Compliance Lead

At Catawiki, every day brings the extraordinary! Whether it’s Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 Car, a Woolly Mammoth’s Skeleton, Lady Gaga's Jumpsuit or Usain Bolt’s running shoe, we encounter exceptional objects every day.

We're a one-of-a-kind marketplace for buying and selling special objects! Each week we offer over 75,000 unique items in auction , carefully curated by our passionate in-house experts.

Having sold over 20 million unique objects to date, we’re on a mission to become the world’s most popular destination for special objects. As a growing, diverse and sustainable scale-up, we proudly live by our core values:

• Taking ownership and driving impact
• Being open to change and feedback
• Being passionate about our mission and our customers.

If these values resonate with you, we’d love to explore how you can join us on this exciting journey!

About the role

As our Lead Compliance Counsel, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring that Catawiki meets all regulatory requirements and adheres to internal policies, supporting our mission to be a trusted and secure platform for users worldwide. You will act as a strategic advisor, championing compliance across all levels of the organization while building and overseeing frameworks that mitigate risk and foster a culture of compliance.

This is a highly impactful role that combines compliance strategy, operational leadership, and cross-functional collaboration to support Catawiki’s growth and success. Flexibility and creative problem-solving will be essential as you identify smarter, faster, and more impactful ways to align legal and compliance operations with business priorities.

What you’ll do

• Strategic Compliance Leadership:

• Develop and implement Catawiki’s company-wide compliance program, ensuring alignment with applicable laws, regulations, and business objectives.
• Monitor and analyze regulatory developments, identifying potential impacts on business operations and proactively advising on necessary adjustments.

• Conduct regulatory & compliance risk assessments to understand, prioritize, and mitigate risks in alignment with the company’s risk appetite, with a focus on creative and practical solutions.

• Policy Development & Enforcement:

• Create, review, and enforce policies related to key compliance themes, including product regulatory compliance (e.g., CITES, ivory, diamonds, cultural heritage), DSA compliance, consumer protection laws, financial regulations, product safety, and speak-up mechanisms.

• Establish mechanisms for detecting, reporting, and addressing compliance violations, ensuring effective remediation and minimal impact.

• Training & Awareness:

• Develop and deliver employee training programs to build awareness and understanding of compliance policies and their importance to the company’s goals.

• Foster a compliance-driven culture through proactive communication and engagement across departments, emphasizing a pragmatic, hands-on approach.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Act as a strategic partner to management, employees, and other departments, providing guidance on compliance-related matters and ensuring seamless integration of compliance into business operations.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to maintain consistency in compliance messaging, terminology, and practices across the organization.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to maintain consistency in compliance messaging, terminology, and practices across the organization.

• Think outside traditional compliance frameworks to identify innovative, efficient ways to streamline processes and enhance the impact of compliance initiatives.

• Coaching and Leadership:

• Inspire, mentor, and develop junior counsels within the team, fostering growth, and ensuring they are equipped to manage complex compliance challenges. This role offers significant opportunities to shape the compliance function, enabling innovative solutions and creating impactful strategies while coaching and empowering team members to take ownership of their development and contributions.

• Regulatory Engagement:

• Represent the company in administrative or law enforcement audits, investigations, or litigation, ensuring Catawiki’s interests are protected.

• Build relationships with regulatory agencies and participate in public discourse around developments in laws, policies, and enforcement.

• Operational Oversight:

• Monitor compliance KPIs and performance metrics, regularly reporting to the Board and leadership on compliance risks and initiatives.
• Lead audits and investigations, ensuring all records, strategies, and corrective actions align with legal requirements and best practices.

What you’ll bring

We are looking for a candidate who combines strategic thinking with hands-on expertise, thrives in fast-paced environments, and is passionate about building robust compliance frameworks that drive business success. A commercial 'can-do' mindset and the ability to serve as an architect of opportunities within compliance and legal frameworks are crucial to succeed in this role.

• A Master’s degree in Law, Compliance, or a related field.
• 8+ years of relevant experience in compliance or legal roles, preferably in e-commerce, tech, or platform-based businesses.
• Deep knowledge of compliance regulations, including AML, anti-corruption, export controls, sanctions, DSA compliance, consumer protection laws, and product safety.
• Proven experience leading compliance programs and navigating complex, cross-jurisdictional regulatory landscapes.
• Strong ability to approach compliance from a risk-based perspective, identifying opportunities and solutions to manage risk pragmatically.
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex topics and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with a focus on operational efficiency and productivity.
• A proactive, solution-oriented mindset with a growth-driven attitude.
• Fluency in English; additional languages are a plus.

Why You'll Love Working with Us

• Create a Visible Impact by working at scale in a global organisation that serves millions of customers across 80+ categories. In our flat structure, every role has a broad scope that directly impacts both our customers and the business.
• Learn and Grow with Us through our Learning & Development initiatives, which include clear development plans and mentorship programmes designed to support your career progression.
• A Culture of Connection defines us. We’re a passionate, diverse and collaborative team of 800+ Catawikains and 60+ nationalities, all coming together to build a one-of-a-kind marketplace. We foster an inclusive and queer-friendly work environment, committed to making every Catawikian feel welcomed and empowered. Whatever your story, we encourage you to bring your unique perspective to our team.
• Celebrate Life’s Moments with us at Catawiki. When you join us, you’ll receive a €100 Catavoucher, and on each birthday, you'll get a €50 Catavoucher to celebrate. Enjoy an extra day off each year to "Pursue Your Passion". We also recognise significant work anniversaries (3, 5, 8, 10 years) with additional time off, plus extra leave for life’s big moments like marriage, engagements, or moving house.

Please note that benefits can vary by location. For specific information regarding what’s available in your country, please consult your recruiter.

Our Offices and Way of Working

Our vibrant offices in Amsterdam, Paris and Lisbon are designed to inspire and connect. Most Catawikians are within commuting distance of one of our offices and enjoy the flexibility of a hybrid work model. This means we typically ask you to be in the office 2 out of 5 days, roughly 40% of your working time, to collaborate and connect with your colleagues. Of course, if the job description specifies that the role is 100% remote—such as for certain expert or sales positions—then that arrangement will apply.

Interested?

Apply directly with an English CV and cover letter by submitting your information at the bottom of this page. By submitting your application you agree to Catawiki’s Applicant Privacy Policy.

If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.