---
title: 'Senior Manager Operational Risk (UK) (m/f/d) at Pliant'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-operational-risk-uk-m-f-d-pliant-london-a1ynphvcs0by'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-14'
---

# Senior Manager Operational Risk (UK) (m/f/d) at Pliant

- **Company:** Pliant
- **Location:** London, United Kingdom
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-10-05
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-14
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/pliant/0a237b17-f6ca-4b00-b769-a05880110eb1

## Job description

## ABOUT US

Pliant is a modular B2B payments platform that combines commercial card issuing, payment accounts, FX, and spend management in one system — adapting to existing setups rather than requiring customers to replace them.

Businesses across industries such as travel, e-commerce, and insurance use Pliant to manage complex payment workflows with cards, backed by credit lines Pliant underwrites itself.

Fintechs and software platforms embed Pliant's payment infrastructure into their own products, from API-based Cards-as-a-Service to fully white-label solutions. Banks use Pliant's Card & Spend OS, the customer-facing interface, on their own infrastructure to run card programs.

Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Berlin, Pliant serves 5,000+ businesses and 40+ partners across Europe and the United States. A principal member of Visa and Mastercard, Pliant issues commercial cards in 13 currencies across 32 countries — under its own European e-money license and with licensed partners in the UK and US.

Learn more athttp://www.getpliant.com/[www.getpliant.com](http://www.getpliant.com)

## ABOUT THE ROLE

As Senior Manager Operational Risk (m/f/d), you own the design and operation of the operational risk framework for the UK entity and make sure it meets Pliant’s risk appetite and FCA expectations for a card-issuing e-money business.

This role is based in the UK remote but if you are based in London, our office is open for you to work in.

## WHAT YOU’LL DO

Operational Risk Framework & Governance

- Maintain and improve the operational risk framework (risk appetite, risk taxonomy, policies, RCSA, KRIs, loss event and near-miss data, scenario analysis).
- Make sure governance and controls meet Pliant’s minimum standards, FCA requirements on systems and controls (SYSC) and the e-money and payment services conduct and prudential requirements.
- Provide regular, decision-oriented risk reporting to UK management, the UK Board and the Group Risk Committee.
- Advise on operational risk implications of new products, partners, markets and material changes (change risk assessments, new-product approval).

Safeguarding & Core E-Money / Payments Processes

- Oversee operational risk in the safeguarding of customer funds: reconciliations, account structure, third-party safeguarding providers, breaks and escalation, in line with the FCA’s safeguarding requirements.
- Assess end-to-end risks across the card programme (issuing, authorisation, clearing and settlement, chargebacks, fraud, scheme rule compliance with Visa and processors).
- Challenge the First Line on process, control and capacity risks as the business scales.

Incident Management & Regulatory Reporting

- Own the incident management framework for operational and ICT/security incidents: classification, escalation, root cause analysis, remediation tracking.
- Make sure major operational and security incidents are assessed and reported to the FCA within the required timelines (PSRs 2017 incident reporting).
- Run post-incident reviews and feed the lessons learned back into the control framework.

Operational Resilience

- Lead the operational resilience programme under SYSC 15A: identify Important Business Services, set and test impact tolerances, run scenario testing, map dependencies and maintain the self-assessment.
- Oversee business continuity, disaster recovery and exit/wind-down planning, including alignment of RTO/RPO with impact tolerances.

Outsourcing & Third-Party Risk

- Own the third-party and outsourcing risk framework in line with the FCA’s outsourcing requirements (SYSC 8 and the FCA’s guidance for payment services and e-money firms), including intra-group outsourcing to Pliant GmbH.
- Run due diligence and ongoing monitoring of critical vendors (processors, cloud and banking partners), including exit plans and contractual requirements.
- Prepare and maintain material outsourcing notifications to the FCA.

Regulatory Engagement & Assurance

- Act as the day-to-day contact for the FCA on operational risk topics, in coordination with the senior management and the Compliance/MLRO function.
- Support regulatory reviews, audits and certification audits; track findings through to closure.
- Support the annual review of the risk framework and the regulatory returns that depend on operational risk data.

Culture & Training

- Embed a strong risk culture; deliver training on incident reporting, operational resilience and risk ownership.

## WHAT YOU’LL BRING

- Degree in Risk Management, Finance, Information Systems or a related field (or equivalent experience).
- 5+ years in operational risk in payments, e-money, banking or fintech, ideally in an FCA- regulated EMI or PI.
- Solid knowledge of the UK regulatory framework for e-money and payments: EMRs, PSRs 2017, SYSC, operational resilience, safeguarding and outsourcing requirements.
- Hands-on experience with RCSA, KRIs, incident management and resilience testing.
- Ability to challenge the First Line constructively and to report clearly to senior management and regulators.
- Experience working with distributed teams across the UK and Germany

## NICE TO HAVE

- CRISC, CISM, ISO 22301 or ISO 27001 Lead Implementer/Auditor.
- Experience with card scheme (Visa/Mastercard) rules and PCI DSS.
- Familiarity with DORA (relevant for the EU group entities).
- German or another European language

## WHAT WE OFFER

- The opportunity to work in a growing team with big responsibilities that thrives on a strong exchange of knowledge and excellence
- Attractive remuneration
- Flat hierarchy and transparent communication in a relaxed, professional atmosphere
- Opportunity to develop your talent in a dynamic team with ambitious goals
- Flexibility and possibility to work remotely
- Pliant Card with monthly credit to explore the product and enjoy food with colleagues

Pliant is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and abilities, and are committed to an inclusive hiring process. If you need any accommodations during the interview process, please let us know.

At Pliant we use the Ashby AI Criteria to assist with looking over resumes against our job qualifications for this role. All final decisions are made by our Talent Team and Hiring Team.

A human is behind these processes. Ashby does not automatically reject candidates or make final hiring decisions. Our teams review all results and make the final hiring decision with every candidate that applies.

## About Pliant

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Pliant provides an API-first, modular B2B credit card platform that enables businesses to issue, manage, and track physical and virtual credit cards while streamlining payment processes and spend controls.
- **Entity Type**: Private (growth stage, backed by multiple venture capital investors)
- **Headquarters**: Berlin, Germany
- **Founded**: 2020
- **Founders**: Malte Rau and Fabian Terner

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Fintech – B2B payments, spend management, and card issuance.
- **Target customers**: B2B – businesses of all sizes (SMB to enterprise), banks and financial institutions (via CaaS/BaaS), and developers/API users.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "Empower companies to grow by providing a smart way to pay that scales with their business." [getpliant.com](https://www.getpliant.com/en-us/about-pliant)

## Products & Services
- **Payment Apps**: Ready-to-use mobile and web applications for issuing cards, managing spend, tracking transactions, and integrating with accounting tools. Ideal for companies that want a full-featured solution out of the box.
- **Pro API**: A fully customizable API for businesses that need to issue cards at scale, automate workflows, and build custom integrations into their finance stack. Supports single-use virtual cards, spend controls, and real-time monitoring.
- **CaaS & BaaS (Card-as-a-Service & Banking-as-a-Service)**: White-label solutions for banks and fintechs to launch their own branded credit card programs, with Pliant handling compliance, card issuance, and processing under its e-money license.
- **Card & Spend OS**: The underlying operating system that powers all products, offering spend control, receipt management, accounting automation, and transaction insights.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available.
- **Key Metric**: Total funding amount not publicly disclosed; notable investors include **Alstin Capital**, **Motive Ventures**, **Speedinvest**, **SBI Investment**, **PayPal Ventures**, and **Illuminate Financial**. [getpliant.com](https://www.getpliant.com/en-us/about-pliant)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: PayPal Ventures, Speedinvest, Alstin Capital, Motive Ventures, SBI Investment, Illuminate Financial.
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Team of 250+ employees representing 35+ nationalities. [getpliant.com](https://www.getpliant.com/en/careers)
  - Offices in Berlin (HQ), London, New York, Paris, Munich, Vienna, Lisbon, and Helsinki. [getpliant.com](https://www.getpliant.com/en-us/about-pliant)
  - Licensed as an e-money institution (EMI) in the EU and certified ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and PCI DSS. [getpliant.com](https://www.getpliant.com/en)
  - High Glassdoor rating of 4.6/5 (as of Nov 2024). [getpliant.com](https://www.getpliant.com/en/careers)

## Competitive Advantages
- **API-first platform**: Fully programmable card issuance and spend management, enabling deep customization and automation for enterprises and developers.
- **Regulatory moat**: Holds an e-money license and multiple security certifications (ISO 27001, PCI DSS), making it a trusted partner for banks and regulated institutions.
- **Multi-product flexibility**: Offers everything from out-of-the-box apps to white-label CaaS/BaaS, covering a wide range of customer needs in one platform.
- **Real-time data & insights**: Provides granular transaction monitoring, customizable reporting, and seamless integration with accounting and ERP systems.

## Strategic Focus
- Expand geographically (already present across Europe and the US) and deepen partnerships with banks and fintechs through CaaS offerings.
- Continue enhancing the Pro API and automation capabilities to serve high-volume enterprise clients.
- Strengthen compliance and security infrastructure to maintain regulatory advantages.
- Grow headcount across engineering, sales, and data teams to support scaling.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture & values**: Emphasizes agility, kindness, openness, and having fun. Mission-driven team with a flat structure and collaborative environment. [getpliant.com](https://www.getpliant.com/en/careers)
- **Remote/hybrid policy**: Offers home office and remote work opportunities (many roles listed as *EU/UK remote*), plus flexible working hours. [getpliant.com](https://www.getpliant.com/en/careers)
- **Perks**: Learning & development budget, monthly lunch benefit, mobility perk, Bahncard, Wellhub membership, and regular team events.
- **Engineering culture**: 11 cross-functional teams, with visible investment in data, engineering, and product roles. Technology stack includes modern API-first development.
- **Glassdoor rating**: 4.6/5 (as of Nov 2024) – indicative of high employee satisfaction.

## Sources
1. [getpliant.com - Main site](https://www.getpliant.com/en)
2. [getpliant.com - About page](https://www.getpliant.com/en-us/about-pliant)
3. [getpliant.com - Careers page](https://www.getpliant.com/en/careers)
4. [linkedin.com - Pliant company page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/getpliant)
5. [getpliant.com - Careers (alternate)](https://www.getpliant.com/en-us/careers)

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