Risk & Control Officer

Pleo; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Pleo is seeking a Risk & Controls Officer to join our Risk & Control team. You’ll be a key part of the second line of defence, strengthening our risk framework and guiding first line teams as we scale in a fast-growing FinTech environment.

You’ll report to the Head of Risk and Control and collaborate with Product, Operations, Finance, and Compliance to ensure robust risk and control practices that support business growth and regulatory compliance.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in regulated financial services (FinTech, banking or payments) with hands-on risk or control experience.
• Solid understanding of credit risk assessment and management.
• Experience with operational, technology and product risk assessment.
• Background in ERM framework execution, control design, RCSAs and remediation tracking.
• Ability to translate complex risk concepts to diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

• Support the 2LOD risk framework execution and regulatory alignment.
• Conduct RCSAs and control reviews; challenge 1LOD findings where appropriate.
• Assist with scenario analysis, stress tests and identifying emerging risk exposures.
• Provide practical risk guidance to business teams and ensure controls meet regulatory changes.
• Contribute to risk reporting for senior management and governance committees.

Skills

FinTech risk

Credit risk

Operational risk

ERM framework

RCSA

Communication

Problem solving

GRC tools

Data analytics

Tools

GRC tools

Data analytics

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’.

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’.
Our 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.

About The Role
We're looking for a Risk & Controls Officer 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, then this is the opportunity for you!

Who you’ll be working with and reporting to
You’ll report to our Head of Risk and Control and work closely with First Line teams across the business. Our Risk & Control team is highly collaborative and dedicated to driving a culture of sound risk management across Pleo. You’ll also have the chance to partner with teams across Product, Operations, Finance, and Compliance to ensure cross-functional success.

What you’ll be doing
As a Risk & Controls Officer, you will:

• Support Risk Framework Execution – Contribute to the implementation and maintenance of Pleo's 2LOD risk management framework, ensuring controls remain aligned with regulatory expectations and business strategy.
• Execute Oversight Activities – Conduct RCSAs (Risk and Control Self Assessments) and control reviews across the business. Assess the quality of risk identification and control design, and challenge 1LOD findings where appropriate.
• Identify & Assess Risks – Support scenario analysis and stress-testing exercises across operational, technology, product, and credit risk domains. Help surface emerging risk exposures to leadership.
• Be a Reliable Risk Advisor – Support business teams with guidance on risk topics, control requirements, and regulatory change, providing practical recommendations on risk and control issues.
• Support Risk Reporting & Regulatory Engagement – Contribute to the preparation of clear, data-informed risk reports for senior management and governance committees, and assist with regulator interactions on risk and control matters.

To put things into context, we currently have scaling our 2LOD oversight framework and enhancing cross-functional RCSA processes on our roadmap. You can expect to work with modern risk management platforms, GRC tools, and data analytics dashboards.

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

• Financial Services Experience – 3+ years of experience in a regulated financial services environment (FinTech, banking, payments, or similar) with hands-on experience in risk or control management.
• Essential Credit Risk Expertise – A solid, demonstrated understanding of the assessment and management of credit risk.
• Core Risk Domain Knowledge – Proven experience with operational risk, technology risk, and product risk assessment.
• Hands-On Risk & Control Execution – Background in ERM framework execution, control design, RCSAs, assurance activities, and remediation tracking.
• Clear & Collaborative Communication – Ability to translate complex risk concepts into practical, accessible language for diverse audiences, from frontline teams to leadership.
• Pragmatic, Solutions-Oriented Approach – A real-world problem-solving mindset that delivers workable answers to real risk challenges rather than defaulting to theoretical frameworks alone.

Why is this role a good fit for you
This role is a good fit for you if:

• You want to actively shape 2LOD risk maturity in a high-growth FinTech scale-up.
• You enjoy a pragmatic, hands-on role where risk oversight directly enables business growth and innovation.
• You thrive in a collaborative environment partnering with cross-functional teams across Product, Operations, and Finance.

This role is not a good fit for you if:

• Your background is primarily in traditional Internal Audit, Consulting, or pure Compliance without direct operational risk