Financial Crime Risk Manager

Our Story

Hello there. We’re Zopa.

We started our journey back in 2005, building the first ever peer-to-peer lending company. Fast forward to 2020 and we launched Zopa Bank. A bank that listens to what our customers don’t like about finance and does the opposite. We’re redefining what it feels like to work in finance. Our vision for a new era of banking puts people front and centre — we’ve built a business that empowers everyone to aim high, every day, to move finance forward. Find out more about our fantastic offerings at Zopa.com! 

We’re incredibly proud of our achievements and none of it would be possible without the amazing team here. It’s not just industry awards we’re winning, we’ve also been named in the top three UK’s Most Loved Workplaces. 

If you embrace unconventional challenges, are unafraid to think differently and are driven to make an outsized impact, you’ll thrive here at Zopa, so join us, and make it count. Want to see us in action? Follow us on Instagram @zopalife

The Second Line Financial Crime Risk Team owns the framework for managing all financial crime risk at Zopa and is responsible for advising and challenging the business to ensure the right controls are in place to protect the bank, its customers and wider society from financial crime. The team is responsible for risk oversight of the first line, training and assurance activity, designed to ensure that defined frameworks and standards are adhered to and that Zopa is managing its financial crime risk exposure within the bank’s risk appetite.

We are seeking an experienced financial crime risk manager to join our small but growing second line team. You’ll report into the Director of Financial crime Risk and will be supporting the ongoing development of the financial crime risk framework and the processes that support it.

This position requires a dynamic and analytical thinker who enjoys collaborating with a wide range of first line teams including risk, ops and product to provide effective review, challenge, oversight, and assurance of financial crime risk assessments and decision-making by the business. The role is an exciting opportunity for a financial crime risk manager motivated by driving change and contributing to responsible growth and a truly customer-centric experience. 

A day in the life:

• Developing and maintaining Zopa’s AML/CFT and Sanctions policies and standards, ensuring that appropriate measures are in place so that money laundering, terrorist financing and sanction evasion risks are considered in the company's day-to-day operations. 
• Carrying out assurance activities – these could be testing key financial crime controls, carrying out MI validation, customer journey reviews, policy reviews or large, thematic reviews into key areas of the financial crime control framework
• Conducting risk assessments for new and existing products as well as contributing to the annual bank wide risk assessment
• Reviewing methodology documents and proposals from the 1st line of defence and question these proposals where necessary
• Drafting and providing ongoing maintenance of robust policies and procedures to reflect regulatory developments and best practices 
• Preparing documentation whether it’s for monthly risk committee meetings, policy and standards updates or information for the regulators
• Ensuring that controls scale with all Zopa’s products by developing effective ongoing review and monitoring processes 
• Reviewing and analysing MI from across the suite of controls to identify any areas of concern for further investigation 
• Working closely with first line of defence risk team in the development of new controls or improving existing ones across current accounts.

About you:

• Demonstratable experience in AML/CTF risk management within the financial services sector, preferably within ahigh-growth fintech, digital bank or EMI.
• Hands-on team player, with experience within a 1st or 2nd line risk function 
• In-depth understanding of UK anti-money laundering, countering terrorist financing and sanctions regulations, including the Money Laundering Regulations, the Proceeds of Crime Act and FCA expectations 
• Clear communicator with ability to explain complicated concepts in simple terms to a wide audience (both verbally and in writing) and can challenge and influence stakeholders of varying seniority 
• Enjoys working in a fast-paced environment, you’re a proactive self-starter and are comfortable with a degree of ambiguity and change
• You can work autonomously and take ownership - you have project management, organisational skills and capability to handle multiple projects at one time 
• Critical thinking with a pragmatic, hands-on approach to problem-solving 
• Strong analytical and risk assessment skills, with the ability to adapt to new challenges 
• Data driven - ability to analyse data to draw insightful conclusions to drive identify practical risk mitigations
• Impeccable report writing skills, with the ability to adapt language and complexity depending on target audience 
• High level of integrity, sound judgment and attention to detail

Bonus points for:

• Experience working with product teams, suppliers or regulators
• Knowledge of SQL would be a bonus!
• Exposure to retail current accounts (either personal or business)
• Financial crime qualification(s) – ICA or similar

This role will require travel to our London Bridge office twice per week.

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Flexible working? Yes please!

At Zopa we value flexible ways of working. We understand the benefits of face-to-face collaboration and the importance of a good work-life balance. Our teams work in a hybrid manner, from our vibrant UK offices and the comfort of their own homes, at a frequency that suits the team and the work they do.

Not only that – you'll also have the option of working from abroad for up to 120 days a year!* But no matter where you are, we’ll make sure you’ve got everything you need to thrive, both in your work and home life, from day one.

*Subject to having the right to work in the country of choice

Diversity Statement

Zopa is proud to offer a workplace free from discrimination. Diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds leads to better products for our customers and a unique company culture for our people. We are made up of nearly 50 nationalities, have a DE&I forum made up of Zopians wanting to make a difference and we are proud of our culture where everyone can bring their full self to work. Our approach to DE&I is reflected in our hiring process so please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments.