Head of Risk & Fraud

Role overview

This is a senior leadership opportunity for a Canada-based Risk & Fraud leader. The role supports a large digital marketplace with millions of active users and focuses on protecting trust while still enabling growth.

You will set the overall fraud and risk direction end to end, making sure the business stays protected from financial abuse and harmful behavioral patterns without slowing product expansion. The position sits at the crossroads of data, product, operations, and compliance, so it calls for decisive judgment and full accountability for fraud outcomes.

You will also lead a specialist team that handles immediate fraud defense as well as longer-term risk planning, including model development and partner oversight. Your work will influence core business indicators such as chargeback performance, approval rates, and fraud-related losses across multiple products.

In this role, you will partner closely with senior leaders in Product, Engineering, Finance, and Legal to make sure risk considerations are built into major initiatives from the start. This is a high-impact position for someone who enjoys fast-moving, data-led environments and operating with broad ownership.

Accountabilities

• Take full ownership of the fraud and risk P&L, including chargeback, payout, approval, and false-positive performance across the business.
• Set and drive the global fraud and risk strategy so it supports business growth, product rollout, and marketplace trust.
• Lead, coach, and grow the Risk & Fraud team, creating a strong second-line leadership layer and a high-performing culture built on data.
• Shape and deliver the fraud prevention roadmap, covering build-versus-buy decisions, platform enhancements, and the evolution of detection models.
• Manage key external fraud-prevention partnerships, including SLA management, RFPs, testing approaches, and commercial negotiations.
• Work as the main cross-functional partner for Product, Engineering, Finance, and Legal to ensure new features and initiatives include risk from day one.
• Own regulatory and compliance responsibilities tied to KYC, PSP obligations, and law-enforcement requests across several markets.
• Act as the final escalation point for complex fraud and risk matters and represent the function in executive and leadership discussions.

Requirements

• At least 8 years of experience in fraud, risk management, financial crime, or a closely related field within high-growth digital businesses.
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including building or managing high-performing teams with full responsibility for risk outcomes.
• Proven success in lowering fraud, chargebacks, or losses through structural, data-backed interventions.
• Strong commercial judgment with experience handling vendors, negotiating service levels, and managing outside partners.
• A highly analytical approach, with the ability to read dashboards, find root causes, and work independently; SQL or Databricks knowledge is a plus.
• Experience in marketplaces, fintech, payments, e-commerce, or gaming environments with high transaction volume and exposure to fraud.
• Good understanding of common fraud patterns such as account takeover, promo abuse, and reseller fraud.
• Solid knowledge of compliance frameworks, including KYC, PSP regulations, and broader risk governance standards.
• Excellent English communication skills and the ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead cross-functional conversations.
• A strong coaching mindset with a focus on team development and building scalable organizational structures.

Benefits

• Employee stock option program
• Performance bonuses and referral incentives
• Extra paid leave options
• Personal learning and development budget
• Paid volunteering opportunities
• Flexible work setup, with remote, office, or hybrid options and travel opportunities
• Clear career growth in a fast-scaling global marketplace environment
• Structured feedback and promotion processes that support rapid professional development

Application and hiring process

This role is advertised on behalf of a partner company, which handles all applications and the next steps in the process. Applications are reviewed through an AI-assisted matching process designed to rank candidates against the role’s core needs and then share the strongest matches with the hiring company. The final decision, including interviews and assessments, is managed by the employer’s internal team.

Privacy and data use

By submitting an application, you consent to the processing of your personal data for candidate evaluation and sharing relevant details with the hiring employer. This processing is based on legitimate interest and pre-contractual steps under applicable data protection laws, including GDPR. You may request access, correction, deletion, or objection at any time.

AI tools may be used to support parts of the recruitment workflow, including resume review, application analysis, and identification of possible inconsistencies or verification signals in submitted materials. These tools assist the recruitment team but do not replace human judgment, and final hiring decisions are always made by people.