Head of Risk – Card Acquiring

About the role

We are seeking a Head of Risk to build and lead the risk function for a fast‑growing European fintech focused on card acquiring. The role is hands‑on, covering merchant risk, fraud, scheme compliance and enterprise‑wide risk management as the business prepares for launch and scale.

Key responsibilities

• Design and run the Risk function, establishing policies, risk appetite, controls and monitoring frameworks.
• Own the full merchant risk lifecycle – underwriting, onboarding, classification, ongoing monitoring and off‑boarding.
• Define merchant risk ratings, transaction limits, reserves and settlement conditions, including frameworks for higher‑risk merchants.
• Ensure compliance with Visa and Mastercard scheme requirements (MCC rules, VAMP, ECP/EFM, MATCH, VMSS) and manage related remediation processes.
• Oversee merchant fraud, chargebacks and transaction risk, detect emerging patterns and decide on mitigation actions.
• Maintain the enterprise‑wide risk management framework (risk register, KRIs, regular reporting).
• Collaborate with AML/Compliance, Operations, Product and Engineering to identify and control financial crime and operational risks.

Required profile

• 4+ years in risk, merchant underwriting, fraud or payments risk within a card acquirer, payment institution or EMI.
• At least 1 year of hands‑on experience in card acquiring with deep knowledge of the merchant risk lifecycle.
• Fluent English (C1); Russian language skills are a plus.
• Experience in fintech or regulated financial institutions is preferred.

Required skills

• Visa and Mastercard scheme rules (MCC classifications, VAMP, ECP, EFM, MATCH, VMSS).
• Merchant underwriting and risk rating.
• Fraud and chargeback monitoring.
• AML/CTF and financial crime risk knowledge.
• E‑commerce merchant risk assessment, including high‑risk merchants.

What we offer

• Competitive salary aligned with experience.
• Fast‑track career growth with potential progression to Risk Director.
• Collaborative and transparent team culture.
• High‑impact role in a scaling fintech.
• Recognition of personal milestones and social benefits.