At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead global risk and trading functions, implementing strategies and improving controls.
- Company: Zeal Group, a fast-growing fintech with a global presence.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, dynamic work environment, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Join a diverse team and shape the future of trading risk management.
- Why this job: Make a significant impact in a leadership role within a cutting-edge fintech company.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in FX/CFD risk and strong analytical skills required.
The predicted salary is between 100000 - 150000 £ per year.
Zeal Group is a fintech group operating multi-asset trading businesses and technology solutions across global markets. Founded in 2017, the company has grown to more than 500 employees worldwide, with offices across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and South America, and its technology hub in Cyprus. We are hiring a Global Head of Risk & Trading to lead the risk domain across Traze and ZFX. This role will own the strategy, structure, and execution across Risk, Trading, Dealing, and Trading Anti-Fraud, while also bringing strong technical capability in quantitative modelling, automation, and client behaviour analysis.
The Role: This is a senior leadership role for a commercially aware and technically strong risk professional who can build structure, improve controls, and strengthen decision-making across the trading business. The successful candidate will lead the overall risk framework while remaining close to the detail on client flow, fraud patterns, dealing oversight, and quantitative monitoring. The role is suited to an established Head of Risk, but it may also fit a high-performing Risk Manager or Senior Specialist ready to step into a broader leadership position.
Responsibilities:
- Lead the global Risk, Trading, Dealing, and Trading Anti-Fraud function across Traze and ZFX.
- Define and implement the overall strategy, governance model, operating structure, and control framework across the risk domain.
- Oversee real-time trading risk across FX and CFD products, including exposure management, pricing integrity, and high-volatility instruments.
- Analyse client trading behaviour and order flow to identify risk patterns, toxic flow, abuse indicators, and commercial opportunities.
- Build and implement quantitative models for client classification, order-flow analysis, predictive risk monitoring, and surveillance.
- Drive automation across alerts, dashboards, logic engines, monitoring tools, and workflows to improve speed, consistency, and control.
- Detect and respond to trading abuse, including latency arbitrage, bonus abuse, toxic trading behaviour, and other high-risk activity.
- Assess risk in new products, execution models, liquidity arrangements, and promotional campaigns, and recommend mitigation strategies.
- Build scalable processes, reporting standards, and cross-functional ways of working across the business.
- Partner with Product, Commercial, Compliance, Finance, and Technology teams to align risk controls with business growth.
Proven experience in FX/CFD risk, trading, dealing, or trade surveillance within a brokerage, fintech, liquidity provider, investment banking environment, or similar trading business. Strong understanding of FX/CFD products, pricing, liquidity, order-flow dynamics, and execution risk. Demonstrated ability to categorise client trading behaviour and translate this into practical risk, dealing, hedging, or fraud-control actions. Deep knowledge of toxic flow, latency arbitrage, bonus abuse, scalping, fraud patterns, and broader client-risk behaviours. Strong quantitative and analytical capability, with experience in modelling, behavioural analysis, and risk monitoring. Practical experience with Python, SQL, or similar tools used in automation, analytics, and quantitative risk work. Ability to build teams, create structure, and lead a global function at both strategic and hands-on level. Strong communication, stakeholder management, and decision-making skills in a fast-paced environment.
Preferred: Current Head of Risk, Senior Risk Specialist, or Risk Manager ready for a step up. Highly technical candidate with a background in Mathematics, Quantitative Finance, Computer Science, Engineering, Machine Learning, or a related field. Experience from retail brokerage, fintech, liquidity providers, PSPs, investment banking, or adjacent financial markets businesses. Ambitious, hands-on, and comfortable building processes, frameworks, and structure from the ground up.
What Success Looks Like: In this role, you will be expected to bring a clear approach to client behaviour categorisation, define what strong risk team design looks like, and introduce practical automation that improves how toxic or abusive clients are identified and managed. The role requires someone who can combine strategic leadership with technical depth and take ownership of building a stronger global risk function.
Global Head of Risk & Trading employer: Zeal Group
Zeal Group is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment that fosters innovation and collaboration within the fintech sector. With a strong emphasis on employee growth, the company provides ample opportunities for professional development and leadership roles, particularly in its technology hub in Cyprus. The inclusive culture encourages creativity and teamwork, making it an ideal place for those looking to make a meaningful impact in global trading and risk management.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Global Head of Risk & Trading
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to industry contacts on LinkedIn or attend fintech events. We all know that sometimes it’s not just what you know, but who you know that can help you land that dream role.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions and scenarios related to risk and trading. We suggest doing mock interviews with friends or mentors to get comfortable discussing your experience and technical skills.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your expertise! Bring along examples of your work, like quantitative models or analyses you've done. We want to see how you think and solve problems, so don’t hold back on sharing your successes.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are genuinely interested in joining our team at Zeal Group.
We think you need these skills to ace Global Head of Risk & Trading
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV reflects the specific skills and experiences that align with the Global Head of Risk & Trading role. Highlight your experience in FX/CFD risk and any leadership roles you've held, as we want to see how you can bring value to our team.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're the perfect fit for this role. Share your passion for risk management and trading, and don’t forget to mention any relevant technical skills, like Python or SQL, that will help us understand your capabilities.
Showcase Your Achievements:When detailing your past roles, focus on your achievements rather than just responsibilities. Use metrics where possible to demonstrate how you’ve improved processes or mitigated risks in previous positions. We love seeing quantifiable success!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows us you’re keen on joining our team at Zeal Group!
How to prepare for a job interview at Zeal Group
✨Know Your Risk Frameworks
Make sure you’re well-versed in the risk frameworks relevant to FX and CFD products. Be prepared to discuss how you would define and implement these frameworks at Zeal Group, showcasing your understanding of exposure management and pricing integrity.
✨Demonstrate Technical Skills
Brush up on your quantitative modelling and automation skills. Be ready to share examples of how you've used Python or SQL in previous roles to enhance risk monitoring or client behaviour analysis. This will show that you can bring technical capability to the table.
✨Showcase Leadership Experience
As this is a senior role, highlight your experience in leading teams and building structures. Prepare to discuss specific instances where you’ve improved controls or decision-making processes in a fast-paced environment, demonstrating your ability to lead both strategically and hands-on.
✨Understand Client Behaviour Patterns
Familiarise yourself with common client trading behaviours, including toxic flow and fraud patterns. Be ready to analyse hypothetical scenarios during the interview and suggest practical actions for categorising and managing these behaviours effectively.
