Head of Fraud & Financial Crime (First Line, Operational Leader

A profitable, PE-backed consumer lender (cards and loans) is making a significant leadership hire, bringing fraud and financial crime together under a single first line operating model, and is looking for a permanent Head of Fraud & Financial Crime to build and run it.

This is a hands-on leadership role, not a figurehead. You will lead the first line operational teams, with at least five direct reports, and own the strategy, the control framework and the day-to-day delivery across fraud, AML, sanctions and wider financial crime. As Nominated Officer, you will hold the firm's relationship with law enforcement and intelligence-sharing agencies.

We want a builder. Someone who has done this before, can operate at both strategic and detailed levels, and rolls their sleeves up rather than leading from a distance. You will bring an outside view of strong first line practice and raise the bar internally.

What you'll do:

• Own and deliver the firm's fraud and financial crime strategy across all relevant risk areas
• Lead the first line operational teams, with clear accountability, strong performance management and real delivery
• Establish and maintain a clear operating model with defined ownership across fraud and financial crime
• Design, implement and continuously improve the control framework, subject to MLRO and Compliance oversight
• Act as Nominated Officer, building and owning relationships with law enforcement, industry bodies and intelligence-sharing groups
• Oversee detection performance, working with analytics teams to optimise rules, models and AI-driven controls
• Take a hands-on role investigating issues, reviewing controls and closing second and third line recommendations
• Provide clear, actionable reporting to senior stakeholders and governance forums
• Oversee the implementation of new systems and capabilities

What you'll bring:

• Deep fraud and financial crime expertise in UK consumer lending, across cards and loans (essential)
• A proven track record in a comparable Head of or senior leadership role. You have built and run capability before, this is not your first time at this level
• Experience as a Nominated Officer, including direct engagement with law enforcement and agencies
• A genuine people leader who can build, grow and get the best from operational teams
• Strong grasp of fraud and financial crime regulation including AML and sanctions, translated into practical first line controls
• A pragmatic, commercially minded approach that balances strong controls with business outcomes, and the credibility to operate at SM&CR senior manager level

This role is subject to certification under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SM&CR).