Equity Administration Manager

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.

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 Corporate Legal team is a trusted advisor at the heart of Kraken’s operations, guiding the company through complex legal landscapes while enabling innovation and growth. Within this team, the Equity Administration function plays a critical role in managing Kraken’s cap table, equity programs, and global stock plan compliance. The team partners closely with Legal, Accounting, Finance, HR, and Executive Leadership to ensure that equity is administered accurately, efficiently, and in alignment with the company’s strategic goals.

As Manager of Equity Administration, you’ll lead the design and execution of Kraken’s global equity programs, oversee cap table management, and be the primary point of contact for all equity-related matters. You will work cross-functionally with Legal, Finance, People, and external stakeholders to support strategic transactions, maintain compliance, and ensure a seamless equity experience for Krakenites around the world. This position reports to the Director of Equity.

• Accurately and timely conduct the day-to-day administration of the company’s equity plans globally

• Maintain company capitalization table including regular inputting of new grants, share issuances, and complex vesting schedules

• Manage all participant equity plan transactions (grants, exercises, etc.) and ensure that they are correctly processed in a timely manner

• Communicate with equity plan participants regarding the equity programs, resolving questions, issues, and concerns related to vesting, transactions, enrollment, and other general inquiries

• Manage option exercises, pending new hires, and other grant lists and reconcile transactions, termination dates, tax withholding, and reporting, and other items as required

• Provide day to day support to the Corporate Governance, HR, Payroll and Finance teams with respect to equity compensation reporting and data

• Work with internal and external auditors and finance team for quarterly reviews, year-end audits and regulatory audits of procedures and controls as needed

• Manage secondary market transactions including management of highly detail intensive step-by-step closing process

• Provide assistance to the Corporate Governance team in facilitating and preparing documents related to stock transfers

• Additional duties and responsibilities as assigned

• B.A. or similar degree

• 6+ years of related experience as stock plan administrator in startup or corporate practice

• International public company company experience

• Significant experience with eShareworks

• Strong technical skills especially MS Excel or other spreadsheet programs

• Commitment to process, tracking and reporting, and responsiveness

• Hands-on proficiency using generative AI tools (such as Claude or ChatGPT) in day-to-day work, with sound judgment on verifying outputs and protecting confidentiality, privilege, and personal data

• Certified Equity Professionals (CEP) designation preferred

• Paralegal / Fintech / Startup experience

• Both pre-IPO and post-IPO experience (or similar public offering)

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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