Director, SMB and Platform Risk

Checkout.com; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Checkout.com in London seeks a Director, SMB and Platforms Risk to own first-line risk strategy and operating model globally. Based in London, you’ll direct onboarding and monitoring through Mauritius and Mexico via regional leaders and a BPO partner.

You will partner across Product, Risk Analytics, Engineering and Commercial to design scalable, measurable risk programs, balancing control with growth and operational efficiency. A programmatic, systems-minded leader is essential.

Qualifications

• Deep risk expertise in SMB acquiring, with strong grasp of credit exposure, reserves, fraud and monitoring across the seller lifecycle.
• Understanding of platform and PayFac models, including ISVs, marketplaces and merchant-of-record structures.
• Knowledge of KYC/KYB, CDD and onboarding controls connected to downstream risk.
• Programmatic mindset: translate complex risk needs into operating models, requirements and roadmaps.
• Proven leadership of distributed teams with capacity planning, SLAs, QA and control evidence.
• Track record of building or scaling automated onboarding and monitoring in high-volume environments.
• Data fluency and KPI definition; work with analytics to improve outcomes.
• Senior influence with Product, Commercial, Legal, Finance and executives; ability to push for responsible decisions.
• Willingness to travel to Mauritius and Mexico offices at least twice a year.

Responsibilities

• Set risk strategy and operating model across the seller lifecycle: onboarding, tiering, review criteria and monitoring actions.
• Partner with Product, Risk Analytics and Engineering to translate needs into requirements and automation roadmaps.
• Define and track KPIs balancing control, customer experience and cost.
• Lead operational performance through local leaders in Mauritius and Mexico; set priorities, SLAs and capacity plans.
• Scale the operation by expanding teams, governing BPO partners, and prioritising automation improvements.
• Close the loop between cases, losses and fraud patterns; improve rules and product priorities.
• Own first-line control quality and audit readiness; ensure proper handoffs to second-line oversight.
• Represent SMB and Platforms Risk in governance and forums; balance risk and growing deals.
• Apply AI/LLM tools for triage, case summaries and risk insight with human review.

Skills

SMB risk expertise

Credit risk

Fraud monitoring

Onboarding controls

KYC/KYB

CDD

Programmatic mindset

Operational leadership

Data-driven decisions

Stakeholder influence

Job description

Company Description

We’re Checkout.com. You might not know our name, but companies like eBay, Spotify, Klarna, Uber, and Sony do, because we’re behind many of the digital experiences you use every day.

We are where the world checks out, enabling over 10 billion transactions yearly for more than one billion global shoppers.

Whether you want to book a holiday, order food, renew a subscription, or check out online, there’s a good chance our tech powers the payments behind the scenes. Our platform helps the most ambitious businesses deliver effortless digital experiences, at scale.

If you want to do career-defining work, you’ve come to the right place. We move fast, think globally, and believe great teams are built by hiring exceptional people with conviction, curiosity, and the desire to make an impact.

With 20 offices across six continents and London as our HQ, we’re shaping the future of fintech – and we’re just getting started.

About the Role

As Director, SMB and Platforms Risk, you will own the first-line risk strategy and operating model for our SMB and platform sellers globally. You'll be based in London and report to the VP, Risk Operations. You will lead onboarding and monitoring teams in Mauritius and Mexico through local team leaders, and a BPO partner.

You will partner with Product, Risk Analytics, Engineering and Commercial to make onboarding and monitoring scalable, measurable and proportionate to risk. We're looking for a programmatic, systems-minded risk leader who can design the operating model and run it day to day, protecting the business while enabling responsible growth.

What You’ll Do

• Set the risk strategy and operating model across the seller lifecycle: onboarding, risk-based tiering, review criteria, monitoring triggers and actions such as reserves, funds controls and termination.

• Partner with Product, Risk Analytics and Engineering to turn risk needs into clear requirements, decision logic and a prioritised automation roadmap.

• Define and track the KPIs that balance control, customer experience and cost, including straight-through processing, onboarding time, loss rates and alert precision.

• Lead operational performance across teams in Mauritius and Mexico through local leaders, setting priorities, procedures, SLAs, quality standards and capacity plans.

• Scale the operation as headcount grows: stand up additional teams as needed, govern BPO partners, and prioritise automation improvements.

• Close the loop between cases, losses and fraud patterns so that rules, thresholds, policy and product priorities keep improving.

• Own first-line control quality and audit readiness, with clear handoffs of risks, issues and remediation to second-line oversight.

• Represent SMB and Platforms Risk in governance, product and commercial forums, including risk-based pricing and bespoke platform deals. Hold a clear risk position while finding structured paths to yes.

• Apply AI and LLM-enabled tools to triage, case summarisation, QA and risk insight, with appropriate human review, data protection and audit trails.

What We’re Looking For

• Deep risk expertise in SMB acquiring, with a strong grasp of credit exposure, reserves, fraud and transaction monitoring across the seller lifecycle.

• Understanding of platform and PayFac models, including ISVs, marketplaces and merchant-of-record structures.

• Working knowledge of KYC/KYB and CDD, and of how onboarding controls connect to downstream risk.

• A programmatic mindset: you turn complex risk needs into operating models, requirements and roadmaps, make pragmatic trade-offs, and drive delivery.

• Proven operational leadership of distributed teams through local leaders, with rigour in capacity planning, SLAs, QA, procedures and control evidence.

• A track record of building or scaling automated onboarding and monitoring in a high-volume, low-touch environment.

• Data fluency: you set meaningful KPIs, interpret rule and model performance, and work with analytics teams to improve outcomes.

• Senior influence with Product, Commercial, Legal, Finance and executive audiences, with the confidence to challenge and find responsible ways to say yes.

• Ability to travel to our Mauritius and Mexico offices at least twice a year.

Desirable

• Hands-on depth in KYC/KYB, CDD and card-scheme requirements and controls.

• Experience managing BPO or third-party operations partners, including performance governance and service-quality improvement.

• Experience building a monitoring capability or operating model from the ground up in regulated payments or fintech.

• Experience deploying AI-assisted operations or agentic workflows responsibly in risk, compliance or customer operations.

Additional Information

Bring all of you to work

We create the conditions for high performers to thrive, through real ownership, fewer blockers, and work that makes a difference from day one.

Here, you’ll move fast, take on meaningful challenges, and be recognized for the impact you deliver. It’s a place where ambition gets met with opportunity, and where your growth is in your hands.

We work as one team, and we back each other to succeed. So whatever your background or identity, if you’re ready to grow and make a difference, you’ll be right at home here.

It’s important we set you up for success and make our process as accessible as possible. So let us know in your application, or tell your recruiter directly, if you need anything to make your experience or working environment more comfortable.

Life at Checkout.com

We understand that work is just one part of your life. Our hybrid working model offers flexibility, with three days per week in the office to support collaboration and connection.

Curious about what it’s like to be part of our team? Visit our Careers Page to learn more about our culture, open roles, and what drives us.

For a closer look at daily life at Checkout.com, follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram