Full-Time

1st Line Risk Manager

Operational Risk

Updated on 3/7/2025

Zopa

Zopa

501-1,000 employees

Peer-to-peer lending and financial services

No salary listed

Mid, Senior

London, UK

This hybrid role requires you to come to our London office 2-3 days a week.

Category
Risk Management
Finance & Banking
Required Skills
Risk Management
Data Analysis
Requirements
  • Experienced risk professional with a strong understanding of retail banking environment
  • Proven track record of experience of managing operational risk (ideally in the first line) in a consultancy, fintech or specifically within the financial services sector
  • Good awareness of the regulatory framework in which Zopa operates and driven to self-educate and learn about the evolving open banking regulatory landscape
  • Technical, outcome orientated, and able to apply the risk framework to propose optimal outcomes for customers and the bank
  • Strong communicator who can articulate issues clearly, flagging trade-offs and solutions in order to gain buy in to proposals
  • Passionate about improving the risk environment and general ways of working across the teams supported
  • Ability to guide first line teams in completing comprehensive risk assessments and promoting a risk-aware culture across the business
Responsibilities
  • Report into the Senior Manager - Lending and work closely with stakeholders across the three lines of defence to ensure Zopa operates within risk appetite, through the application of commensurate mitigating controls
  • Identify areas of risk and have a strong knowledge of operational risks and controls
  • Lead in defining solutions in response to risks which are smart and proportionate, sustainable, and considered
  • Manage interdependencies in order to support in the delivery of agreed solutions, change initiatives in a timely and high-quality way
  • Ensure that MI and reporting is delivered in a timely manner, enabling accountable individuals to make informed, risk-based decisions
Desired Qualifications
  • Practical working knowledge of regulations surrounding lending products
  • Experience of change projects involving automated and tech solutions

Zopa operates in the peer-to-peer lending market, offering personal loans, savings accounts, credit cards, and car finance. By connecting individual lenders directly with borrowers through its online platform, Zopa allows users to bypass traditional banks, which helps in providing better value loans and investment opportunities. The platform uses technology to streamline the lending process, including a quick pre-approval system that can provide loan decisions in as little as 12 seconds without affecting credit ratings. Zopa differentiates itself from competitors by being the first to introduce P2P lending and by adhering to strict regulatory standards, ensuring the security of its financial operations. The company's goal is to make borrowing and saving more accessible and affordable for individuals in the UK.

Company Size

501-1,000

Company Stage

Late Stage VC

Total Funding

$931M

Headquarters

London, United Kingdom

Founded

2005

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Zopa raised £68 million to expand fintech offerings, including a 2025 current account launch.
  • Jeremy Penzer's appointment as CAO strengthens Zopa's data analytics capabilities.
  • Zopa's partnership with Google Cloud enhances AI integration, boosting operational efficiency.

What critics are saying

  • Increased competition from digital banks could erode Zopa's market share.
  • Economic uncertainty in the UK may affect Zopa's loan and deposit volumes.
  • Zopa's expansion plans may face regulatory hurdles, impacting growth timelines.

What makes Zopa unique

  • Zopa pioneered P2P lending, offering direct loans between individuals since 2005.
  • Zopa's technology enables loan pre-approval in under 12 seconds, enhancing user experience.
  • Zopa integrates AI for personalized banking, setting it apart in the fintech landscape.

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Benefits

Hybrid Work Options

Flexible Work Hours

Remote Work Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

0%

2 year growth

0%
FF News
Mar 6th, 2025
Zopa Bank Appoints Visa’S Data Chief To Cao Role Ahead Of 2025 Growth Blitz

Digital bank Zopa has appointed Jeremy Penzer as its Chief Analytics Officer.He joins Zopa from Visa, the digital payments network, where he was Head of Data Science for Europe. Prior to that he served as Capital One Europe’s Chief Analytics Officer and as an academic statistician at the London School of Economics.Jeremy will oversee a team of 80 data scientists, credit decisioning, and valuation experts as the bank enters a phase of accelerated growth and prepares to release a raft of new products and services.Zopa uses algorithms built using machine learning to make lending decisions almost instantaneously; 99% of approved loans take less than 5 seconds for credit approval.In recent months Zopa has been testing its flagship current account in beta and a GenAI proposition that will bring humanity and warmth bank into everyday banking.The appointment comes off the back of an exceptionally strong year for Zopa, followed by a €80 million equity raise led by A.P. Moller Holding – owners of the Maersk shipping and logistics giant and investors in Danske Bank.Jeremy Penzer, CAO at Zopa Bank said: “I am thrilled to be joining Zopa as it continues its remarkable trajectory as one of the fastest-growing digital banks in the UK. Zopa is the only UK neobank successfully lending at scale, meeting all consumer lending and saving needs in one place. I am looking forward to taking Zopa’s data and analytics capabilities to the next level as its steps into everyday banking and enters its next phase of growth”.In just over 4 years Zopa has secured its banking license, grown to over 1.4 million customers, and achieved profitability. It has launched unsecured personal loans, BNPL retail finance and POS, car finance, credit cards, savings accounts, and tools for improved financial management and health.To date Zopa has attracted £5.5 billion in deposits and has just over £3 billion of loans on its balance sheet

BusinessCloud
Mar 6th, 2025
Key Visa figure joins fast-growing FinTech Zopa

Digital bank Zopa has appointed Jeremy Penzer as its chief analytics officer.

Finextra
Feb 25th, 2025
Zopa moves to bigger London office

Zopa moves to bigger London office.

BPESearch
Jan 9th, 2025
2024 Movers and Shakers: A Roundup of Executive Appointments

Victoria Parker has joined Britvic plc in the newly formed role of Retail Category & Commercial Delivery Director.

Silicon Valley Journals
Dec 19th, 2024
Zopa Secures £68M in Funding Round

The UK tech scene raised £147.7M between Dec 2-6, a fourfold increase from the previous week. Notable deals include Zopa securing £68M to expand its fintech offerings. Lawhive, a legal AI tool, and Argo Blockchain, a crypto mining firm, also closed funding rounds, though amounts were undisclosed. This surge highlights investor confidence in UK tech, particularly in fintech, legal tech, and crypto sectors.