Operations Manager

Sidekick Money; Cardiff; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A progressive fintech company in Cardiff is hiring an Operations Manager to establish and enhance operational functions from the ground up. This role involves managing day-to-day operations, ensuring compliance with FCA regulations, and innovating processes within the industry. Candidates should have significant experience in a regulated setting and possess strong communication skills. The company offers a competitive salary, a supportive work environment, and hybrid working opportunities of 3-4 days in the office, making it an ideal role for dynamic individuals inspired by the evolving fintech landscape.

Benefits

Competitive salary + equity package

25 days holiday + your birthday off

SimplyHealth benefits

Learning & development budget

Hybrid work (3-4 days in Cardiff office)

Qualifications

• 3–5 years' experience in a UK-regulated financial institution or fintech.
• Strong working knowledge of FCA regulations.
• Detail-oriented with excellent organisational skills.

Responsibilities

• Help set up a world class ops function, collaborating with the VP.
• Own and improve various operational processes like KYC and AML.
• Prepare documentation for internal audits and regulatory reviews.

Skills

Operations management

Financial crime prevention

Cross-functional communication

Attention to detail

Autonomy in fast-paced environments

Tools

Alloy

Onfido

ComplyAdvantage

Job description

We're looking for an ambitious and highly capable Operations Manager to join Sidekick at a pivotal moment in our growth. This is a growth role for someone looking for a stretching and career defining opportunity, to build a function from scratch and reshape the wealth management industry.

You’ll take ownership of our day-to-day onboarding, investment and first-line operations, ensuring we meet client expectations while continuing to innovate and meet our regulatory requirements. You’ll work closely with our VP of Operations and collaborate across product, operations, and customer support to keep things running smoothly and safely, whilst elevating the experience for our clients.

Sidekick is a regulated UK fintech, so the role spans a broad and evolving set of responsibilities. You’ll need to be comfortable working in a fast-moving environment, rolling up your sleeves, and helping us scale in a compliant, customer-first way.

Key Responsibilities

• Help set up a world class ops function : collaborate with our VP of Operations to build out our operations function from scratch - you’ll be building scalable processes, designing operational playbooks, and influencing how the company grows
• First Line Operations : Own and improve a wide range of existing operational processes such as KYC, AML, sanctions screening, PEP monitoring, and transaction reviews - coordinating with internal teams and third-party providers.
• Customer & Payments Monitoring : Run the day-to-day cases and exceptions, including Source of Funds / Source of Wealth checks, unusual transaction flows, and high-risk onboarding cases.
• Policy & Controls : Draft and maintain internal policies and procedural documentation to meet regulatory standards.
• Reporting : Prepare documentation for internal audits, regulatory reviews, and board-level reporting.

Requirements

• Minimum 3–5 years' experience in a dynamic UK-regulated financial institution or fintech, ideally in an operations or AML role.
• You’ll thrive if you enjoy influencing commercial decisions, moving fast, and being hands-on - this isn’t a place for those who want to follow rigid, legacy ways
• You’re looking to innovate - not just do things how the big banks have done.
• Strong working knowledge of FCA regulations, especially around financial crime prevention, conduct risk, and consumer duty.
• Familiarity with client money and investment operations.
• Confident using compliance tooling (e.g. Alloy, Onfido, ComplyAdvantage) and interpreting their outputs.
• Detail-oriented with excellent organisation skills - but pragmatic and commercially aware.
• Strong communicator, able to work cross-functionally with product, engineering, compliance and customer-facing teams.
• Comfortable operating with autonomy in a fast-paced startup environment.
• A genuine interest in the evolving fintech and wealthtech landscape.

Benefits

• Competitive salary + equity package
• 25 days holiday + your birthday off
• SimplyHealth benefits
• Learning & development budget
• Hybrid work (3-4 days in Cardiff office)
• A genuinely supportive, collaborative environment where great ideas rise fast

Diversity & Inclusion

At Sidekick, we’re unlocking wealth-building for a new generation - and that starts with diversity.

We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone can thrive, whatever their background.

If you’re excited by the role but don’t tick every box, we’d still love to hear from you.