BVNK is hiring a

Web3 Head of Customer Portfolio Risk

About us:

BVNK is a next-generation payments platform for global businesses. We bridge the gap between traditional and digital finance to make payments borderless, instant, and secure. Using the BVNK platform, businesses can send and receive payments on all major schemes and blockchain networks, incorporate stablecoins into their payment flows, and settle funds in over 30 markets.

We are a diverse team spread across the UK, Europe, and South Africa, with a shared belief that in the next five years all payment flows will interact with crypto, and BVNK will be at the forefront of this shift. We recently raised 40m in series A funding, and we're looking for smart, ambitious people to help us build the next generation of payments.

About this role in the team:

As the Head of Customer Portfolio Risk, you’ll be reporting to the VP for Risk and Compliance & Global MLRO (linkedin.com/in/martarequeijo). You’ll be responsible for managing the due diligence, enhanced due diligence, customer screening and periodic reviews teams, located in Bulgaria.

We are looking for a team leader, with extensive experience managing teams, and onboarding higher risk verticals in the payments and correspondent banking space, that not only has led operational teams but that has also developed and implemented comprehensive multi-jurisdiction risk-sensitive strategy to due diligence.

You are result driven, with an ability to build strong working relationships with key senior stakeholders and excellent people management skills. You possess excellent communication and time management skills, to deliver clear messaging across all levels within the organisation. You possess performance management skills that empower the team regardless of seniority. You have the ability to work together collaboratively with cross functional, globally distributed teams.

We are looking for someone who is adaptable and enjoys solving complex problems in a constantly changing environment. You must be able to think strategically, prioritise appropriately, manage numerous concurring priorities, and work well under stress. You will be comfortable managing senior stakeholders and drafting papers for senior audiences, namely senior management and regulators. You would have vast experience managing teams and are passionate about building a team who share our values, and perform to our high standards.

Your key stakeholders are the Chief Legal, Risk, Compliance Officer, the Head of FCC, the Head of Financial Crime Intelligence, the Product team, the Chief Revenue Officer and the Commercial team.

Key Areas of Responsibilities:

As the Head of Customer Portfolio Risk your key accountabilities include but are not limited to;

Generic accountabilities

• Developing industry leading financial crime procedures and processes, ensuring the implementation of adequate and effective systems and controls, in compliance with local legislative and regulatory requirements in all jurisdictions the Group operates.
• Owning and continuously enhancing the team’s operating model, ensuring roles and responsibilities are clear and understood, and that an efficient structure is in place to manage internal and external stakeholders’ needs.
• Working closely with Commercial and FCC senior team members with the aim of building a best in class team.
• Providing senior management and Board with timely updates on financial crime risks.
• Providing regular key risk indicators (KRIs) reporting.
• Providing bespoke training to FCC-related staff and senior management to raise awareness on financial crime risks.

Due diligence, enhanced due diligence, customer screening and periodic reviews related-accountabilities

• Responsible for managing a team of due diligence and EDD specialists.
• Developing and implementing a comprehensive risk-sensitive strategy to ensure smooth and efficient onboarding and ongoing due diligence, while maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction.
• Member of the ‘Customer Snapshot Working Group’; a senior management level triage group constituted by Commercial VPs, Group MLRO and Heads of FCC and Customer Portfolio Risk, with the aim of managing customer onboarding and periodic reviews pipeline and expediting customer financial crime risk assessments.
• Responsible for reviewing and challenging all enhanced due diligence packs for accuracy and completeness, providing sign off prior to referral to Group MLRO, where appropriate.
• Developing and implementing a comprehensive approach to financial crime–related customer interactions, leading meetings with prospective / existing customers supporting the Commercial and the FCC teams.
• Preparing customer relationship decline packs for senior management and Board consideration, where applicable.
• Provide financial crime expert advice to a broad group of stakeholders within the business (including Product, Marketing, Legal), ensuring critical partners are aware of all potential exposure to financial crime risks.
• Key stakeholder for Product led Onboarding and KYB automation initiatives to define selection criteria, help evaluate and sign-off on third party regulatory tech providers
• Owning and continuously enhancing the development and maintenance of onboarding materials, including training manuals, checklists, and customer communications.
• Ensuring efficient and effective feedback loops are in place, with findings from quality controls, quality assurance and internal audit swiftly incorporated into processes and procedures.
• Advising the relevant teams on financial crime risks which are identified or apparent from the due diligence, enhanced due diligence, customer screening and periodic reviews processes, including suggesting review to process, procedures, and training, where applicable.
• At the request of the Head of FCC, ensure timely, complete and accurate information is provided to BVNK’s banking partner’s compliance teams.
• Continuously monitoring and evaluating onboarding performance and making recommendations for improvements.
• Developing capacity models to determine the required resources to keep up with expected growth.
• Determining whether or not due diligence-related internal suspicious activity reports (SARs) have substance and require escalation to the Head of FC Intelligence for external SAR filing consideration.

What we need from you:

• Must have proven experience working in a relevant financial crime position within a financial institution, with vast exposure to managing higher risk verticals’ customer lifecycle, payments and correspondent banking (5-10 years of experience of leading higher risk verticals’s onboarding).
• Must have extensive experience developing and implementing a comprehensive multi-jurisdiction risk-sensitive strategy to due diligence.
• Must have vast experience managing teams.
• Experience with financial crime risks associated to cryptoassets, is desired.
• Should have experience leading banking partners, internal and external audits and regulatory reviews.
• Should have ability to manage both BAU and change initiatives, with experience of working directly with product teams and have a deep understanding of the product development life cycle.
• Should have ability to think strategically, be willing to challenge and bring technology led innovation to the BAU operations including automation and process management tools
• Should be comfortable working with a high degree of autonomy and managing evolving priorities to deliver against the team's strategy.
• Should be an inquisitive person with an investigative attitude, who is willing to learn.
• Should possess proven analytical skills and ability to undertake research and come to appropriate conclusions and present complex findings.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving and demanding environment, often with competing priorities.
• Ability to work effectively within a team, cross functionally, as well as independently.
• Experience managing very senior stakeholders.

What you can expect from us:

• Fair and competitive salary at every stage of your growth
• Meaningful ownership in the business through our employee option scheme
• Flexible working hours, with hybrid working at its heart
• A culture built on passionate growth minded people
• A flexible approach to holiday
• Opportunities to travel to our offices around the world, in locations such as London and Cape Town, to collaborate with your colleagues
• An open and creative environment where you can help us define the future of BVNK, it’s culture, and it’s opportunity sets

At BVNK, we are focused on building a diverse and inclusive team. While you may not meet all of our requirements, we’d encourage you to apply if you meet the majority of our expectations. You may be a great fit for this role or another role in our team.

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