Head of Risk

About the role

We are expanding our acquiring and payments platform that serves international merchants, including high‑risk sectors such as crypto, Forex, gambling and subscription‑based services. As Head of Risk you will shape a scalable risk management framework that enables growth while safeguarding the business against financial, operational and regulatory threats.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and grow the Risk Department, overseeing analysts and monitoring specialists.
• Define and execute the acquiring risk strategy, establishing policies, procedures and underwriting standards.
• Make risk decisions on merchant onboarding, limits, reserves and account termination in line with the company’s risk appetite.
• Assess and approve merchants operating in high‑risk industries, including cryptocurrency, CFD, gambling, SaaS and cross‑border e‑commerce.
• Monitor portfolio quality, fraud levels, chargeback ratios and emerging reputational risks.
• Manage reserves, security deposits and other mitigation measures.
• Ensure compliance with Visa and Mastercard requirements and participate in scheme monitoring programmes (VAMP, MATCH, etc.).
• Collaborate with Compliance, AML, Sales, Operations, Finance and Technology teams to embed effective risk controls.
• Prepare risk reporting for executives, board members, regulators and payment partners.
• Support regulatory reviews, audits and external assessments.
• Mentor and develop a team of risk managers, analysts and monitoring specialists.

Required profile

• Higher education in Finance, Economics, Mathematics, Risk Management or a related discipline.
• 7+ years of experience in banking, acquiring, payments or related risk functions.
• Proven track record of building and leading risk teams in fast‑growing environments.
• Strong understanding of Visa and Mastercard risk monitoring programmes.
• Fluent English communication skills.

Required skills

What we offer

• Competitive compensation package based on experience and expertise.
• Hybrid work model in Riga, Latvia.
• Opportunity to influence a high‑growth fintech business.