Risk Manager

We are an acquiring/payments company operating in the UK market and expanding our international payment infrastructure.

We are currently building our Risk function and looking for a hands-on Risk Manager to own merchant acquiring risk and protect the company from financial losses.

Important

This is NOT:

• an AML/KYC role
• traditional banking credit risk
• treasury risk
• market risk
• ICAAP / PD-LGD modelling
• operational fraud support role

We are specifically looking for someone with hands-on experience in:

• merchant acquiring
• PSP/payments
• merchant underwriting
• acquiring exposure management
• fraud-related financial loss prevention

Main Goal of the Role

Protect the company from financial losses through:

• merchant underwriting
• exposure calculation
• reserve management
• payout control
• transaction monitoring
• fraud detection
• acquiring risk mitigation

Responsibilities

Merchant Underwriting & Exposure Management

• Analyze merchant business models and financial statements
• Assess delayed delivery exposure
• Calculate maximum potential loss
• Make merchant approval/rejection decisions
• Define:
  • rolling reserves
  • fixed reserves
  • deferred settlements
  • processing limits
  • payout restrictions

Transaction Monitoring & Fraud Risk

• Monitor transaction activity and merchant behavior
• Identify:
  • suspicious volume spikes
  • refund anomalies
  • bust-out fraud patterns
  • chargeback risks
• Configure fraud/risk rules
• Freeze payouts when financial risk is detected

Risk Infrastructure & Processes

• Improve monitoring frameworks
• Build risk dashboards
• Develop merchant risk profiles
• Enhance risk controls and automation

MUST HAVE EXPERIENCE

Required background:

• Merchant Acquiring
• PSP / Payment Gateway
• High-risk merchants
• Merchant Underwriting
• Acquiring Risk
• Payment Risk
• Fraud/Risk Monitoring

Strong understanding of:

• acquiring liability
• chargeback exposure
• settlement cycles
• reserve management
• payout control
• exposure calculation

Candidates are NOT suitable if their experience is limited to:

• retail banking credit risk
• treasury risk
• market risk
• quantitative banking modelling
• AML-only background
• onboarding-only roles

Ideal Candidate

A hybrid between:

• Merchant Risk Manager
• Acquiring Risk Owner
• Fraud/Risk Analyst
• Merchant Underwriter

What We Value

• Commercial skepticism
• Fast decision-making
• Strong ownership mindset
• Ability to act under pressure
• Pragmatic balance between risk and business growth

Examples of Real-Life Tasks

• Calculate maximum financial exposure for a travel merchant
• Decide on reserve hold requirements for high-risk merchants
• Freeze payouts based on suspicious transaction activity
• Prevent bust-out fraud before funds leave the system