Head of risk

About the Role: One owner for the entire risk function at a fintech operating between crypto and traditional payments. You will own enterprise risk end to end, including the risk framework and appetite, DORA and operational resilience, B2B partner risk, fraud risk appetite, capital adequacy, and risk gating for new products. It is an individual contributor role reporting directly to the CEO, with a seat on the leadership team. You will work daily with Compliance, Legal, Finance, Technology, and the B2B Partnerships team. The foundations are in place (risk register, appetite framework, DORA workstreams). The function needs an owner who proactively surfaces risk, takes a position, and stands behind it.

What You'll Do:

• Enterprise Risk & Governance: Own the enterprise risk framework: risk register, risk appetite statement, taxonomy, and escalation policy. Run the risk reporting cycle: structured updates to the CEO and leadership, plus regulatory risk reporting. Chair or co-chair the risk committee: agenda, cadence, participants, and decision authority. Build risk ownership across business units.
• DORA & Operational Resilience: Own the DORA ICT risk framework and lead the Register of Information workstream ahead of the 2027 submission window. Own business continuity and disaster recovery planning. Own third-party and vendor risk: critical providers, concentration risk, and exit planning. Own the PSD2 operational resilience framework, including 4-hour major incident reporting and impact tolerances. Partner with the CTO and Head of Security on technology and cloud risk.
• EMI & Regulatory Risk: Lead the operational risk framework and capital adequacy/safeguarding design for two parallel EMI applications (EU and UK). Own ongoing capital adequacy monitoring and escalate breaches. Own preparation for risk-focused regulatory examinations and act as the primary contact for risk-related regulator queries. Coordinate with Legal on regulatory obligations and with the Chief of Compliance on AML/CTF risk appetite.
• B2B Partner & Counterparty Risk: Design and own the partner risk assessment framework: onboarding scoring, ongoing due diligence, and risk-tiered monitoring. Own risk sign-off on material partnerships, define thresholds for CEO approval, and keep high-risk reviews fast and credible. Define which industries, geographies, and business models the company will and will not serve. Manage partner concentration risk and delegated-compliance liability as B2B volume scales.
• Fraud & Financial Crime Risk: Build a unified fraud risk framework and appetite across relevant functions, with clear ownership and a single escalation path. Set fraud risk appetite by channel, product, and geography, and own decisions when thresholds are breached. Coordinate with the Chief of Compliance on the fraud/AML overlap. Own the sanctions screening risk framework and escalation policy.
• Product & Financial Risk: Own product-launch risk gating for new products, markets, and business lines. Manage crypto price volatility exposure: conversion timing, settlement risk, and liquidity buffers. Own counterparty credit risk: liquidity providers, banking partners, card schemes, and B2B clients. Oversee treasury risk: balances, currency exposure, and concentration.

Requirements:

Must have: Senior risk leadership (Head of Risk, VP Risk, or equivalent scope) in financial services or fintech within a regulated institution. Direct ownership of risk obligations in a licensed fintech, EMI, PSP, payment institution, or crypto company, not advisory or consultancy experience only. Hands-on experience with at least one of: DORA ICT risk framework, MiCA capital adequacy and risk requirements, PSD2 operational resilience, or FCA operational resilience. Fraud risk ownership: has set fraud risk appetite, owned fraud outcomes, and made real decisioning calls. B2B partner or counterparty risk: has assessed and approved high-risk commercial relationships. Ability to make a risk decision and stand behind it under CEO or commercial pressure. High autonomy: surfaces risk proactively, proposes a route, and closes actions without waiting for direction. Ability to give commercial teams a fast, credible risk answer that enables deal velocity. Fluent professional English. Ability to work within European business hours.

Nice to have: Prior Head of Risk, VP Risk, or CRO title at a regulated fintech, EMI, PSP, or crypto company. DORA Register of Information preparation experience. FCA operational resilience framework experience. MiCA post-authorization obligations: capital adequacy reporting, CASP risk framework. Experience building a risk function from scratch or taking an early framework to maturity. Third-party/vendor risk management at scale. Capital adequacy and safeguarding design for an EMI or PI application. Travel Rule risk implementation across multiple jurisdictions. FRM (GARP), PRM, or equivalent qualification. Russian language skills.

We Offer

Location: Remote-first (Baltics preferred), with periodic in-person time at the Riga office. Contract: Employment contract in Latvia, B2B elsewhere. Compensation: Up to €10,000 gross/month (based on experience) + performance-based bonus linked to OKRs. Other benefits: Medical insurance, L&D budget, English classes, and regular team-building activities.

Why Join? Report directly to the CEO: your risk view shapes company decisions; it does not just support them. Own a DORA workstream and lead both EMI risk frameworks from day one. Strong regulatory portfolio: EU authorizations in place and further license applications in the pipeline. Build one unified fraud risk framework across retail, B2B infrastructure, on-ramp, and custody. Self-funded, stable company with no investor pressure shaping risk decisions. High autonomy and minimal micromanagement.