Security Associate, M&A & Partnerships

Building the Future of Open Finance

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.

The Team

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.

We are a small, M&A-focused Security and IT team that consistently punches above our weight while operating within Kraken’s broader Security organization. We represent Security and IT throughout M&A transactions and collaborate with partners across HR, Engineering, Legal, Vendor Management, Finance, Compliance, Business Operations, and other teams.

While diligence work is confidential, the team embraces hyper-transparency post-close, fostering open dialogue and candid discussions while staying adaptable to the evolving landscape of the crypto industry.

The Opportunity

• Security Diligence: Conduct due diligence on the security and IT components of potential acquisitions, partnerships, and vendor engagements. Evaluate the cybersecurity posture, IT infrastructure, and technology stack of target companies.

• Security and IT Integration: Lead integration of IT systems and security practices for acquired companies. Coordinate cross-functional efforts to ensure integration while maintaining Kraken’s security standards.

• Technical Project Execution: Drive unique security and IT workstreams across M&A transactions. Advocate for technical actions, rationalize technology stacks, and align acquired environments with Kraken’s security architecture.

• Cross-Team Coordination: Partner with Security, IT, Engineering, Corporate Development, and Product leaders to align on requirements, timelines, and execution plans.

• Process Improvement & Tooling: Continuously improve internal workflows through automation, AI-enabled tooling, and consistent reporting mechanisms.

What you bring

• 4+ years of experience in security, engineering, IT, technical PM, or M&A integration roles

• 2+ years executing or defining technical scopes of work in consulting or client-facing environments

• Broad experience across Security, IT, and Engineering disciplines

• Deep expertise in at least one of these areas:

  • Identity & Access Management (IAM)

  • IT Systems Management

  • Software Engineering

  • Application Security

  • DevOps / SRE

  • Vulnerability Management

  • Technical Project Management

  • Security Architecture

  • Cloud & Datacenter Security

• Demonstrated ability to design or execute technical architecture plans that support business goals

• Experience leveraging automation and AI to improve technical workflows

• Working knowledge of audit and compliance frameworks

• Strong understanding of IT systems, network infrastructure, and cybersecurity principles

• Familiarity with regulatory and legal considerations related to IT and cybersecurity

• Ability to thrive in fast-paced, evolving environments

• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with diverse technical and business stakeholders

Nice to haves

• Prior experience in cryptocurrency or fintech

• Experience working with globally distributed remote teams

• Deep listening and empathy for team dynamics

• Bias for action and results over rigid processes

• Strategic mindset with the ability to zoom in on tactical details

• Curious, low ego, highly collaborative, open to lessons learned

• Systems thinker who sees patterns and opportunities across silos

• Experience creating unique technical scopes of work for complex initiatives

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.

Payward 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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