Director of Operational Risk in London

Our Story

Hello there. We’re Zopa. We started our journey back in 2005, building the first ever peer-to-peer lending company. Fast forward to 2020 and we launched Zopa Bank. A bank that listens to what our customers don’t like about finance and does the opposite. We’re redefining what it feels like to work in finance. Our vision for a new era of banking puts people front and centre — we’ve built a business that empowers everyone to aim high, every day, to move finance forward.

We’re incredibly proud of our achievements and none of it would be possible without the amazing team here. It’s not just industry awards we’re winning, we’ve also been named in the top three UK’s Most Loved Workplaces.

If you embrace unconventional challenges, are unafraid to think differently and are driven to make an outsized impact, you’ll thrive here at Zopa, so join us, and make it count.

At Zopa, we believe risk management is our competitive advantage. We want it to be a cutting-edge, data-led capability that fundamentally improves how we build and run our products, not just making us safer but also faster and more efficient.

Reporting to the Chief Compliance Risk Officer, the Director of Operational Risk will define and lead how Zopa manages its operational risks - embedding analytical depth, critical thinking, and engineering rigour at the heart of the 2nd line. As part of this, they will lead our thinking on how we can use Gen AI and machine learning to identify and control risks.

You’ll lead a small, high-performing team, and work closely with the first line of defence, to find where things can break, test hypotheses, and design smart, efficient controls that actually work. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who combines sharp analytical capability with sound judgement and a bias for delivery.

A Day in the life...

• Define and lead Zopa's approach to operational risk – build and run a function grounded in analytical depth, critical thinking, and engineering rigour; move beyond governance and paperwork to a model that uses the most suitable technology and analytical tools to find real weaknesses, tests them, and designs smart, efficient controls that work in practice.
• Lead from the front and set the standard – personally take on the most complex risk areas, mapping processes, stress-testing controls, and showing through example what great, evidence-based risk work looks like.
• Challenge with clarity and depth – engage senior stakeholders across Engineering, Product, and Operations with sharp, well-reasoned analysis; ask the difficult questions, test assumptions, and ensure real risks are owned and addressed.
• Assure what matters most – direct and perform targeted reviews of critical systems, processes, and suppliers, validating control effectiveness through data, walkthroughs, and evidence, not documentation alone.
• Develop the team and function – instil your habits of analysis, curiosity, and precision across the team and the wider organisation, coaching others to think like engineers and deliver crisp, actionable assurance that drives meaningful change.

About you...

• Engineering-minded problem solver – think in systems, identify weak spots, and validate control effectiveness through logic, evidence, and data.
• Process design expert – simplify complex workflows and embed controls that are efficient, scalable, and proportionate.
• AI advocate – well-versed and hands-on in using AI to solve problems, forward-thinking about what it can do and how to put it to use effectively.
• Critical thinker with sound judgement – cut through ambiguity, prioritise what really matters, and make clear, defensible calls.
• Detail-oriented but pragmatic – comfortable moving between granular investigation and big-picture judgement.
• Influential communicator – build credibility across technical and non-technical teams, using evidence and clarity to drive action.
• Adaptive learner – comfortable diving into new domains and mastering them quickly.
• Outcome-focused – care about fewer incidents, better controls, and stronger delivery, not just governance artefacts.
• Curious and analytical – love understanding how things actually work and where they can fail.

At Zopa we value flexible ways of working. We value face-to-face collaboration and a good work-life balance. This hybrid role requires you to come to our London office 2-3 days a week. You’ll also have the option of working from abroad for up to 120 days a year*.

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.

Diversity Statement: Zopa is proud to offer a workplace free from discrimination. Diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds leads to better products for our customers and a unique company culture for our people. We are made up of nearly 50 nationalities, have a DE&I forum made up of Zopians wanting to make a difference and we are proud of our culture where everyone can bring their full self to work. Our approach to DE&I is reflected in our hiring process so please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.