CRO | Директор по рискам

Chief Risk Officer (Market Leading Fintech)

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Chief Risk Officer (CRO) to lead the risk management function of a fast-growing digital-led bank and Fintech group operating in Central Asia. The CRO will be responsible for enterprise-wide risk management, covering credit and financial risks as well as operational, cybersecurity, and compliance risks. In today’s digital banking environment, CROs must address an expanded risk landscape that goes beyond traditional credit and market risks to include a wide array of operational and emerging risks. The ideal candidate is a math-savvy, strategic leader with deep expertise in risk management for digital banking products, capable of balancing innovation with prudent risk control. This role is part of the executive leadership team and involves significant board-level interaction, including reporting to the Board’s Risk Committee.

Key Responsibilities

• Enterprise Risk Management: Develop and implement an integrated enterprise risk management (ERM) framework for the Group. Ensure robust identification, assessment, mitigation, and monitoring of all risk types – including credit, market, liquidity, operational, technology/cybersecurity, and compliance risks – suited to a digital-first banking environment. Establish risk policies, limits, and internal controls that scale with the bank’s growth, aligned with the board-approved risk appetite and industry best practices.

• Credit & Financial Risk Oversight: Oversee the Bank and Fintech credit risk management for alllending products and portfolios, maintaining high-quality credit underwriting standards and portfolio monitoring. Manage other financial risks such as market risk (e.g. interest rate risk) and liquidity risk, ensuring the bank meets capital adequacy and liquidity requirements. Coordinate with the Divisional and Group CFOs on capital allocation and liquidity planning to balance growth with financial stability .

• Operational & Cybersecurity Risk Management: Identify, assess, and mitigate operational risks across all business processes to ensure operational resilience. Implement business continuity plans and internal controls to minimize operational failures. Oversee technology and cybersecurity risks, working closely with IT and security teams to protect digital banking platforms, customer data, and transactions from cyber threats. The CRO will prioritize cybersecurity, data protection, and digital risk controls. In addition, the candidate will lead initiatives in fraud prevention and information security, ensuring robust anti-fraud and anti-financial crime measures are in place.

• Regulatory Compliance & Engagement: Ensure full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations in each jurisdiction and maintain the Fintech Division’s licensing obligations. Oversee compliance risk management, including AML/CFT controls and consumer protection, in coordination with the Compliance Officer. Serve as the primary liaison with regulatory authorities and manage regulatory examinations and reporting.

• Risk Strategy & Board Reporting: Provide strategic guidance on risk-reward trade-offs as a key member of the executive leadership team. Work closely with the CEO and other C-suite executives to ensure that business strategy is risk-informed, enabling bold growth decisions that are balanced with sound risk management. Prepare and present comprehensive risk reports to the Board of Directors (and Risk Committee), detailing the Group’s risk profile, major risk exposures, and mitigation plans. Communicate emerging risks and recommend actions in a clear, compelling manner to senior management and the Board, facilitating informed decision-making. Ensure that risk considerations are embedded in key product and business decisions, balancing innovation and growth with prudent risk practices.

• Team Leadership & Risk Culture: Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing Risk Management team, including credit risk analysts, operational risk managers, information security risk specialists, and compliance officers. Set clear objectives and foster professional development within the team. Influence and educate stakeholders across the organization to promote a strong risk-aware culture. As the CRO, champion an enterprise-wide culture of integrity, accountability, and proactive risk management, ensuring that risk management is seen as a strategic enabler of the Group’s mission.

Qualifications and Experience

• Education: Advanced degree in finance, economics, business, mathematics, or a related field. Professional certifications such as FRM (Financial Risk Manager) or PRM/CFA are a plus, reflecting a strong quantitative foundation (the role requires a math-savvy individual).

• Risk Management Experience: 10+ years of experience in risk management within banking or fintech, with a track record of increasing responsibility. Proven experience in a senior risk leadership role (e.g. Head of Risk or CRO) at a bank or digital finance company is essential. Experience in fast-growing or start-up environments (scale-ups) is highly desirable, including setting up risk frameworks from the ground up.

• Credit & Financial Risk Expertise: Demonstrated expertise in credit risk management, particularly in retail lending/credit products (knowledge of scoring models, portfolio analytics, collections, etc.). Solid understanding of financial risks including market risk and liquidity risk, and familiarity with regulatory capital and liquidity frameworks (e.g. Basel III, IFRS 9). Strong analytical skills and ability to interpret risk models and financial data are essential.

• Operational, Cyber & Compliance Knowledge: Broad knowledge of operational risk management practices and tools (e.g. RCSAs, incident management, business continuity planning). Experience with cybersecurity and IT risk in a financial institution or fintech context, including understanding of information security standards and data privacy requirements, working knowledge of compliance and regulatory risk domains – e.g. AML/CFT, KYC, consumer protection, data protection – and the interplay between risk and compliance in a digital bank.

• Regional Regulatory Familiarity: Familiarity with the regulatory environments of Central Asia.

• Leadership & Communication: Exceptional leadership and people management skills, with experience in building and leading cross-functional risk teams. Proven ability to communicate complex risk concepts clearly to both technical teams and non-expert stakeholders. Strong stakeholder management skills to influence and collaborate with other executives, and to effectively present to the Board and Regulators.

• Strategic & Innovative Mindset: Strategic thinker who can integrate risk management with business objectives, enabling sustainable growth. Agility and innovation in approach to risk – comfortable leveraging new technologies (e.g. AI, data analytics) to improve risk oversight. A commercial mindset with the ability to balance prudent risk management with customer-centric product innovation and growth opportunities.

• Integrity and Risk Culture: High ethical standards and integrity, with a commitment to upholding a strong risk and compliance culture. Ability to foster a sense of accountability and risk-awareness at all levels of the organization, as today’s CROs are expected to raise the overall risk consciousness across the enterprise.

• Language: Excellent English communication skills (both written and verbal) is essential. Proficiency in Russian (or other local languages of the region) is highly beneficial given the regional focus of operations.

About the Opportunity

This is a board-level executive position reporting to the CEO and the Board’s Risk Committee. The CRO will have the opportunity to shape the risk strategy of a cutting-edge digital bank and ensure its long-term stability and compliance. We offer a competitive executive compensation package and the chance to be part of a dynamic leadership team driving financial innovation in the region. The successful candidate will play a critical role in building trust with customers, regulators, and investors by safeguarding the organization through world-class risk management practices. If you have the required expertise and are excited to lead in a fast-paced, innovative banking environment, we encourage you to apply and help steer our growth with confidence and integrity.