VP of Risk Management (f/m/d)

Upvest is on a mission to make investing as easy as spending money. The company empowers businesses to offer a wide range of investment products and the best experience in the field of capital market investment and retirement planning. Upvest’s Investment API is easy to integrate so that fintechs and enterprises alike can save resources and fully focus on their core business.

Upvest is one of the few fintechs in Europe that can provide its B2B clients with the full range of investment opportunities in the areas of principal broking business, proprietary trading, and safe custody business for traditional securities. The company was founded in 2017 by Martin Kassing and currently employs more than 200 people across Europe. Its latest €100m fundraising round (Series C) was led by Hedosophia and Sapphire Venture, with continued support from existing investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, BlackRock, Earlybird, HV Capital, Motive Ventures, and Notion Capital.

We’re based in Berlin but are also open to hiring remotely in Germany or London (UK) for this role. If you're currently based elsewhere but would like to move to Germany, we’re happy to support your relocation.

Your Mission

As the VP of Risk Management, your mission is to drive growth by acting as a strategic business partner across departments, collaborating with the management team to shape a sustainable and forward-thinking risk approach. You will actively manage financial and non-financial risks, enabling data-driven decision-making and supporting Upvest’s ambitious goals. At the same time, you will lead the further development and execution of our robust risk management framework that ensures seamless compliance with BaFin and FCA standards, including MaRisk, ICAAP, ILAAP, and ICARA, empowering the business to scale confidently in the dynamic investment infrastructure space.

What You Can Expect From This Role

• Act as a strategic advisor to the Management, providing playbooks for operational risk handling, financial risk planning, capital adequacy and liquidity planning
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to identify risks, provide actionable insights, and drive solutions that balance business goals and risk mitigation
• Partner with Product and Engineering teams to integrate risk considerations into product design, development, and infrastructure scaling
• Enhance scalable risk solutions to support the company’s rapid growth, staying ahead of emerging risks, regulatory updates, and industry trends
• Maintaining strong communication and present risk assessments as well as stress tests to auditors and regulators
• Enhance our risk management strategy encompassing financial (e.g., market and counterparty risk) and non-financial (e.g., operational, compliance risks)
• Ensure adherence to BaFin, FCA, and other regulatory requirements by embedding and enhancing ICAAP, ILAAP, and ICARA frameworks within company practices
• Leverage technology and data analytics to optimize and modernize risk management processes and reporting systems
• Build and develop a high-performing risk management team to foster growth and operational excellence
  
  

Role Requirements

• Proven track record of at least 10 years in risk management in the fintech or financial services industry
• Demonstrated experience in scaling risk management practices in a high-growth, dynamic environment
• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate complex regulatory and risk concepts into actionable strategies
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a proactive approach to identifying and mitigating risks
• Exceptional leadership and team management skills with a focus on building high-performing teams
• Experience to build interpersonal relationships and influence and lead cross-functional discussions and decisions for real strategic and financial impact
• Deep knowledge of applicable regulatory frameworks, particularly BaFin and FCA requirements.
  
  

Why Upvest?

• We're working on solving a hard problem: fixing the European investment infrastructure that empowers more people to be able to invest. You have the opportunity to contribute to this change.
• We invest in you. From access to a personal coach, development budget and plenty of opportunities to grow in your role.
• We take hiring seriously with a strong focus on keeping a high bar when interviewing (equally important is that we hire decent people, who are passionate about their craft and helping us achieve our shared mission).
• While we're not quite fully-remote, we are committed to being a flexible employer, as we understand you don't have to be in the office to do your best work.
• We live a culture of empowerment, trust (that we hire the best people and get out of their way) and openness (there's a greater advantage in sharing information than keeping it to ourselves).
  
  

Our Values

• Learn and grow. We aim high to shape our future. We give and request honest feedback knowing that we develop together. Progression over Perfection.
• Team first. We make it easy for others. We value our differences and are open to others' opinions. We win and celebrate together! Team over Egos.
• Own the outcome. Whether we win or we lose, we stand together. We are proactive and get the job done. Outcome over Process.
• Tell the story. We always start with the why. We share knowledge to empower others. Transparency over Complexity.
  
  

Upvest is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees