Head of Risk - Payment Institute New

Overview

Thanks to our innovative BuyNow PayLater payment solution, Scalapay is transforming the way millions of customers buy online and in-store, empowering 8,000+ merchants to give their customers magical shopping experiences. We are a young company with unicorn status, having raised over $700m. We operate around four core values: MakeItHappen, PlayAsATeam, StayCurious, FocusOnCustomer.

This is where your magic happens. If you love it, Scalapay it.

About the role

We are looking for a Head of Risk for our Payment Institute. In this role, you will report directly to the CEO of Scalapay IP and functionally to Scalapay’s Group Chief Risk Officer. You will be responsible for establishing and maintaining a robust risk and control environment to safeguard the Payment Institute’s business and reputation in our Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) operations.

As part of our team, you will be responsible for providing the 2nd Line of defence, reviewing, challenging, and overseeing the IP business with main focus on credit and fraud metrics. You will liaise with the regulator to ensure that our risk policies and procedures comply with regulatory requirements. Our Risk team sits at the core of Scalapay and works across functions, products, and regions to monitor payments performance, balancing expected losses against approval rates and customer experience.

Responsibilities

• You will Own the Second Line Risk Framework with main focus on credit and fraud
• Ensure robust oversight across the customer and merchants risk lifecycle
• Develop and maintain independent risk policies, standards, and appetite thresholds in line with regulatory and internal requirements
• Review and challenge First Line risk strategies, models, scorecards, and policies
• Lead periodic portfolio reviews, stress testing, and early warning assessments to identify emerging risks
• Represent the Risk function in governance forums including Risk Committee and Board meetings
• Engage with regulators, auditors, and external stakeholders on matters of risk governance

Qualifications

• Solid experience in credit risk position in financial industry (payment institute preferably or Bank)
• Italian mother tongue (or equivalent knowledge)
• English at a professional level
• 5+ years’ experience working in a regulated entity/environment
• Experience of interacting and building constructive relationships with regulators
• Strong operational risk experience plus knowledge across other risks (reputational, regulatory, compliance)
• Ability to communicate with the board, internal auditors & executives on regulatory updates that may affect the business
• A team player attitude who can work across functions, manage teams across geographies, and communicate with senior management

Why you should join Scalapay

• Attractive packages based on skills and experience
• International environment with significant challenges to be met every day
• Opportunities to work with a team of industry tech leaders focused on delivering products with exceptional user experiences
• Personalised support to accelerate your professional growth and take ownership of the products you deliver
• Latest technologies and encouragement to bring your flair to the role

Recruitment Process

• A quick chat with one of our Talent Acquisition team members
• The first interview with the Head of Compliance & AML and our Internal Auditor to discuss your experiences and motivations
• A case study to test your hard skills, debriefed with the Chief Risk Officer and CEO of Scalapay IP
• A final call with Simone Mancini, our CEO, to assess cultural fit

Want to learn more?

Pro tip: send your CV in English

• We believe in the power of diversity: Scalapay is an Equal Opportunity Employer for any minority, disability, gender identity or sexual orientation.