Head of Internal Control and Operational Risk

swan.io; Paris; Hybrid; EUR 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Swan is seeking a Head of Internal Control & Operational Risk to lead and continuously improve its risk management and internal control frameworks. You will report to the Chief Risk & Compliance Officer and collaborate with Risk, Compliance, Finance, Operations, Product, Technology, and Legal to strengthen governance.

Responsibilities include leading the Internal Control team, overseeing operational risk, and ensuring risk exposures align with Swan's appetite across France and Europe.

Qualifications

• 8–12 years of experience in internal control, enterprise or operational risk management, or a second-line control function.
• Hands-on with risk mapping, RCSA, control testing, incidents, and remediation.

Responsibilities

• Lead Swan's Internal Control team (4–5 professionals) and set priorities.
• Own and improve the operational risk framework across France and European branches.
• Drive the group-wide permanent control framework and ensure consistent methodologies.
• Define and monitor Risk Appetite Framework, indicators, and escalation mechanisms.
• Oversee remediation of control deficiencies, incidents, audits, and regulatory findings.
• Provide clear risk reporting and dashboards to the CRCO and governance committees.

Skills

Internal control leadership

Operational risk management

Risk mapping & RCSA

Control testing

Incident management

Remediation & KRI

Risk reporting

Bilingual: French & English

Job description

Swan is looking for a Head of Internal Control & Operational Risk to lead and continuously improve its risk management and internal control frameworks.

Reporting to the Chief Risk & Compliance Officer (CRCO), you will lead the Internal Control team, oversee operational risks, ensure compliance with Swan's risk appetite, and provide senior management with clear risk assessments and recommendations.

This is a key leadership role, working closely with teams across Risk, Compliance, Finance, Operations, Product, Technology, and Legal to strengthen Swan's risk management and governance.

Key Responsibilities

• Internal Control team leadership. Lead Swan's Internal Control team of 4 to 5 professionals, covering internal control, operational risk, and remediation monitoring, while setting clear priorities, developing team expertise, and allocating resources to key risks and regulatory priorities

• Operational risk management. Own and continuously improve Swan's operational risk framework, overseeing risk mapping, risk assessments, incident management, and risk monitoring across France and European branches

• Group-wide permanent control. Lead Swan's permanent control framework across all markets, ensuring consistent methodologies, risk-based control plans, and effective oversight of local branch frameworks while addressing local regulatory requirements

• Risk appetite & monitoring. Maintain and monitor Swan's Risk Appetite Framework in collaboration with the CRCO, defining key risk indicators, thresholds, and escalation mechanisms to ensure operational risks remain within approved limits

• Remediation & continuous improvement. Oversee the identification, tracking, and resolution of control deficiencies, incidents, audit findings, and regulatory recommendations, ensuring timely and sustainable remediation in collaboration with accountable teams

• Risk governance & reporting. Provide the CRCO, senior management, and governance committees with clear, actionable risk reporting and dashboards, independently challenging risk assessments, escalating material exposures, and supporting informed decision-making.

Curious about your future team?

You will work closely with Terry and Kani, internal controllers, as well as all members of Swan's Risk department, to strengthen our internal control framework and foster a shared risk culture across the organization.

You will also collaborate with teams across Swan, including Payments, Sales, Finance, Compliance and more, to support effective risk management in their day-to-day activities.

You're a great match if: You have 8-12 years of experience in internal control, enterprise or operational risk management, audit, or another second-line control function. You don't only act as an advisor, you are detailed-oriented and are able to evaluate blind spots. You have a bias to action, you are closed to the field. You have hands-on experience with risk mapping, RCSA, control plans, control testing, incidents, KRI and remediation and have experience developing or operating a Risk Appetite Framework. You are data-driven and can turn complex risk information into clear recommendations for executives and committees. You have successfully led and developed a multidisciplinary team. You communicate with clarity and conviction - in French and in English - whether you're in front of a regulator, a board, or a product team. It's okay if you don't tick all the boxes - don't let imposter syndrome prevent you from applying!

Swan is committed to providing a caring work environment for all employees, regardless of age, sex, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion, or belief. When it comes to recruitment, we're interested in your work experience, skills, and overall personality. Because diversity makes the workplace stronger and is necessary for Swan's success, we are intensifying efforts to incorporate concrete actions to help us improve in this area.