Risk & Control Officer

ABOUT PLEO Messy spend management is tricky business. And tedious processes are a lose-lose situation for all involved, not just finance. At Pleo, we're changing that. We build spend solutions that make managing money seamless, empowering, and surprisingly effective for finance teams and employees alike - with a vision to help all businesses ‘go beyond’. The word ‘Pleo’ actually means ‘more than you’d expect’, and living by that mantra has been the secret to our success over the last 10 years. Now, we’re at a pivotal moment in our journey; every move we make has a direct impact on our 40,000+ customers, our business, and our collective success. We need people who take pride in uncovering customer needs, who turn complex problems into simple solutions, challenge the way things are done (respectfully), and always aim high. With great ambitions driving us forward, we can’t say we’ve got this whole thing figured out. And frankly, that’s half the fun! What we can say is that we’re a driven, progressive, and, importantly, a kind bunch of 850+ people from over 100 nationalities, all committed to delivering the future of business spending, together. ABOUT THE ROLE We're looking for a Risk & Controls Officer to join our Risk & Control team at Pleo. In this role, you'll operate as a key part of our Second Line of Defence, helping to strengthen the risk management framework that underpins everything we do — from our product to our regulatory relationships. You'll work at the intersection of risk expertise and business partnership, offering thoughtful challenges and practical guidance to our First Line teams as we continue to scale. If you're excited by the prospect of shaping how a fast-growing FinTech approaches risk maturity, and are passionate about building robust, pragmatic control environments, then this is the opportunity for you! WHO YOU’LL BE WORKING WITH AND REPORTING TO You’ll report to our Head of Risk and Control and work closely with First Line teams across the business. Our Risk & Control team is highly collaborative and dedicated to driving a culture of sound risk management across Pleo. You’ll also have the chance to partner with teams across Product, Operations, Finance, and Compliance to ensure cross-functional success. WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING As a Risk & Controls Officer, you will: - Support Risk Framework Execution – Contribute to the implementation and maintenance of Pleo's 2LOD risk management framework, ensuring controls remain aligned with regulatory expectations and business strategy. - Execute Oversight Activities – Conduct RCSAs (Risk and Control Self Assessments) and control reviews across the business. Assess the quality of risk identification and control design, and challenge 1LOD findings where appropriate. - Identify & Assess Risks – Support scenario analysis and stress-testing exercises across operational, technology, product, and credit risk domains. Help surface emerging risk exposures to leadership. - Be a Reliable Risk Advisor – Support business teams with guidance on risk topics, control requirements, and regulatory change, providing practical recommendations on risk and control issues. - Support Risk Reporting & Regulatory Engagement – Contribute to the preparation of clear, data-informed risk reports for senior management and governance committees, and assist with regulator interactions on risk and control matters. To put things into context, we currently have scaling our 2LOD oversight framework and enhancing cross-functional RCSA processes on our roadmap. You can expect to work with modern risk management platforms, GRC tools, and data analytics dashboards. WHAT YOU BRING You’ll thrive in this role if you have: - Financial Services Experience – 3+ years of experience in a regulated financial services environment (FinTech, banking, payments, or similar) with hands-on experience in risk or control management. - Essential Credit Risk Expertise – A solid, demonstrated understanding of the assessment and management of credit risk. - Core Risk Domain Knowledge – Proven experience with operational risk, technology risk, and product risk assessment. - Hands-On Risk & Control Execution – Background in ERM framework execution, control design, RCSAs, assurance activities, and remediation tracking. - Clear & Collaborative Communication – Ability to translate complex risk concepts into practical, accessible language for diverse audiences, from frontline teams to leadership. - Pragmatic, Solutions-Oriented Approach – A real-world problem-solving mindset that delivers workable answers to real risk challenges rather than defaulting to theoretical frameworks alone. WHY IS THIS ROLE A GOOD FIT FOR YOU This role is a good fit for you if: - You want to actively shape 2LOD risk maturity in a high-growth FinTech scale-up. - You enjoy a pragmatic, hands-on role where risk oversight directly enables business growth and innovation. - You thrive in a collaborative environment partnering with cross-functional teams across Product, Operations, and Finance. This role is not a good fit for you if: - Your background is primarily in traditional Internal Audit, Consulting, or pure Compliance without direct operational risk framework and RCSA experience. - You prefer operating strictly within rigid, theoretical risk models without adapting to fast-paced commercial realities. - You prefer purely administrative risk logging over proactive challenge, advisory, and stakeholder collaboration. HOW YOU’LL DEVELOP IN THIS ROLE In your first 12 months at Pleo, you’ll: - Get under the skin of Pleo's risk landscape and take ownership of key 2LOD review, RCSA, and challenge activities across priority business areas. - Play an active role in evolving our risk framework as the company continues to scale — contributing your expertise to initiatives that shape how we manage risk for years to come. - Build strong cross-functional relationships, establishing yourself as a credible, trusted advisor on risk and