Head of Risk & Fraud

Role overview

This is a senior leadership opportunity for a Head of Risk & Fraud in Germany, supporting a large-scale digital marketplace with millions of active users. The position is posted for a partner employer, which will handle the application review and all subsequent hiring steps.

The role is focused on protecting trust across the platform by shaping and executing the full fraud and risk agenda. You will be expected to strike the right balance between business growth and robust protection from financial and behavioral abuse.

Working across data, product, operations, and compliance, this position requires decisive ownership of fraud-related business outcomes. You will also lead a specialist team covering real-time defense, longer-term risk planning, model development, and partner oversight.

Your work will have a direct effect on important commercial indicators such as chargeback performance, approval rates, payout rates, and fraud-related losses across several products.

You will collaborate closely with senior leaders in Product, Engineering, Finance, and Legal to make sure risk controls are considered in every significant initiative from the start.

Key responsibilities

• Take full ownership of the fraud and risk P&L, including chargebacks, payout rates, approval performance, and false-positive outcomes across the business.
• Set and drive the global fraud and risk strategy so it supports growth, product expansion, and marketplace trust.
• Guide, grow, and structure the Risk & Fraud team, creating strong second-line leadership and a high-performing, data-led culture.
• Build and roll out the fraud prevention roadmap, covering buy-versus-build choices, platform improvements, and the evolution of detection models.
• Manage key external fraud prevention partnerships, including service levels, RFPs, testing approaches, and commercial negotiations.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, Finance, and Legal to embed risk considerations into new features and initiatives early in the process.
• Oversee compliance and regulatory responsibilities linked to KYC, PSP obligations, and law-enforcement requests across multiple markets.
• Act as the final escalation point for complex fraud and risk matters and represent the function in executive and leadership discussions.

Candidate profile

This role suits a strategic operator who performs well in fast-moving, data-heavy environments and is comfortable owning outcomes end to end.

• At least 8 years of experience in fraud, risk management, financial crime, or closely related areas within high-growth digital businesses.
• Demonstrated leadership background, including building or managing strong teams with full accountability for risk results.
• Proven success in reducing fraud, chargebacks, or losses through structural and data-based interventions.
• Strong commercial judgment, with hands-on experience managing vendors, negotiating SLAs, and owning external partnerships.
• Highly analytical approach with the ability to read dashboards, identify root causes, and act independently; SQL or Databricks experience is an advantage.
• Background in marketplaces, fintech, payments, e-commerce, or gaming, especially in high-volume and fraud-sensitive environments.
• Solid understanding of fraud patterns such as account takeover, promo abuse, and reseller fraud.
• Good knowledge of compliance frameworks, including KYC, PSP regulations, and risk governance standards.
• Excellent English communication skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead cross-functional conversations.
• Leadership style centered on coaching, team growth, and building scalable organizational structures.

Benefits and rewards

• Employee stock option program.
• Performance-linked bonuses and referral incentives.
• Extra paid leave options.
• Learning and development budget for personal growth.
• Paid volunteering opportunities.
• Flexible working setup with remote, office, or hybrid options, plus travel opportunities.
• Strong progression prospects within a fast-growing global marketplace environment.
• Structured feedback and promotion processes that support fast professional development.

Application and privacy notes

Applications are reviewed through an AI-assisted matching process so that suitable candidates can be evaluated quickly, consistently, and fairly against the role’s core requirements. The shortlist is then shared with the hiring company, whose internal team manages interviews, assessments, and final selection.

By applying, you consent to the processing of your personal data for candidate evaluation and for sharing relevant details with the employer under applicable data protection rules, including GDPR. You may request access, correction, deletion, or objection to the processing of your data at any time.

AI tools may be used to support parts of recruitment, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or checking responses for inconsistencies and verification signals. These tools assist the recruitment process but do not replace human judgment, and final hiring decisions are made by people.