Operational Risk & Control Manager

Zopa; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial technology firm in London is seeking an Operational Risk and Control Manager to drive change and support responsible growth. This role involves managing operational risk, leading assessments, and ensuring compliance with the regulatory framework. The ideal candidate will thrive in a hybrid work environment, collaborating closely with stakeholders and promoting a risk-aware culture. This position offers the opportunity to work flexibly and foster a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Work from abroad up to 120 days a year

Support for work-life balance

Qualifications

• Experience in a consultancy, fintech, or regulated environment.
• Comfortable working with data and technology.
• Ability to guide teams through assessments.

Responsibilities

• Ensure Zopa operates within risk appetite through effective controls.
• Lead risk and control self-assessments and manage issue tracking.
• Provide risk oversight for product and business change.
• Provide risk oversight for product and business changes.

Skills

Experience managing operational risk

Understanding of regulatory frameworks

Data and technology proficiency

Strong communication and collaboration

Ability to influence risk decisions

Commitment to improving risk environment

Job description

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

Our 1st Line of Defence (1LOD) Risk Function plays a key role in that mission, helping to manage risks across the organisation, partnering with teams across the business, and embedding the bank’s risk framework into everything we do.

We’re looking for an Operational Risk and Control Manager who is motivated by driving change, supporting responsible growth, and delivering a customer‑centric experience. If you’re someone who thrives on making risk management simple, scalable, and impactful, we’d love to hear from you.

A day in the life:

• Reporting to the Senior Risk Manager, you’ll work with stakeholders across all three lines of defence to ensure Zopa operates within risk appetite through effective, proportionate controls.
• Lead risk and control self‑assessments (RCSAs), support control testing, and manage issue and action tracking.
• Design and enhance automated, scalable controls that are efficient, sustainable, and reduce reliance on manual workarounds.
• Provide risk oversight for product and business change, identifying control gaps and working cross‑functionally to deliver practical solutions.
• Deliver timely and insightful MI and reporting that helps teams make informed, risk‑based decisions.

About you:

• You have experience managing operational risk (ideally in the first line) within a consultancy, fintech, financial services, or a comparable regulated environment.
• You understand the regulatory framework Zopa operates in and are keen to keep learning as open banking evolves.
• You can lead stakeholders to identify and manage risks, support delivery of change, and continually improve existing risk practices.
• You are comfortable working with data and technology, focus on outcomes, and know how to apply the risk framework to deliver the right results for customers and the bank.
• You communicate clearly, work collaboratively, and are able to influence others to make sound risk decisions.
• You are committed to improving the risk environment and making things better, simpler, and smarter.
• You’re a trusted point of contact for colleagues across the business, from first line counterparts to second line risk teams.
• You promote a strong, risk‑aware culture and can guide teams through assessments with clarity and confidence.

We'd also value:

• Experience in one or more of the following areas: Current Accounts, Savings, Investments, Payments, or Marketing & Communications.
• Experience working with resilience frameworks or third‑party risk management, and understanding how these contribute to operational continuity and sound risk control.
• Experience delivering change projects that involve automation or technology‑led solutions.

#LI-LK1

At Zopa we value flexible ways of working.

We value face‑to‑face collaboration and a good work‑life balance. This hybrid role requires you to come to our London office 2‑3 days a week.

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.