Fraud & Financial Crime Lead in City of Westminster

As Fraud & Financial Crime Lead, you will design and operationalise the FIU, define its mandate and investigative standards, and lead high-impact investigations into complex, organised and emerging financial crime threats. You will work closely with cross-functional stakeholders to strengthen our control environment and ensure we remain ahead of evolving risks in a digital-first banking landscape.

Responsibilities

• Establish and scale Zopa's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), defining its operating model, governance, case acceptance criteria, and investigative standards.
• Design and implement a robust triage and prioritisation framework for complex investigations, including escalations from operational teams and high-risk referrals.
• Act as the bank's subject matter expert on financial crime and fraud typologies, conducting deep-dive thematic investigations into emerging threats and systemic risks.
• Develop and evolve Zopa's complex investigations strategy, ensuring alignment with regulatory expectations, enterprise risk appetite, and industry best practice.
• Maintain up-to-date awareness of emerging financial crime typologies, organised criminal methodologies, and regulatory developments impacting UK banking and FinTech.

Complex Investigations & Intelligence-Led Delivery:

• Lead end-to-end complex financial crime investigations, using internal data, external intelligence, and analytical insight to identify root causes, quantify exposure, and recommend control enhancements.
• Produce high-quality intelligence reports, including clear articulation of typologies, impact assessments, and remediation recommendations.
• Identify systemic weaknesses and control gaps through investigative findings, and drive targeted enhancements across detection, prevention, and monitoring frameworks.
• Develop thematic reporting to inform senior stakeholders of emerging risks, trends, and strategic priorities.

Cross-Functional & External Impact:

• Partner with Product, Technology, Operations, Risk, and Compliance teams across the First and Second Lines of Defence to embed proportionate, risk-based controls into product design and customer journeys.
• Act as a senior escalation point for complex or high-risk cases requiring expert judgement.
• Represent Zopa at industry forums and, where appropriate, law enforcement engagements, contributing to intelligence-sharing and collaborative disruption efforts.
• Build and maintain strong industry networks to ensure Zopa remains at the forefront of financial crime prevention and investigative best practice.

Qualifications & Experience

• Extensive experience in financial crime and fraud typologies, including organised crime methodologies, with deep knowledge of relevant UK regulatory and compliance frameworks.
• Demonstrable experience establishing or significantly enhancing a Financial Intelligence Unit or complex investigations function within a banking or FinTech environment.
• Proven track record of leading complex, intelligence-led investigations, including scoping, hypothesis development, evidence gathering, analysis, and production of conclusions and recommendations.
• Strong understanding of how to assess materiality and sufficiency of evidence - knowing when further investigation adds value versus when conclusions are robust and actionable.
• Experience engaging with law enforcement, regulatory bodies, or industry intelligence groups.

You’ll Thrive If You:

• Enjoy building and leading high-performing investigative functions from first principles;
• Translate complex investigative findings into structured reports, executive briefings, and actionable remediation plans;
• Are comfortable analysing large and complex datasets to extract meaningful insights;
• Communicate technical and investigative concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders, influencing decision-making through structured argumentation and evidence.

Working at Zopa

At Zopa we value flexible ways of working. This hybrid role requires you to come to our London office 2-3 days a week, with the option of working from abroad for up to 120 days a year. We also offer a supportive environment for work-life balance and the resources you need to thrive from day one.

But no matter where you are, we’ll make sure you’ve got everything you need to thrive, both in your work and home life, from day one.

Subject to having the right to work in the country of choice. Find out more about our fantastic offerings at Zopa.com. If you embrace unconventional challenges, are unafraid to think differently and are driven to make an outsized impact, you’ll thrive here at Zopa.