Underwriting Team Lead

We are supporting an established FinTech company in hiring an experienced Underwriting Team Lead to further strengthen its merchant underwriting function.

The company is a well-established electronic money institution (EMI) with more than seven years of experience in the market. It provides payment solutions to businesses across a wide range of industries, operates in several countries and has built a sizeable international team.

As part of its continued growth, the company is expanding its Ecommerce Business Operations department and is looking for an experienced underwriting professional to support its development. The successful candidate will lead and develop the underwriting team, take ownership of complex merchant risk assessments and drive improvements in underwriting processes.

This role combines hands-on decision-making, people management and cross-functional collaboration. The Underwriting Team Lead will help ensure that merchant onboarding and risk assessments remain efficient, commercially balanced and fully aligned with regulatory and business requirements.

What You Will Do

• Lead and develop the Underwriting team, including workload distribution, performance management, coaching and supporting recruitment and onboarding.
• Manage the end-to-end merchant underwriting process, from onboarding and due diligence to risk assessment, approval and activation.
• Review complex and high-risk merchant cases and make final underwriting decisions.
• Develop and improve underwriting policies, procedures, risk acceptance criteria and service level agreements (SLAs).
• Ensure compliance with Visa and Mastercard rules, PCI DSS, PSD2 and AML/KYC requirements.
• Collaborate with Compliance, Sales, Legal and Product teams on merchant risk assessments, new business segments and market expansion.
• Support internal and external audits, card scheme reviews and regulatory inspections.
• Act as the main escalation point for underwriting-related matters and support internal teams in resolving complex cases.

What You Bring

• At least 3 years of experience in merchant acquiring underwriting, merchant risk or KYB, including 1–2 years in a team leadership, lead underwriter or senior underwriting role.
• Strong knowledge of Visa and Mastercard rules, risk monitoring programmes and higher-risk merchant categories.
• Good understanding of alternative payment methods and payment industry risk management practices.
• Solid knowledge of PCI DSS, PSD2, AML/KYC requirements and compliance practices in regulated financial institutions.
• Practical experience assessing merchant business models, financial information and transaction risks.
• Experience developing or improving underwriting policies, procedures and operational workflows.
• Ability to lead a team, manage priorities, provide feedback and support professional development.
• Strong analytical skills, attention to detail and the ability to make independent, well-documented decisions.
• Proficiency in Excel, Google Sheets and AML/onboarding systems.
• Professional working proficiency in English.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative and adapt to changing business priorities.

Experience with Tableau, Zoho, Asana or Notion, as well as additional foreign languages, will be considered an advantage.

Why Join

• A full-time position in a growing FinTech company expanding into new markets and industries.
• Competitive salary of €4,000–5,000 gross per month, depending on experience and qualifications.
• Opportunity to lead and develop the underwriting function and influence merchant risk management processes.
• Flexible working arrangements, including hybrid and remote options after the probation period.
• Health insurance after 3 months of employment.
• Annual professional development budget of up to €1,000, with additional training support available depending on individual needs.
• Modern office in Riga.
• Gym membership and regular company and team events.
• Collaborative working environment with a flat organizational structure and direct communication across teams.

Interested? Let’s talk. Reach out and we’ll share more about the company, the setup, and next steps.