Financial Crime Operations Manager

Who are we?

iBanFirst is a fast-growing European fintech that is revolutionizing international payments for SMEs. Founded in 2016, our platform empowers Small & Medium Multinationals (SMMs) to regain control over their payment operations: currency conversion (FX), international transactions, and foreign exchange risk management across 140 countries — quickly, transparently, and securely.

We make life easier for SMEs through an advanced technology platform (automation, APIs, AI…) combined with dedicated expertise, offering the best of both worlds: the agility of a SaaS solution and the reliability of a trusted partner. 

By simplifying complexity, iBanFirst helps thousands of bold companies seize global business opportunities with peace of mind — delivering simplicity, transparency, and security. 

 

Key figures 

• 350+ employees across 15 offices in 12 European countries
• 30+ nationalities represented, average age: 32
• 10,000 corporate clients trust us
• €80M in revenue in 2025, with a target of around €100M in 2026
• Profitable for more than two years
• Ranked for 6 consecutive years in the Financial Times FT1000, among the fastest-growing European companies
• An NPS of 87.5 — an exceptional score in our industry that reflects enthusiastic client feedback on the simplicity, speed, and quality of our service

 

A strong culture built around 4 core values 

• Team First : The complexity of our industry demands collective intelligence. We prioritize cooperation, transparency, and knowledge sharing. Success is a team effort, and decisions are made together.
• Tenacity : We’re transforming a challenging and highly regulated market. It requires endurance, fast learning, and resilience — qualities rooted in our entrepreneurial DNA.
• Transformation : Innovation is not a buzzword; it’s a necessity in a constantly shifting and strategic sector. We innovate with intent: every technical, product, or organizational improvement is designed for real impact.
• Trust : Trust is the foundation of everything we build — with our clients and, above all, internally. It’s driven by ownership, autonomy, and a shared commitment to transparency, rigor, and reliability.

 

Why join us? 

• We operate at the heart of a strategic and fast-evolving sector: international payments for SMEs — a complex, high-potential market.
• We’re driven by a meaningful mission: helping bold “Small & Medium Multinationals” succeed globally.
• Our platform integrates cutting-edge technologies (AI, automation…), making it an ideal playground to test, learn, and innovate continuously.
• You’ll join an agile environment where your expertise has tangible impact, working alongside talent from top financial institutions.
• iBanFirst is profitable and backed by long-term investors:
  • Xavier Niel and Bpifrance, historical shareholders, have supported and trusted us from the beginning
  • In 2021, the entry of Marlin Equity Partners marked a new chapter in our international ambitions

Joining iBanFirst means joining a profitable, international, fast-growing tech company. It’s also a chance to learn, grow, and contribute directly to a shared ambition: simplifying international finance for SMEs. 

 

 

The Role 

Recruitment Context 

This is a newly created position driven by iBanFirst's continued growth and the increasing complexity of our financial crime risk environment. As transaction volumes scale across new markets and products, we need a dedicated manager to lead our first line of defense teams on Financial Crime (Transaction Monitoring, Fraud detection, Regulatory Ops) and structure the quality and operational controls that underpin them. 

We are open to candidates coming from various backgrounds (management/strategy consulting, operations/compliance professionals) who are looking to step into a thigh impact operational role. The financial crime domain can be learned — we are hiring for how you think, how you build, how you leverage technology (analytics, AI) and how you lead. 

 

Manager & Team 

You will report directly to Julien Molez, Chief Operations Officer. You will manage three teams which are at different levels of maturity:a team of 5 people: a  Transaction Monitoring Fraud management and Regulatory Operations. Your team is the first line of defense against money laundering, fraud, and financial crime — operating at the intersection of operational rigor, regulatory compliance, and technology. 

 

What will you do? 

As iBanFirst expands across European markets, the financial crime risk landscape grows in complexity. We are looking for an analytically sharp, structured, and operationally driven leader to supervise our TM Financial Crime Operations function, steer it with rigor and precision, embed it in a robust and recognized quality framework, and drive highest level of efficiency through data and automation. 

Team Management & Operations 

• Lead and develop the different teams in the scope: set priorities, manage performance, and build a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. 
• Oversee their daily operations: alert review, case investigation, SAR filing, and escalation processes. 
• Manage capacity and workload allocation to maintain SLAs and maintain backlogs at constant low levels. 

Fraud & Financial Crime 

• Own the fraud detection and prevention framework: typologies, detection rules, investigation workflows, and outcomes tracking 
• Stay current on financial crime trends and adapt the team's detection approach accordingly 

Controls & Quality Framework 

• Design and implement a quality insurance framework for each team, specific to each of them but consistent across domains. 
• Define and track KPIs: detection rates, false positive ratios, case resolution times, SAR quality. 
• Conduct regular calibration sessions and quality reviews to maintain consistent, high standards across the teams. 

Analytics & Automation 

• Use data to assess the performance of each value chains. For example, on the transaction monitoring side : rules effectiveness, reduce noise, and improve alert prioritization 
• Work with Product and Engineering teams to constantly improve underlying systems and integrate automation into workflows 
• Identify opportunities to leverage AI and machine learning to enhance detection and reduce manual effort 

Regulatory & Reporting 

• Ensure compliance with Belgian and EU AML/CFT obligations (LCB-FT, EU AML directives) 
• Produce clear, insight-driven reporting for senior leadership: what the data says, what it means, and what action it warrants 
• Lead or support regulatory audits and inspections related to TM and fraud 
• Be the key go-to person for C-Levels for these topics and lead the associated governance meetings. 

 

Task breakdown 

40% — Team management & operational oversight: Day-to-day leadership of the different teams, alert review quality, escalation management, and capacity planning 

20% — Framework building: Quality controls, KPIs, fraud typologies, policies and procedures 

30% — Analytics & automation: Rule performance analysis, detection improvement, collaboration with Product/Engineering 

10% — Reporting & regulatory: Senior management reporting, audit support 

 

Role Objectives 

First 3 months 

• Ramp up on iBanFirst's transaction monitoring systems, financial crime risk exposure, and regulatory environment 
• Build trust with the team and assess individual strengths and development needs 
• Map existing processes and identify the top 3 priority areas for improvement 

First 6 months 

• Deliver the first version of the quality assurance framework 
• Define and baseline key operational KPIs 
• Launch at least one automation or efficiency initiative 

First 12 months 

• Own the fraud framework end-to-end and present it to senior leadership 
• Demonstrate measurable improvement in alert quality, team efficiency, or detection rates 
• Build a 12-month roadmap for the function aligned with iBanFirst's growth plans 

 

What do you bring? 

Experience: 

• 5-10 years of experience in similar positions at recognized financial institutions or in management consulting, strategy consulting, or a similar structured analytical environment (Big 4, MBB, Tier 2 strategy firms) 
• Experience in financial services, fintech, or a regulated industry project context is a strong plus 
• First exposure to compliance, risk, or financial crime topics (through client work, due diligence, or regulatory projects) is valued  

Skills: 

• Natural leadership and recognized management experience 
• Exceptional structuring and problem-solving skills: you break complex issues into clear frameworks and actionable plans 
• Strong data and analytics capabilities: comfortable with quantitative analysis, building dashboards, and deriving insights from operational data 
• Proven ability to design processes and quality frameworks from scratch 
• Natural project management instincts: you sequence work, track delivery, and hold people accountable 
• High proficiency on AI and automation concepts and enthusiasm to apply them in an operational context 
• Fluent in French and English, confident communicating with senior stakeholders 

Nice to have: 

• Hands-on experience with a transaction monitoring platform (ComplyAdvantage, Actimize, Napier, or equivalent) 
• Familiarity with the French or Belgian regulatory environment: NBB, CTIF, ACPR, Tracfin, LCB-FT 

What makes you stand out: 

• You have led a transformation or process redesign project end-to-end 
• You are energized by the idea of owning something operational, not just advising on it and transforming and optimizing it with technology 
• You are curious about financial crime and see it as a high-stakes, intellectually demanding domain 

 

What do we offer?

• Permanent contract (CDI) 
• Office location: Paris 
• Hybrid work policy: 2 days remote per week 
• Competitive salary: €75,000 – €110,000 gross annual, depending on experience 
• Benefits:
  • Swile meal card
  • Axa health insurance
  • Commuter benefits
  • RTT (extra paid days off)
  • Gymlib subsciption
  • Paid parental leave
• Participate in company-wide events, including team offsites, company parties, and regular social activities.

 

Recruitment Process 

1. Screening call with Malorie Petitjean (Talent Acquisition Specialist)— 30 min, remote. General fit, motivation, salary expectations, availability.
2. In-depth interview with Julien Molez (COO)— 1 hour, in-person. Operational experience, leadership approach, team fit. 
3. Case study— Take-home exercise on an operational design or process improvement scenario. Presented during complementary 1h session with COO. 
4. Final interview with Sonia Boudier (Deputy CEO) — 45 min, in-person. Leadership validation, strategic vision, long-term fit. 

 

 

 

 

____________________________

#LI-MP1

#LI-onsite / #LI-hybrid / #LI-remote