Head of Fraud

Cleo; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health insurance

Dental and Vision coverage

Mental health support

Sabbatical after four years

Learning & development platform

Pension contributions

Location-specific leave entitlements

Job summary

Cleo is hiring a Head of Fraud to lead Cleo’s fraud strategy across debit, credit, identity, and operational risk—starting in the US and expanding globally. You’ll set direction and hands-on execute with Credit, Product, Engineering, and Operations to build scalable controls that reduce loss while protecting customer experience.

Responsibilities include owning end-to-end fraud strategy, designing risk frameworks, leading investigations, and guiding vendors.

Qualifications

• Experience leading fraud strategy and governance at scale.
• Proven track record in US card regulations and CFPB context.
• Strong collaboration with product, ops, credit and compliance teams.
• Expertise in identity fraud, fraud analytics and KYC controls.
• Experience evaluating vendors and making buy-vs-build decisions.
• 8+ years in fraud or financial crime with senior influence.

Responsibilities

• Own Cleo’s end-to-end fraud strategy across debit, credit, identity and operational fraud.
• Set risk frameworks, guardrails, and performance targets with data guidance.
• Partner across teams to design, measure, and improve fraud controls.
• Lead fraud investigations, incident reviews, and dispute management.
• Evaluate fraud/KYC vendors and guide buy-vs-build decisions.
• Ensure compliance with US regulations; UK scope to follow.
• Report performance and risk posture to senior leadership and Board.

Skills

First-line-of-defense fraud

Debit and credit fraud

Identity fraud

Operational fraud

Analytical & quantitative

Collaboration with credit risk

US market fraud experience

Fintech lending/credit background

Vendor evaluation

Fraud strategy at scale

Senior gravitas / consensus-building

8+ years in fraud

UK FCA knowledge (nice to have)

Job description

Most money apps talk at you. Cleo talks back

We're not building another finance app. We're building the world's first AI financial assistant, one that actually understands your money and makes you better at it, and we're changing the world's relationship with money in the process For everyone, whatever their background or balance.

The proof: profitable, fast-growing, a unicorn with over $300M in ARR, and millions of people who now feel differently about their money.

We love original thinkers who challenge the status quo. We move fast, tell the truth, and there's nowhere to hide from good work here. If that excites you more than it scares you, you'll fit right in.

Follow us on LinkedIn for new features and the occasional roast

Meet The Team

Hi, I’m Taten Chief Operating Officer at Cleo. I lead the teams that help Cleo operate and scale effectively, spanning People & Talent, Legal, Compliance & Policy, Operations, and Partnerships. Together, these teams build the capabilities, relationships, processes and foundations that enable Cleo to grow responsibly while delivering for our customers.

We’re looking for people with strong judgment, deep curiosity, and a drive for getting things right. You’ll own your area, move quickly, and stay close to the details all while partnering with leaders and teams across Cleo to solve complex problems and drive meaningful progress. This is a great environment for thoughtful, enterprise-minded people who know when to bring others along and when to seek a different perspective. If you can balance principle with pragmatism, bring clarity to complexity, and want to help build a company that grows with intention, Cleo is a place where you can have real impact.

About The Role

We’re hiring a Head of Fraud to lead Cleo’s fraud strategy across debit, credit, identity, and operational risk - starting in the US and expanding globally. You’ll set the direction and lead hands-on execution, partnering with Credit, Product, Engineering, and Operations to build scalable controls that reduce loss while protecting customer experience. Key responsibilities for this role include:

• Own Cleo’s end-to-end fraud strategy across transaction, identity, and operational fraud.

• Set fraud risk frameworks, guardrails, and performance targets, balancing loss, approval rates, and customer friction.

• Partner across teams to design, measure, and continuously improve fraud controls and workflows.

• Lead fraud investigations, incident reviews, chargeback operations, and dispute management.

• Evaluate and manage fraud and KYC vendors, informing buy-vs-build decisions.

• Ensure compliance with relevant US card, KYC, and financial-crime requirements, with UK scope to follow.

• Report fraud performance and risk posture to senior leadership and contribute to board-level risk discussions.

What We're Looking For

• First-line-of-defense fraud experience - you've done the thing, not just overseen it

• Experience across both debit and credit transaction fraud

• Identity fraud expertise: ATO, synthetic identities, KYC platform management

• Operational fraud experience: chargeback investigation and management

• Strong analytical and quantitative skills - comfortable defending a guardrail or threshold with data, not just intuition

• Track record of working closely with credit risk teams and aligning on shared metrics, definitions, and trade-offs

• US market fraud experience - familiar with US card regulations, CFPB, and the regulatory differences vs. UK

• Background in fintech with lending or credit products (not just pure payments)

• Vendor evaluation experience - you know the fraud tooling landscape and can make strong buy vs. build decisions

• Track record of shaping fraud strategy and frameworks at scale

• Senior gravitas and consensus-building ability - you can align product, ops, credit, and compliance teams

• 8+ years in fraud or financial crime

• Nice to have: UK fraud and FCA regulatory knowledge; disputes and chargeback management experience in a card-oriented business; relevant certifications (CFE, CAMS, CFCS)

What we offer

We offer benefits package built to support you in and out of work. Benefits vary by country and include meaningful equity, comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance, mental health support, a paid one-month sabbatical after four years, a learning and development platform, pension or retirement contributions, and location-specific leave entitlements.

For the full breakdown on what's available in your location, visit our Candidate Hub

What Matters

Cleo's mission is to change the world's relationship with money. We can't do that without building a brilliant, genuinely diverse team - and making sure our hiring process gives everyone a fair shot, running a fair and transparent recruitment process in which every candidate is considered on their metris.

We're glad to make reasonable adjustments at any stage of the process. If there's anything we can do to support you in showing us your best, please let your recruiter or one of the team know.

We may use AI-assisted tools during the recruitment process to take support the team in different ways like taking notes or referring back to conversations. They do not replace the team and all applications are reviewed by a Cleo employee thoroughly!