We are seeking a Senior Operational Risk Oversight Manager – Payments to join our Second Line of Defence team. This role is responsible for leading oversight of payment-related risks—an essential area in ensuring our members’ transactions are secure, efficient, and reliable. You will manage a team of payment risk specialists, providing senior leadership in assessing and challenging how the Society manages payment operations, regulatory compliance, and emerging industry developments. Driving effective oversight of payment risk will be critical in maintaining the safety and trust our members place in Nationwide for their everyday financial transactions.
As a senior leader within our independent Second Line Operational Risk Oversight function, you will play a pivotal role in delivering the Society’s objectives. The team’s mission is to ensure non-financial risks are effectively managed so Nationwide can serve its members safely and efficiently. In this role, you will lead a team responsible for overseeing payments risk across the Society. Given the importance of secure and resilient payment systems to both member trust and day-to-day operations, you will play a key part in ensuring these systems and processes meet the highest standards.
You will work closely with First Line Payments and Operations teams within the COO division, as well as business units across Retail and Business Banking and other areas involved in payment processing. By providing expert risk oversight—covering payment processing, regulatory compliance, and fraud prevention—you will help maintain the stability and integrity of Nationwide’s payment services.
Your leadership responsibilities will include coordinating oversight activities such as targeted control reviews, continuous monitoring of payment processes, and deep dives into significant incidents or issues. You will ensure your team delivers clear, high-quality reports and recommendations that identify trends and address root causes of risk.
As a senior member of the Operational Risk leadership team, you will collaborate with colleagues across related risk disciplines, such as Operational Resilience and Financial Crime, to ensure a holistic view of payment risks. You will also engage with senior stakeholders, up to Director level, providing clear, data-driven insights and constructive challenges to support decision-making and continuous improvement in payments.
In addition, you may represent the Operational Risk function in key forums, particularly in the absence of the Head of Operational Risk Oversight (Payments, Central Functions & Process). Through your leadership and expertise, you will play a direct role in safeguarding our members’ finances and upholding the excellence of Nationwide’s payment systems.
We are happy to consider flexible working approaches to help you perform at your best.
At Nationwide we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.
For this job you'll spend at least two days per week, or if part time you'll spend 40% of your working time, based at either our London or Swindon office. If you are aligned to our Glasgow hub (as this is your nearest location), there will be a need to regularly connect and collaborate with colleagues. This is anticipated to be weekly in Glasgow. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here.
If we receive a high volume of relevant applications, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so please apply as soon as you can.
Responsibilities
What you’ll be doing
You will lead operational risk oversight within the Payments domain, managing a small team and ensuring that Nationwide’s payment services remain safe, resilient, and compliant. On a day-to-day basis, you will guide your team in assessing risk controls across payment systems, providing constructive challenges to First Line Payments Operations on issues such as payment security and regulatory compliance, and ensuring that incidents and control improvements are promptly addressed.
You will take the lead on payments regulatory horizon scanning, producing clear and concise updates for the Society on upcoming regulatory changes and consultations. You will also play a strategic role in shaping the Society’s approach to managing payment risks by developing oversight plans, monitoring adherence to risk policies and appetite, and delivering timely, independent risk opinions on payment-related matters.
By collaborating closely with other risk oversight teams—such as Technology, Operational Resilience, and Financial Crime—and engaging with senior business leaders responsible for payments, you will ensure that oversight activities are comprehensive and impactful. Through these combined efforts, you will provide high-quality assurance to the Director of Operational Risk and senior risk committees, helping to maintain the highest standards in payment processes and protect our members’ transactions.
About you
You will have/be:
Extensive experience in payments risk management or oversight, including a strong understanding of payment operations and associated regulatory requirements within a financial services environment.
Proven leadership and team management capability, with experience leading specialist teams, fostering professional development, and delivering results through others.
Deep understanding of operational risk and control practices relating to payment systems and technologies (e.g. transaction processing, fraud prevention, and payment scheme rules), enabling effective challenge and support to first-line improvements.
Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage senior stakeholders (including Director level), providing clear insights and constructive challenge to operational leaders and risk committees.
Highly organised and resilient, with the ability to manage multiple oversight activities simultaneously, ensuring the delivery of high-quality risk assessments and recommendations in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together. They are the set of behaviours that every colleague needs to display, in every role:
Feel what customers feel - We step into our customers’ shoes, using their feedback and insights to empathise with them and to understand their needs, so that every decision we make starts and finishes with our customers in mind
Say it straight - We are brave in speaking out and saying what we think – we’re honest and direct with good intent, openly sharing diverse perspectives to reach the best conclusions and using language everyone can understand
Push for better - We don’t settle for mediocrity, we challenge the status quo, taking responsibility for continuous improvement and personal development
Get it done - We prioritise what will have the greatest impact, we are decisive, and we take accountability for delivering brilliant customer outcomes
You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.
Qualifications
The extras you’ll get
There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:
30 days holiday, pro rata
Access to private medical insurance
A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement
Access to an annual performance-related bonus
Training and development to help you progress your career
A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme
Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death
Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness
Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year
Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society
We forge our own path at Nationwide.
As a mutual, we’re owned by our members - those customers who bank, save or have a mortgage with us. We challenge the financial sector status quo. We don’t see customers as the engine of our own profit. We share our profits with them and put their needs first. Always there when they need us. Supporting them and their lives.
If you’re inspired by fairer finances, passionate about making a meaningful impact, and truly care about our customers, you’re one of us.
At Nationwide, you are challenged to grow and rewarded for doing so. Valued. Recognised. Inspired to be your best. As a community, we want our working lives to count. As a team, we celebrate what we achieve. As a standard-setter, we work for the good of customers, communities, and broader society.
We are purpose-driven. Uncompromisingly customer. Unstoppably Nationwide.
What to do next
If this role is for you, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button. You’ll need to attach your up-to-date CV and answer a few quick questions for us.
We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.
Please note that should you be successful in securing this role, the job title on our internal systems will be Senior Risk Manager.
Contact Details:
Nationwide Building Society Recruitment Team
