience establishing metrics, dashboards, controls, and OKRs
- Strong communication skills to influence legal leaders, executives, and technical teams
- Experience operating in ambiguity and leading transformation in high-growth environments
- Experience in fintech, crypto, financial services, or regulated industries
- Background in enterprise AI governance, model risk management, or secure AI deployment
- People management experience in Legal Operations or adjacent functions
- Experience benchmarking Legal Operations practices, tooling, and cost structures against industry standards
Kraken Digital Asset Exchange Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Kraken Digital Asset Exchange and has not been reviewed or approved by Kraken Digital Asset Exchange.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered competitive for many roles, with strong total compensation reported for in‑demand technical and senior positions. Market‑aligned packages are highlighted across key functions, indicating the ability to reach top‑of‑market for certain hires.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity grants are available for most roles, complemented by bonus programs and the option to receive a portion of pay in crypto. This ownership‑oriented design is positioned as part of the standard total compensation approach.
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Flexible Benefits — A remote‑first operating model, flexible time off, and a remote‑workstation setup bonus emphasize autonomy and location flexibility. Core benefits are framed to support distributed work across multiple regions.
Kraken Digital Asset Exchange Insights
What We Do
Kraken is one of the world’s longest-standing and most secure crypto platforms. Our mission is to accelerate the global adoption of crypto, so that everyone can achieve financial freedom and inclusion. Globally, Kraken clients trade more than 200 digital assets and 6 different national currencies, including GBP, EUR, USD, CAD, CHF, and AUD. Kraken was founded in 2011 and was one of the first platforms to offer spot trading with margin,, staking, regulated derivatives and index services. Trusted by over 10 million individuals, traders and institutions around the world, Kraken offers professional 24/7/365 client support along with one of the fastest, most performant trading platforms available. Kraken has set the industry standard for transparency and client trust, and was the first crypto platform to conduct Proof of Reserves. In 2024, Kraken ranked 12th in Newsweek's Global Top 100 list of Most Loved Workplaces. This recognition reflects our ongoing commitment to providing a flexible workplace that prioritizes wellbeing and career development. Kraken prioritizes client-centricity, security, and superior products, valuing merit and encouraging bold ideas within a transparent communication framework. Kraken offers a flexible, asynchronous, and globally remote work culture, allowing its employees (aka Krakenites) to balance team and personal needs. Kraken provides diverse learning and development programs, enabling Krakenites to chart their own professional paths in the crypto industry. Benefits include globally competitive compensation (with crypto payment options), flexible time off, wellness perks, and annual team retreats. Kraken's collaborative culture promotes authenticity, humility, and respect, encouraging candid interactions and valuing diverse perspectives from its global team. Crypto conviction is central to Kraken's ethos, driving product and service development. The company views challenges as opportunities for creative problem-solving, remaining adaptable in the fast-paced crypto industry. Kraken seeks individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit and a curious, self-starting approach to complex problems. The company fosters a culture of accountability and clear communication, valuing critical feedback for continuous improvement. Overall, Kraken's EVP reflects its commitment to building a bridge from traditional finance to crypto, both in its broader mission and in supporting employees transitioning to crypto careers.
Why Work With Us
Work at Kraken to be part of a mission-driven crypto revolution. Enjoy a flexible, remote-first culture that values bold ideas. Grow your career with competitive benefits and diverse learning opportunities. Join a collaborative team that embraces innovation, accountability, and globally inclusive perspectives.
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