Risk & Control Manager

Pleo; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pleo card for expenses

Lunch provided or allowance

Private healthcare

25+ days of holiday plus publichols

Hybrid and fully remote options

Mental health & wellbeing support

Job summary

Pleo is seeking a Risk Manager for its Second Line of Defence to strengthen our risk framework and partner with the first line of defense across Product, Operations, Finance, and Compliance. You’ll deliver practical risk guidance and help scale risk maturity as the business grows.

You’ll lead risk reporting, support regulatory engagements, and influence stakeholders with clear, actionable insights. A strong fintech/FS background is highly valued.

Qualifications

• 5–7 years in a regulated financial services environment, with at least 3 years focused on risk or control management.
• Solid understanding of credit risk assessment and management.
• Background in risk management and control functions, including 1LOD and 2LOD experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Strengthen the 2LOD risk management framework and align with regulatory expectations and business strategy.
• Review and challenge 1LOD risk identification, controls design, and risk management quality across the business.
• Act as trusted risk partner to business teams and 1LOD stakeholders with expert guidance on risk topics.
• Support development and preparation of data-informed risk reports for senior management and governance committees.
• Contribute to regulator interactions on risk and control matters with credible responses.

Skills

Financial services experience

Credit risk

Risk & control

Influence & stakeholder management

Clear communication

Pragmatic mindset

Job description

About Pleo

Messy spend management is tricky business. And tedious processes are a lose-lose situation for all involved, not just finance. At Pleo, we're changing that. We build spend solutions that make managing money seamless, empowering, and surprisingly effective for finance teams and employees alike - with a vision to help all businesses ‘go beyond’.

The word ‘Pleo’ actually means ‘more than you’d expect’, and living by that mantra has been the secret to our success over the last 10 years.

Now, we’re at a pivotal moment in our journey; every move we make has a direct impact on our 40,000+ customers, our business, and our collective success. We need people who take pride in uncovering customer needs, who turn complex problems into simple solutions, challenge the way things are done (respectfully), and always aim high. With great ambitions driving us forward, we can’t say we’ve got this whole thing figured out. And frankly, that’s half the fun! What we can say is that we’re a driven, progressive, and, importantly, a kind bunch of 850+ people from over 100 nationalities, all committed to delivering the future of business spending, together.

We're looking for a Manager to join our Risk & Control team at Pleo. In this role, you'll operate as a key part of our Second Line of Defence, helping to strengthen the risk management framework that underpins everything we do — from our product to our regulatory relationships. You'll work at the intersection of risk expertise and business partnership, offering thoughtful challenges and practical guidance to our First Line teams as we continue to scale. If you're excited by the prospect of shaping how a fast-growing FinTech approaches risk maturity, and are passionate about building robust, pragmatic control environments, this is the role for you.

What you’ll be doing

As a Risk Manager, you will:

• Strengthen our risk framework – Contribute to the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of Pleo's 2LOD risk management framework, ensuring it remains aligned with regulatory expectations and our evolving business strategy.

• Review and challenge the First Line – Execute effective oversight activities of the 1LOD, assessing the quality of risk identification, control design, and ongoing management across the business.

• Be a trusted risk partner – Act as a go‑to advisor for business teams and 1LOD stakeholders, providing expert guidance on risk topics, regulatory change, and the broader control environment.

• Drive insightful risk reporting – Support the development and preparation of clear, data-informed risk reports for senior management and relevant governance committees, surfacing key risk exposures and control gaps.

• Support regulatory engagement – Contribute to interactions with regulators on risk and control matters, drawing on your subject matter expertise to support well‑prepared, credible responses.

What you bring You'll thrive in this role if you have:

• Solid financial services experience – Around 5–7 years of experience in a regulated financial services environment (FinTech, banking, payments, or similar), with at least 3 years focused on risk or control management.

• Credit risk experience - A solid understanding of the assessment and management of credit risk

• A strong risk and control foundation – A professional background rooted in risk management and control functions, with hands‑on experience in execution and assurance activities. Experience spanning both 1LOD and 2LOD is a real plus.

• The ability to influence – A proven track record of engaging and influencing stakeholders on complex or sensitive risk topics, with the confidence to challenge constructively and the credibility to be heard.

• Clear, collaborative communication – The ability to translate risk concepts into practical, accessible language for a range of audiences, from technical teams to senior leadership.

• A pragmatic, solutions‑oriented mindset – A passion for finding workable answers to real risk challenges, rather than defaulting to theoretical frameworks alone.

Highly desirable: Experience at both a FinTech and a traditional banking or payments institution is something we'd particularly welcome. And while 5–7 years is our general expectation, exceptional candidates with around 4 years of deeply relevant experience are encouraged to apply.

This role is not suited to candidates whose background is primarily in professional services/consultancy, internal audit, or compliance without substantial risk and control experience.

Who you’ll be working with and reporting to
You'll report directly to our Head of Risk and Control and work closely with First Line teams across the business. Our Risk & Control function is collaborative by design — you'll have regular exposure to senior stakeholders and the opportunity to partner with teams spanning Product, Operations, Finance, and Compliance to drive a culture of sound risk management across Pleo.

How you’ll develop in this role In your first 12 months at Pleo, you’ll:

• Get under the skin of Pleo's risk landscape and take ownership of key 2LOD review and challenge activities across priority business areas.

• Play an active role in evolving our risk framework as the company continues to scale — contributing your expertise to initiatives that will shape how we manage risk for years to come.

• Build strong relationships across the business, establishing yourself as a credible and trusted voice on risk matters.

We're committed to helping you grow here — whether that means deepening your technical expertise, expanding your regulatory knowledge, or stepping into broader leadership responsibilities as the team develops.

Show me the benefits!

• Your own Pleo card (no more out-of-pocket spending!)

• Lunch is on us for your work days - enjoy catered meals or receive a lunch allowance based on your local office

• Comprehensive private healthcare - depending on your location, coverage options include Vitality, Alan or Médis

• We offer 25+ days of holiday + your public holidays

• For our Team, we offer both hybrid and fully remote working options

• We use MyndUp to give our employees access to free mental health and well‑being support with great success so far

• Paid parental leave - we want to make sure that we're supportive of families and help you feel that you don't have to compromise your family due to work

About your application

• English first.

• A fair look for everyone.

• Diversity drives us.

• Interview at your best. We want you to feel comfortable throughout the process. If you have any accessibility requirements or need a specific format,

• Your data is safe.

• Applying for multiple roles?

• Reapplying.