Director, Global Licensing

Your Role:

Lead global license strategy and applications across multiple jurisdictions (U.S., Canada, U.K./EU, MENA, APAC, LATAM), including new entity formation, application preparation, and full lifecycle project management to approval.

• Responsible for owning the end-to-end process of obtaining, establishing, and launching regulatory licenses across multiple jurisdictions. This includes:
• Leading all aspects of license applications and renewals.
• Drafting and maintaining policies, procedures, compliance manuals, and operational frameworks aligned with local regulations.
• Developing business plans, governance structures, and regulatory strategies to support new market entries.
• Managing preparation and submission of application materials, including forms, disclosures, and supporting documentation.
• Coordinating with internal stakeholders, regulators, and external counsel to ensure timely and successful approvals.

 

• Coordinate regulatory submissions for securities, crypto, and futures/derivatives licenses (e.g., broker-dealer, investment dealer, crypto asset service provider, money transmitter, introducing broker, FCM, or equivalent).
• Partner cross-functionally with Legal, Compliance, Risk, Finance, InfoSec, and Product teams to compile policies, procedures, corporate governance documents, and capital materials supporting applications.
• Oversee license maintenance – ensure renewals, notifications, ownership or officer changes, and condition fulfillments are tracked and submitted on time in all jurisdictions.
• Conduct market assessments – analyze new licensing opportunities, compare frameworks, and recommend strategic sequencing of global license expansion.
• Maintain a global license inventory and centralized repository of approvals, conditions, and regulator correspondence, with periodic leadership reporting and dashboards.
• Support strategic initiatives and M&A by coordinating change-of-control or post-transaction regulatory approvals with local counsel and regulators.
• Monitor regulatory developments affecting Alpaca’s existing and prospective licenses, providing early visibility and strategic guidance to leadership.

 

Required Qualifications and Experience:

• 7 – 12+ years of experience in international licensing and regulatory affairs within financial services, fintech, or digital assets (broker-dealer, FCM, crypto exchange, or payments firm).
• Demonstrated success leading multi-jurisdiction license applications and regulator engagements across North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
• Strong working knowledge of cross-border regulatory frameworks and authorities (SEC/FINRA, CFTC/NFA, CIRO, FCA, CNMV, MAS, ADGM, CMA, DFSA, ASIC, etc.).
• Excellent relationship management skills with regulators and local counsel; diplomatic communicator who can represent the company in regulator-facing discussions.
• Proven ability to manage complex, high-stakes licensing projects end-to-end with minimal oversight.
• Strong drafting and organizational skills with meticulous attention to accuracy and presentation.
• Nice to have: experience structuring new entities, advising on prudential capital and governance requirements, and managing post-approval conditions or renewals.