Fraud Operations Director in London

Who we are: Zilch is a payment tech company on a mission to create the most empowering way to pay for anything, anywhere. Combining the best of debit, credit and savings, we give our customers the option to earn instant cashback or spread the cost of pricier purchases, completely interest free and with no late fees. We started in 2018 with a small team and a big dream - to make credit accessible to all. Since then, we’ve achieved double unicorn status and taken on more than 5 million customers. There are some exciting projects coming up and we’ve got big growth plans.

About the role. We are seeking a highly experienced Fraud Operations Director to lead Zilch's Fraud, KYC, and Chargeback operations. This role is accountable for the company-wide execution of Zilch's fraud risk framework, delivering operational resilience, customer protection, and measurable performance improvements at scale. The Fraud Operations Director will oversee multi-layered internal teams and external BPO providers, providing inspirational leadership, mentoring, and management across fraud detection, KYC, and chargebacks functions. They will partner closely with senior stakeholders across Product, Engineering, Risk, Compliance, Legal, and Operations to embed fraud resilience into Zilch's growth strategy and customer experience.

This is a high-visibility, executive-facing role that combines strategic influence with operational excellence. The successful candidate will be a seasoned operations leader with deep fraud expertise and a refined leadership skillset with a proven ability to navigate complex challenges across multiple domains. They will motivate and develop high-performing teams, deliver measurable improvements across operational and business KPIs, and act as a credible representative of Zilch in engagements with regulators, payment networks, and industry bodies.

Day to day responsibilities:

• Operational Leadership: Translate enterprise fraud strategy into scalable processes, controls and operational KPIs that protect customers and business outcomes. Drive operational excellence across fraud detection, KYC onboarding, and chargeback handling. Define, monitor, and continuously improve KPIs across fraud losses, KYC pass rates, chargeback recovery, customer experience, and operational efficiency. Lead and scale Fraud, KYC, and Chargeback operations, managing both internal teams and outsourced providers. Establish long-term resilience by implementing robust systems, processes, and tools that reduce fraud risks and future proof operations.
• People & Team Leadership: Lead, mentor, and develop multi-domain teams and BPOs across fraud, KYC, and chargebacks. Establish strong leadership depth and succession planning, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and agile performance management. Champion cross-functional collaboration to ensure alignment between fraud operational delivery and wider business objectives.
• Enterprise Execution & Delivery at Scale: Drive consistent, company-wide execution of fraud operations, ensuring strategy translates into effective day-to-day delivery across all teams, regions, and products. Ensure end-to-end execution of fraud prevention and chargeback processes. Use advanced data analytics to anticipate, communicate and mitigate operational fraud risks. Drive adoption of fraud initiatives across cross-functional teams, securing buy-in and accountability companywide. Define and execute long-term operational roadmaps ensuring scalability and resilience. Oversee major fraud investigations and ensure effective escalation of high-impact cases and trends.
• Stakeholder Influence & Strategic Alignment: Represent Fraud operations with Executive Teams and C-suite stakeholders, providing insights and operational perspectives that shape decision-making. Act as a strong operational voice in influencing business outcomes tied to fraud mitigation, customer trust and financial resilience. Build alignment across senior stakeholders, ensuring clarity and consistency on fraud related priorities and initiatives.
• External Engagement: Represent the business in interactions with regulators, law enforcement, payment networks, and industry bodies. Build external partnerships to enhance intelligence-sharing and coordinated responses to emerging fraud threats.
• Governance & Reporting: Provide clear, actionable reporting to Executive Teams on fraud, KYC, and chargeback performance. Maintain robust oversight of fraud-related losses, recoveries, and operational financial impact, recommending mitigations where appropriate. Ensure compliance with FCA, EU and other regulatory obligations while fostering shared accountability for fraud risk across the business.

What we’re looking for...

• Degree in Finance, Economics, Law, Risk Management, Computer Science, Data/Analytics (or a related field with equivalent experience).
• Professional certifications in fraud and financial crime (ICA, ACAMS, CFE strongly preferred).
• Extensive senior leadership experience in fraud/KYC/chargeback operations within financial services, fintech, or payments.
• Deep knowledge of UK & EU fraud regulations and frameworks including FCA expectations, EU Directives & Payment Services Regulations.
• Proven ability to design and scale fraud operations during periods of rapid growth; balancing strategic oversight with hands-on operational delivery.
• Demonstrable success influencing and aligning C-Suite and senior stakeholders to deliver measurable fraud outcomes.
• Proven experience successfully leading, mentoring, and developing diverse teams and outsourced providers, with the ability to drive high performance, build strong succession pipelines, and create a culture of accountability and continuous learning.
• Demonstrable success defining and improving operational and business KPIs, driving measurable outcomes across fraud losses, chargeback recovery, and customer experience.
• Proven ability to build and optimise in house and third-party fraud detection and prevention platforms.
• Strong working knowledge of transaction monitoring tools, fraud prevention platforms, and case management systems.
• Advanced data analysis skills: SQL, Python, or BI tools (Tableau, Power BI) with experience generating actionable MI and fraud insights.
• Deep expertise in fraud and KYC typologies, controls, and regulatory frameworks.
• Strong command of payment networks & systems (Visa, Mastercard, Open Banking APIs, BNPL platforms).
• Experience of first-party fraud, third-party fraud, APP scams, card fraud, mule activity, and account takeovers in a fintech/consumer credit context.
• Demonstrable experience engaging with regulators, card schemes and industry bodies.
• Familiarity with fraud loss forecasting and P&L accountability.

Desirable skills:

• Understanding of machine learning / AI-driven fraud models with the ability to assess and deploy them.
• International exposure to fraud/KYC operations.
• Strong external network within the fraud and financial crime prevention community.

Benefits:

• Compensation & Savings: Pension scheme. Death in Service scheme. Income Protection. Permanent employees enjoy access to our Share Options Scheme. 5% back on in-app purchases. £200 for WFH Setup.
• Health & Wellbeing: Private Medical Insurance including; GP consultations (video, telephone or face-to-face). Prescribed medication. In-patient, day-patient and out-patient care. Mental health support. Optical, dental & audiological cover. Physiotherapy. Advanced cancer cover. Menopause support. Employee Assistance Programme including: Unlimited mental health sessions. 24/7 remote GP & physiotherapy. 24/7 helpline for emotional & practical support. Savings & discounts on everyday shopping. 1:1 personalised well-being consultations. Gym membership discounts.
• Family Friendly Policies: Enhanced maternity pay. Enhanced paternity pay. Enhanced adoption pay. Enhanced shared parental leave.
• Learning & Development: Professional Qualifications. Professional Memberships. Learning Suite for e-courses. Internal Training Programmes. FCA & Regulatory training.
• Workplace Perks: Hybrid Working. Casual dress code. Workplace socials. Healthy snacks.