Risk & Compliance Manager

About Wittix

Wittix is expanding its payment processing operations across Europe and is building a next-generation PayFac platform focused on low-risk merchants, unattended payments, and POS acquiring.

As we continue to grow, we are looking for our first Merchant Risk & Compliance Manager to establish and lead the merchant risk framework supporting our acquiring business.

This is a unique opportunity to build the entire risk function from the ground up and play a key role in the future growth of the business.

The Role

We are looking for an experienced and commercially minded risk professional to build and manage the merchant risk and compliance framework for our PayFac business.

The successful candidate will work closely with senior management and will be responsible for developing procedures, assessing merchant risk, monitoring transaction activity, and ensuring that the portfolio operates within the company's risk appetite.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain merchant onboarding, risk, and compliance procedures for the PayFac business.
• Define merchant risk assessment methodologies and risk acceptance criteria.
• Review and assess new merchant applications, including business models, ownership structures, websites, and expected processing activity.
• Conduct Enhanced Due Diligence for higher-risk merchants where required.
• Define and maintain the company's merchant risk appetite framework.
• Monitor transaction activity and investigate unusual merchant behavior.
• Identify fraud trends, suspicious activity, and emerging portfolio risks.
• Recommend and implement appropriate risk mitigation measures, including reserves, processing limits, or enhanced monitoring.
• Monitor portfolio performance, including fraud rates, chargebacks, refunds, and transaction anomalies.
• Produce regular merchant risk reports and portfolio analysis for senior management.
• Support audits, partner reviews, and due diligence exercises with acquiring partners and card schemes.
• Work closely with Operations, Product, and Technology teams to implement effective risk controls and monitoring tools.

Requirements

• 4+ years of experience in Merchant Risk, Acquiring Risk, Compliance, or Underwriting within a PSP, PayFac, Acquirer, or Fintech.
• Strong understanding of merchant acquiring and payment processing risks.
• Experience assessing merchant business models and onboarding merchants.
• Experience creating policies, procedures, and operational controls.
• Strong analytical and investigative skills.
• Ability to work independently and build processes from scratch.
• Excellent written and verbal English.

Nice to Have

• Experience working within a PayFac, Acquirer, or Card Acquiring environment.
• Knowledge of Visa and Mastercard merchant risk programs.
• Experience with transaction monitoring, fraud prevention, and risk systems.
• Familiarity with scheme rules and chargeback processes.
• Experience working with unattended payments or POS acquiring.

Why Join Wittix?

• Build and own the Merchant Risk function from day one.
• Work directly with senior leadership and influence strategic decisions.
• Join a fast-growing international fintech.
• Take ownership and make a real impact in shaping the future of our acquiring business.

If you are passionate about payments, merchant risk, and building scalable risk frameworks, we'd love to hear from you.