Senior Transaction Monitoring Framework Specialist
Pleo · Madrid, Madrid · Lisbon, Lisbon
ABOUT PLEO
Messy spend management is tricky business. And tedious processes are a lose-lose situation for all involved, not just finance. At Pleo, we're changing that. We build spend solutions that make managing money seamless, empowering, and surprisingly effective for finance teams and employees alike - with a vision to help all businesses ‘go beyond’.
The word ‘Pleo’ actually means ‘more than you’d expect’, and living by that mantra has been the secret to our success over the last 10 years.
Now, we’re at a pivotal moment in our journey; every move we make has a direct impact on our 40,000+ customers, our business, and our collective success. We need people who take pride in uncovering customer needs, who turn complex problems into simple solutions, challenge the way things are done (respectfully), and always aim high. With great ambitions driving us forward, we can’t say we’ve got this whole thing figured out. And frankly, that’s half the fun! What we can say is that we’re a driven, progressive, and, importantly, a kind bunch of 850+ people from over 100 nationalities, all committed to delivering the future of business spending, together.
ABOUT THIS ROLE
We’re looking for a Senior Transaction Monitoring and Fraud Framework Specialist at Pleo in the first line of defence (1LoD). You’ll be the architect of our defence strategy across transaction surveillance and fraud, with a clear focus on leading innovation and embedding AI into how we detect, investigate, and prevent financial crime.
This isn’t a purely reactive role. Within our Financial Crime Framework & Innovation team, you’ll run cross-functional projects that bring together Financial Crime Operations, Engineering, 2LoD, and leadership to design controls and processes that scale. You’ll translate emerging threats and regulatory expectations into practical, automated, and measurable interventions and controls — including the thoughtful use of AI tools to improve decision quality, reduce manual effort, and strengthen governance.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
- Lead innovation in transaction monitoring and fraud by identifying high-impact opportunities for automation, model/rule optimisation, and AI-assisted investigation workflows.
- Run end-to-end change and delivery projects (discovery → design → build → rollout → monitoring), coordinating stakeholders across 1LoD/2LoD, Operations, Product, Engineering, and Data.
- Design and maintain our financial crime frameworks, controls, and procedures, ensuring they remain effective as our products, customer base, and threat landscape evolve.
- Partner with Engineering on the development, deployment, and lifecycle management of transaction surveillance and fraud rules and models, including performance monitoring, drift detection, and continuous tuning.
- Integrate AI tools into processes responsibly, including:
- improving alert triage and case prioritisation,
- enhancing investigation quality and consistency,
- accelerating root cause analysis and emerging-risk discovery,
- strengthening documentation, auditability, and control testing.
- Turn insights from transaction alerts and fraud cases into actionable improvements across the framework, leading with data to reduce false positives, close control gaps, improve prevention and improve coverage of complex typologies.
- File SARs for all EEA customers.
- Act as Pleo’s go-to transaction monitoring and fraud subject matter expert, sharing learnings on threats, regulatory developments (including AML/CTF), and industry best practice.
WHO YOU ARE
You’re a builder and a problem-solver who can turn strategy into operational reality. You’re comfortable in ambiguity, confident leading cross-functional delivery and taking on responsibility, and you have a track record of driving meaningful change transaction monitoring.
- You’re a builder and a problem-solver who can turn strategy into operational reality. You’re comfortable in ambiguity, confident leading cross-functional delivery and taking on responsibility, and you have a track record of driving meaningful change transaction monitoring.
- You have significant experience designing and improving transaction monitoring and fraud frameworks, controls, and operating models in a scaling or high-volume environment.
- You have demonstrable experience leading innovation (for example: new monitoring approaches, automation, analytics improvements, or AI-enabled workflows) with measurable outcomes.
- You are experienced in running projects and change initiatives, including stakeholder management, prioritisation, and delivery planning.
- You’re hands-on with data: you can interpret performance metrics, investigate root causes, and translate findings into clear requirements and control enhancements.
- You understand the practical governance needs of AI-enabled and automated controls (documentation, explainability, testing, risk acceptance, and audit readiness).
- You communicate clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences, and you can translate complex financial crime concepts into actionable guidance.
- You’re comfortable balancing customer experience, operational efficiency, and risk management.
- You are an expert within the transaction monitoring and fraud area and preferable also a high knowledge about KYC in general.
- You thrive in an environment where responsibility often will find you and where there is a lot of flexibility.
- You may have been or are a people leader.
WHY IS THIS ROLE A GOOD FIT FOR YOU
This role is a good fit for you if:
- You're energised by translating complex regulatory and operational challenges into practical, scalable solutions.
- You have a proven track record of driving measurable improvements in transaction monitoring or financial crime prevention, and you're excited to do this at scale.
- You're comfortable operating in ambiguity, owning cross-functional delivery, and taking responsibility for outcomes that span multiple teams.
- You believe AI can strengthen financial crime defences and are keen to explore responsible, explainable approaches to automation.
- You're a builder and problem-solver who can move quickly while maintaining rigour and governance.
This role is not a good fit for you if:
- You prefer highly structured, process-driven environments with little room for ownership and initiative.
- You're looking for a role focused purely on operational execution without strategic input or innovation.
- You're uncomfortable with ambiguity, complexity, or the need to influence without direct authority across teams.
HOW YOU'LL DEVELOP IN THIS ROLE
In your first 6–12 months at Pleo, you'll:
- Lead a high-impact project – Own end-to-end delivery of a transaction monitoring improvement (e.g., new rule set, AI-assisted workflow, or false positive reduction initiative) that demonstrates your ability to drive change across teams.
- Build deep relationships across the business – Collaborate with Financial Crime Operations, Engineering, Product, and Risk to understand how transaction monitoring sits within the broader control environment.
- Grow your skills in AI governance – Deepen your understanding of designing, testing, and auditing AI-enabled controls in a regulated environment.
We're committed to helping you develop your career, whether that means stepping into leadership of a larger team, taking on increasingly complex strategic projects, or deepening your expertise as a world-class transaction monitoring specialist. We'll invest in your development through mentorship, access to industry networks, and exposure to cutting-edge financial crime prevention strategies.
THE LOCATION
Please note: We can hire on a hybrid, or in-person setup in any of the locations listed on the advert. You will need to be physically based in the country of your choice with a valid right to work.
SHOW ME THE BENEFITS!
- Your own Pleo card (no more out-of-pocket spending!)
- Lunch is on us for your work days – enjoy catered meals or receive a lunch allowance based on your local office
- Comprehensive private healthcare – depending on your location, coverage options include Vitality, Alan, or Médis
- We offer 25 days of holiday + your public holidays
- Hybrid working options available
- We use MyndUp to give our employees access to free mental health and well-being support
- Paid parental leave – we support families and want you to feel you don't have to compromise
THE INTERVIEW PROCESS
We want to ensure you are set up for success and understand what will be expected of you. If your application is successful, our interview process is as follows:
- Intro call – A 30-minute conversation with our Talent Partner to discuss the role, your background, and what excites you about joining Pleo.
- Technical deep-dive – A 45-minute discussion with the Head of Framework & Innovation, where we'll explore your experience with transaction monitoring design, a specific project you're proud of, and your thoughts on applying AI to financial crime prevention.
- Stakeholder panel – A 60-minute conversation with representatives from Financial Crime Operations, 2LoD, and potentially Product/Engineering, to assess cross-functional collaboration and your understanding of the broader financial crime ecosystem.
- Final conversation – A relaxed chat with our leadership team to discuss culture fit, growth aspirations, and what success looks like for you in this role.
A NOTE ON APPLICATIONS
Transparency is important to us, so we wanted to share some insights about what we're looking for to help you set yourself up for success:
- CV writing and content: We receive many CVs, and we love seeing people leverage AI—it's a big focus for us internally, but without human intervention, these can become generic. What we're really looking for is the specific details of real impact that only you know from your previous experience. A top tip: use the "Achieved X, as measured by Y, by doing Z" formula to show clear results. For example: "Reduced false positive alerts by 35% (measured by case review and operational feedback) by redesigning our rule logic and introducing a two-tier triage model."
- Application care: Every application we receive is reviewed by a human because we believe your effort deserves equal care. This means we expect thoughtful attention to your responses. Read and answer our application questions carefully—they make a huge difference in our decision-making.
- Profile-to-role fit: Highlight why this specific role appeals to you. Help us understand what excites you about transaction monitoring, financial crime prevention, and working in a scaling fintech. If you've worked across compliance, fraud, or payments, make that connection clear.
ABOUT YOUR APPLICATION
- English first. Since it's our company language, please submit your application in English. You’ll be using it a lot if you join us.
- A fair look for everyone. Our talent team reads every single application to ensure the process is fair. To keep things running smoothly, we only accept applications through our system—our support team can’t pass on calls or emails.
- Diversity drives us. We can only reach our goals if our team reflects the world around us. That starts with you hitting apply, even if you don't tick every single box. We encourage people from all backgrounds and experiences to join us.
- Interview at your best. We want you to feel comfortable throughout the process. If you have any accessibility requirements or need a specific format, email belonging@pleo.io. We’ll design a process that works for you.
- Your data is safe. When you apply, we process your personal data as a data processor. For more information on how Pleo processes personal data, read our Privacy Policy here https://www.pleo.io/en/legal.
- Applying for multiple roles? Nothing is stopping you, and we assess every role independently. However, we do look for alignment, so make sure you can explain why your interest and experience are right for each specific role.
- Reapplying. If you’re applying for the same role again, please wait six months from your last decision before hitting submit.