Head of Risk Operations

About the role

Airwallex, an AI-native financial operating system used by more than 675,000 businesses, is hiring a Head of Risk Operations. The role leads a global team responsible for Acquiring, Issuing and Credit Risk, covering new client onboarding, periodic reviews and in-life behaviour. It is based in either London or Singapore.

Key responsibilities

• Own the vision, strategy and execution for Risk Operations and build, lead and develop a globally distributed team.
• Own the location and resourcing strategy, solving for 24/7 coverage, customer experience and cost efficiency.
• Create a repeatable, scalable operating rhythm with clear OKRs and take a data-driven approach to performance management.
• Balance risk, customer experience and commercial impact, ensuring timely, high-quality decisions and communications.
• Improve procedures, playbooks and control frameworks in line with financial crime and fraud policies, and ensure consistent, high-quality documentation.
• Lead the AI transformation of the Risk Operations team.

Required profile

• Senior leadership experience in large-scale, multi-jurisdiction operations in a regulated financial-services or fintech business.
• Proven track record of scaling Risk Operations (at least two of Payments, Issuing and Credit) across multiple geographies.
• Background in Fraud Ops and ATO risk control.
• Commercial and analytical judgement, with comfort framing decisions in unit economics, scalability and ROI.
• Experience at the Operations-Product-Risk intersection, driving cross-functional outcomes without full reporting-line authority.
• Demonstrated delivery of automation/AI-led transformation in an operations setting.
• Preferred: cross-border payments, multi-entity/multi-license environments, Payments/Issuing/Credit risk, IPO readiness exposure, and top-tier consulting or investor background.

Required skills

• Big data and analytics, including SQL, DBX and BI tooling.
• Preferred: comfort with a highly technical, API-first product.