Head of Risk Underwriting
Location: London
Reports to: Chief Risk Officer
My client is an exciting new start-up in the Payments space who are building the future of Payments. They are looking for a Head of Risk Underwriting to join the team and play a mission-critical role in shaping the risk framework from the ground up. This is a fantastic role if you want to:
* Shape the risk foundation of a fintech from day one
* Work alongside a team of experienced operators and builders
* Have the opportunity to grow as the company scales
Key Responsibilities
* Build the Underwriting Function: Design and implement end-to-end underwriting processes tailored to a digital-first payments business.
* Policy Development: Establish risk acceptance policies, credit exposure limits, and transaction monitoring thresholds across customer segments.
* Customer Risk Assessment: Oversee onboarding risk reviews, KYB assessments, and underwriting decisions for new merchants or partners.
* Risk Frameworks: Develop and maintain risk scoring models and automated decisioning tools in collaboration with data and product teams.
* Portfolio Monitoring: Monitor risk performance and early warning indicators across the merchant portfolio, proactively identifying emerging risks.
* Cross-functional Collaboration: Work with Legal, Compliance, Product, and Engineering teams to ensure risk controls are embedded into product workflows.
* Regulatory Readiness: Support regulatory obligations (e.g., PSD2, AMLD, or local frameworks) as they relate to underwriting and customer due diligence.
* Team Leadership: Build and manage a lean, high-performing risk team as the business scales.
What We're Looking For
* 5+ years of experience in Credit Risk
* Must have Payments experience
* Proven ability to design underwriting policies and frameworks from scratch.
* Strong analytical skills and comfort with data tools; ability to define and interpret risk metrics and reporting.
* Familiarity with regulatory requirements related to payments, fraud, and financial crime.
* Experience working in a start-up or high-growth, fast-paced environment.
* Ability to balance commercial outcomes with robust risk controls.
* Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
* Entrepreneurial mindset and a bias for action.