Head of Banking Operations

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About Wahed:

The global financial system wasn't built for everyone. For millions of people, its reliance on interest (riba) creates a barrier to managing money and building wealth without compromising their values.

At Wahed, we're changing that. We are a global fintech company on a mission to build a new financial system—one that is ethical, accessible, and entirely interest-free. From our offices across the globe, our team is building products that were once deemed impossible. If you're driven to solve complex problems and believe finance should empower, not exclude, join us in building a more equitable financial future.

Wahed is embarking on its most ambitious venture yet: launching a full-service, ethical digital banking and neobank offering for our customers in the US and the UK. This is a ground‑floor opportunity to architect the operational engine that will power this new chapter of our growth.

As the Head of Banking Operations, you will be the foundational leader responsible for building, scaling, and leading a world‑class, multi‑jurisdictional banking operations function from scratch. Operating within a strategic Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) partnership model, you will be the principal architect of the controls, processes, and partner governance frameworks required for a resilient, compliant, and hyper‑efficient operational ecosystem.

You will be entrusted with establishing the operational bedrock upon which our neobank will be built, ensuring every payment is seamless, every risk is managed, and every customer is protected, all while upholding the strictest standards of Shariah compliance. Reporting to the CEO, your work will be critical to the successful launch and scalable growth of this new business line.

• Strategic Leadership & Function Building: Design the organizational structure, hire, and lead a high‑performing team of operations professionals. Establish the vision, strategic roadmap, and key performance indicators (KPIs) for the entire banking operations function.
• BaaS & Sponsor Bank Governance: Serve as the primary operational owner for our BaaS provider and sponsor bank relationships in the US and UK. Lead vendor oversight, performance management, and ensure strict adherence to contractual SLAs and regulatory expectations for third‑party risk management.
• Payments, Treasury & Financial Control Architecture: Architect and govern the end‑to‑end operational processes for all payment rails, including ACH, Wires, and Fed Now in the US, and Faster Payments and CHAPS in the UK. Oversee daily liquidity management, partner‑managed reconciliations, and the implementation of robust financial controls.
• End‑to‑End Customer Operations Governance: Build and oversee the operational frameworks for the entire customer lifecycle, including partner‑managed KYC/AML processes, onboarding, account maintenance, and dispute/complaint handling in compliance with US (Reg E/Z) and UK (Consumer Duty) regulations.
• Financial Crime & Risk Framework: Own the design and governance of Wahed's financial crime prevention framework. This includes overseeing the effectiveness of our partners' AML transaction monitoring, sanctions screening programs (OFAC/OFSI), fraud detection rules, and suspicious activity reporting (SAR) processes.
• Shariah & Regulatory Compliance: Act as the operational champion for compliance. Ensure all banking processes, product structures, and partner activities adhere to both jurisdictional regulations and the principles of our Shariah governance framework, guaranteeing an interest‑free and ethically‑sound offering.
• Operational Readiness & Scaling: Develop and implement a scalable operational readiness framework to support the launch of new products and features. Ensure that all new initiatives have robust operational playbooks, SOPs, and controls in place before rollout.

• 7‑10 years of progressive leadership experience in banking operations within a fintech, neobank, or regulated financial institution.
• Direct, hands‑on experience building…