H-1B Visa Compliance Lead Jobs
Compliance Lead roles qualify as H-1B visa specialty occupations under the regulatory, legal, and business operations categories. Employers in financial services, healthcare, and tech regularly sponsor H-1B petitions for this title. Your degree field, not just your experience, determines whether USCIS approves the specialty occupation classification.
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Get Access To All JobsAbout The Team
Plaid’s Security Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) team enables the business by proactively managing information security risk and maintaining effective controls. We partner across the company to keep Plaid’s platform secure, resilient, and aligned with industry and regulatory expectations. Our assurance program builds trust with customers, consumers, and data partners. Core compliance is how we prove it. We run the certifications, audits, and regulatory obligations that let banks, customers, and regulators rely on Plaid, and we keep them aligned with a product that keeps changing.
About The Role
As Security Compliance Lead, you’ll be the single accountable owner of Plaid’s core security compliance program: SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and their governance obligations. Banks, enterprise customers, and regulators rely on what you own when they decide to work with Plaid, and your work keeps those certifications and commitments reliable and on time as the business grows. You will set the program’s structure and direction, with a roadmap and KPIs that turn compliance from a pass/fail event into a program leadership can steer. The control catalog you build will sit behind every audit, so one control and one piece of evidence can satisfy many obligations, from SOC 2 to FedRAMP. Your internal audits will find gaps before an external auditor, customer, or regulator does. You will make sure compliance shapes product decisions before launch instead of reacting to them. As Plaid expands into new products, markets, and frameworks, you will build a program that keeps pace without adding headcount, using AI and automation.
Responsibilities
- Own the compliance program and governance calendar: Lead SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, and ISO 27701 end to end. Run the annual and quarterly governance obligations (policy reviews, access and change-management reviews, security training, vendor reviews, and regulatory, bank, and partner assessments), each with an owner, a date, and evidence of completion.
- Build and own the control catalog: Design and maintain one control catalog mapped across every framework Plaid reports against, built to FedRAMP and NIST 800-53 depth, with clear control owners, quarterly owner certification, and testing.
- Run internal audit and policy assurance: Build a risk-based internal audit plan that tests operating effectiveness and whether policies are followed, and own the policy lifecycle. Track findings to remediation, and partner with Finance on ITGCs.
- Set direction and measure the program: Define what a mature program looks like, set the roadmap and KPIs to get there, and report progress to security leadership each quarter.
- Embed GRC by design: Track product roadmaps and supporting infrastructure with Product and Engineering. You will assess how launches and material changes affect audit scope and system boundaries, and build lightweight checkpoints into product discovery.
- Scale through AI and automation: Build repeatable processes, runbooks, and AI-driven automation for evidence, testing, scoping, and audit requests.
Qualifications
Must haves:
- Compliance program ownership:
+ Has been the accountable owner of SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001/27701 programs through multiple audit cycles, including setting the roadmap and KPIs that matured them
+ Has built or rebuilt a common control framework mapped across multiple frameworks, with control owners and testing
- FedRAMP:
+ Hands-on FedRAMP experience (Rev5 or 20x): NIST 800-53 control implementation, boundary and SSP documentation, third-party assessment, and continuous monitoring
- Internal audit, policy assurance, ITGC, and SOX:
+ Has planned and run risk-based internal audits that test operating effectiveness and policy adherence, and has driven findings to remediation
+ Has worked with Finance or internal controls teams and external auditors on ITGCs and SOX
- Governance obligations and product-aware compliance:
+ Has partnered with Product and Engineering to scope launches and infrastructure changes into audits, and has embedded compliance checkpoints into product development
+ Has run a recurring governance calendar (policy, access, training, vendor, and regulatory or partner reviews) and translated obligations from customers, banks, regulators, or government agencies into control and audit requirements
- AI fluency and tooling:
+ Takes an AI-first approach: has built AI workflows or automations that materially reduced manual compliance work, and shares what works with the team
Nice To Have
- Experience with EU financial-services obligations (DORA, central bank IT and cyber assessments, FCA operational and security risk reporting) or bank-consortium assessments such as TruSight
Our mission at Plaid is to unlock financial freedom for everyone. To support that mission, we seek to build a diverse team of driven individuals who care deeply about making the financial ecosystem more equitable. We recognize that strong qualifications can come from both prior work experiences and lived experiences. We encourage you to apply to a role even if your experience doesn't fully match the job description. We are always looking for team members that will bring something unique to Plaid!
Plaid is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion or religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, military or veteran status, disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws.
Plaid is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance with your application or interviews due to a disability, please let us know at accommodations@plaid.com. Please review our Candidate Privacy Notice here.
Additional compensation in the form(s) of equity and/or commission are dependent on the position offered. Plaid provides a comprehensive benefit plan, including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k). Pay is based on factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience and skillset, and location. Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation or benefit plans.
Compensation Range: $141,120 - $259,200
About The Team
Plaid’s Security Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) team enables the business by proactively managing information security risk and maintaining effective controls. We partner across the company to keep Plaid’s platform secure, resilient, and aligned with industry and regulatory expectations. Our assurance program builds trust with customers, consumers, and data partners. Core compliance is how we prove it. We run the certifications, audits, and regulatory obligations that let banks, customers, and regulators rely on Plaid, and we keep them aligned with a product that keeps changing.
About The Role
As Security Compliance Lead, you’ll be the single accountable owner of Plaid’s core security compliance program: SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and their governance obligations. Banks, enterprise customers, and regulators rely on what you own when they decide to work with Plaid, and your work keeps those certifications and commitments reliable and on time as the business grows. You will set the program’s structure and direction, with a roadmap and KPIs that turn compliance from a pass/fail event into a program leadership can steer. The control catalog you build will sit behind every audit, so one control and one piece of evidence can satisfy many obligations, from SOC 2 to FedRAMP. Your internal audits will find gaps before an external auditor, customer, or regulator does. You will make sure compliance shapes product decisions before launch instead of reacting to them. As Plaid expands into new products, markets, and frameworks, you will build a program that keeps pace without adding headcount, using AI and automation.
Responsibilities
- Own the compliance program and governance calendar: Lead SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, and ISO 27701 end to end. Run the annual and quarterly governance obligations (policy reviews, access and change-management reviews, security training, vendor reviews, and regulatory, bank, and partner assessments), each with an owner, a date, and evidence of completion.
- Build and own the control catalog: Design and maintain one control catalog mapped across every framework Plaid reports against, built to FedRAMP and NIST 800-53 depth, with clear control owners, quarterly owner certification, and testing.
- Run internal audit and policy assurance: Build a risk-based internal audit plan that tests operating effectiveness and whether policies are followed, and own the policy lifecycle. Track findings to remediation, and partner with Finance on ITGCs.
- Set direction and measure the program: Define what a mature program looks like, set the roadmap and KPIs to get there, and report progress to security leadership each quarter.
- Embed GRC by design: Track product roadmaps and supporting infrastructure with Product and Engineering. You will assess how launches and material changes affect audit scope and system boundaries, and build lightweight checkpoints into product discovery.
- Scale through AI and automation: Build repeatable processes, runbooks, and AI-driven automation for evidence, testing, scoping, and audit requests.
Qualifications
Must haves:
- Compliance program ownership:
+ Has been the accountable owner of SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001/27701 programs through multiple audit cycles, including setting the roadmap and KPIs that matured them
+ Has built or rebuilt a common control framework mapped across multiple frameworks, with control owners and testing
- FedRAMP:
+ Hands-on FedRAMP experience (Rev5 or 20x): NIST 800-53 control implementation, boundary and SSP documentation, third-party assessment, and continuous monitoring
- Internal audit, policy assurance, ITGC, and SOX:
+ Has planned and run risk-based internal audits that test operating effectiveness and policy adherence, and has driven findings to remediation
+ Has worked with Finance or internal controls teams and external auditors on ITGCs and SOX
- Governance obligations and product-aware compliance:
+ Has partnered with Product and Engineering to scope launches and infrastructure changes into audits, and has embedded compliance checkpoints into product development
+ Has run a recurring governance calendar (policy, access, training, vendor, and regulatory or partner reviews) and translated obligations from customers, banks, regulators, or government agencies into control and audit requirements
- AI fluency and tooling:
+ Takes an AI-first approach: has built AI workflows or automations that materially reduced manual compliance work, and shares what works with the team
Nice To Have
- Experience with EU financial-services obligations (DORA, central bank IT and cyber assessments, FCA operational and security risk reporting) or bank-consortium assessments such as TruSight
Our mission at Plaid is to unlock financial freedom for everyone. To support that mission, we seek to build a diverse team of driven individuals who care deeply about making the financial ecosystem more equitable. We recognize that strong qualifications can come from both prior work experiences and lived experiences. We encourage you to apply to a role even if your experience doesn't fully match the job description. We are always looking for team members that will bring something unique to Plaid!
Plaid is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion or religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, military or veteran status, disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws.
Plaid is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance with your application or interviews due to a disability, please let us know at accommodations@plaid.com. Please review our Candidate Privacy Notice here.
Additional compensation in the form(s) of equity and/or commission are dependent on the position offered. Plaid provides a comprehensive benefit plan, including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k). Pay is based on factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience and skillset, and location. Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation or benefit plans.
Compensation Range: $141,120 - $259,200
See all 268+ H-1B Visa Compliance Lead Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new H-1B Visa Compliance Lead Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding H-1B Visa Sponsorship in Compliance Lead
Align your degree to the role
USCIS scrutinizes Compliance Lead petitions when the applicant holds a general business degree. Document how your coursework in regulatory affairs, law, or finance directly maps to your compliance duties before your employer files.
Use OFLC Wage Search before negotiating
Look up the prevailing wage for Compliance Lead under SOC code 13-1041 in your target metro. Your offered salary must meet the DOL wage level, and knowing the floor prevents offers that USCIS will reject at the LCA stage.
Target employers with active LCA filings
Search Migrate Mate to find employers who have filed Labor Condition Applications for compliance roles. Past LCA filings confirm the employer understands the H-1B process and has an internal sponsor pathway already in place.
Flag regulated-industry employers early
Banks, broker-dealers, and healthcare systems have dedicated compliance functions and file H-1B petitions routinely. Firms subject to SEC, FINRA, or OCC oversight hire Compliance Leads at scale, making them more likely to sponsor than general corporations.
Clarify cap-exempt status with your employer
If your prospective employer is a nonprofit, university, or government research entity, their H-1B petition may be cap-exempt, bypassing the annual lottery. Confirm the employer's cap status before the October filing window closes off your options.
Request premium processing from the start
Compliance roles often have regulatory deadlines tied to the start date. Ask your employer to file with USCIS premium processing so you get a decision within 15 business days, reducing the risk of a gap in your authorization.
H-1B Visa Compliance Lead: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Compliance Lead role qualify as an H-1B specialty occupation?
Yes, if the position requires a bachelor's degree or higher in a specific field such as finance, law, accounting, or regulatory affairs. USCIS evaluates the job duties, not just the title. Generic management roles can face Requests for Evidence, so your employer's job description must tie every core duty to a degree-specific body of knowledge.
Which industries are most likely to sponsor H-1B visas for Compliance Leads?
Financial services, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and technology are the highest-volume sponsors. These sectors face mandatory regulatory frameworks that require credentialed compliance professionals. Employers subject to federal oversight by agencies like the SEC, OCC, FDA, or HHS file H-1B petitions for compliance roles more consistently than unregulated industries. Use Migrate Mate to browse verified H-1B sponsors in these sectors.
Can I switch Compliance Lead employers while on H-1B status?
Yes, under H-1B portability rules you can start working for a new employer as soon as they file a new I-129 petition, as long as your previous status was valid and you've been in the U.S. for at least 180 days since your last approval. Your new employer must file before your current authorization expires to maintain continuous work authorization.
What happens to my H-1B if my employer is acquired or undergoes a restructuring?
If the acquiring company is a successor in interest and your role, duties, and wage remain substantially the same, your H-1B status generally continues without a new petition. However, if the legal employer entity changes or your job duties shift significantly, your employer must file an amended I-129. USCIS guidance on successor-in-interest applies here, and compliance departments are frequently affected during M&A transitions.
Does compliance work experience outside the U.S. count toward the specialty occupation requirement?
Foreign work experience can substitute for education at a rate of three years of experience per one year of a bachelor's degree, but only if a credential evaluation confirms the equivalency. USCIS requires this evaluation from a recognized credential assessment organization. For Compliance Lead roles, relevant regulatory or legal experience in a comparable foreign jurisdiction strengthens the equivalency argument substantially.