Director of Compliance and Risk, Pennylane
+ Equity components aligned with impact and responsibility
More information about location
Financial operating system for European SMEs
Job no longer available
Financial operating system for European SMEs
501-1000 employees
Job no longer available
+ Equity components aligned with impact and responsibility
More information about location
501-1000 employees
Company mission
To build the leading financial tool for European SMEs.
Role
Who you are
- 10+ years of relevant experience in an ACPR‑supervised environment, such as: former RCCI / RCC / Head of Compliance & Risk in a French bank, payment institution, financing company or fintech, or ex‑ACPR profile with hands‑on experience of supervising similar business models
- Managing a compliance team in a French ACPR‑regulated entity (établissement de paiement, établissement de crédit, société de financement or similar)
- Hands‑on LCB‑FT/Tracfin experience: designing and operating KYC/KYB and transaction monitoring frameworks, and making or overseeing Tracfin reports
- Strong credit risk and ALM culture, ideally with: Exposure to SME financing products (overdrafts, invoice financing, term loans, factoring), and ability to challenge underwriting standards, risk models and portfolio metrics
- Excellent command of French financial regulation (Code monétaire et financier, ACPR doctrine, EBA guidelines, PSD2/PSD3, AML/CTF framework)
- Ability to build from scratch: frameworks, policies, processes, tools, reporting
- Strong pedagogy: able to explain complex regulatory topics to product managers, engineers and founders in simple, actionable terms
- Challenging yet constructive: comfortable questioning founders and senior leaders, while remaining solution‑oriented and business‑minded
- Pragmatic, impact‑driven approach, capable of operating under strong regulatory constraints without blocking innovation
- Fluent French and English are mandatory (day‑to‑day work and ACPR interaction in French; internal and investor dialogue often in English)
- To thrive at Pennylane, you need :
- To speak English (level is assessed and appreciated according to the department you’re applying to)
- To be energized by an ever-shifting work environment
- To be highly collaborative (within your team or other stakeholders)
- Sufficiently experienced to prioritize business-led actions on your day to day activity
- We know that some people are less likely to apply than others, if they don’t feel like they meet the full list of criteria
- If you’re hesitating, we encourage you to apply : who knows, it might be the start of a meaningful and long-lasting collaboration
What the job involves
- We are looking for a Director of Compliance and Risk to build and lead the Compliance & Risk function of Pennylane Financial Services from the ground up. This is an executive officer ‑ level position (dirigeant effectif) (subject to ACPR approval)
- Your mission would be to :
- Design and implement the 2nd line of defence (compliance, risk, permanent controls) for a combined payment services and financing perimeter
- Act as primary point of contact for the ACPR on regulatory, compliance, risk and LCB‑FT / Tracfin matters and all ACPR reporting
- Build and lead a multi‑disciplinary team (compliance, LCB‑FT/Tracfin, risk & controls, credit risk)
- Work in close partnership with Group Legal, Finance and IT‑Security, while maintaining full independence as a control function
- This is a greenfield project with high autonomy, direct exposure to the Supervisory Board and regulators, and the opportunity to shape the governance and risk culture of a fast‑growing fintech with a robust preexisting customer base
- Before ACPR licence is granted, you will report to Stanislas, the Head of Legal, Compliance & Risks of Pennylane SAS (Group)
- After licence is granted:
- You are one of the three executive officers of Pennylane Financial Services
- You report directly to the Supervisory Board of Pennylane Financial Services with functional reporting to Stanislas
- You will have unrestricted access to the Supervisory Board and the authority and responsibility to escalate any compliance or risk issues
- You will be the single regulatory counterpart for ACPR on compliance, risk and LCB‑FT issues, leading compliance and risk teams internally and coordinating internal inputs across the Group
- You will ensure overall Pennylane Financial Services ongoing compliance with regulations applicable to its licences
- You will build the Compliance & Risk Function and team (2nd Line) :
- Designing the overall compliance and risk management framework for Pennylane Financial Services, covering Payment services activities and Financing activities
- Drafting, validating and ensuring compliance with compliance and risk policies, procedures and governance documents
- Structuring the 2nd level of control, fully internal and under your responsibility
- LCB‑FT will be one of your top priorities in the first 12–18 months. You will recruit the manager in charge of the consistency and effectiveness of non-compliance risk control, and be his manager/direct report
- Risk Management (Credit, Operational, IT/Security, Outsourcing) : in close partnership with product and legal, you will be responsible for :
- Designing credit risk policies and frameworks
- Overseeing the operational risk management framework
- Coordinating with Pennylane SAS IT‑Security team to ensure appropriate security and continuity measures for regulated activities, robust incident management and reporting to ACPR where required
- Establishing and monitoring the outsourcing risk framework in compliance with ACPR and EBA outsourcing guidelines
- Governance, Reporting & Relationship with Group Function: you will act as the central coordinator and synthesiser for all information needed for ACPR and Board reporting
- More generally, you will be expected to :
- Promote a “compliance as a business enabler” culture, where risk appetite is about well‑documented interpretations and controlled experimentation and where compliance and risk are embedded in product and tech decisions from day one
- Design and roll out training programmes for all relevant staff (LCB‑FT, conduct of business, fraud awareness, operational risk, etc.)
- Foster a culture of ownership and accountability, with radical trust embedded, and high standards of documentation and auditability from day 1
Application process
- HR interview with Simon Peraldo - Senior Recruiter
- Who interview with Stanislas de Villoutreys (Legal Director) and Maxime Leclercq
- Case study with Stanislas de Villoutreys and Eric Scaramozzino (VP Strategic Iniatives)
- Fit interview with Felix Blossier (COO and cofounder) and Tancrède Besnard (CPO and cofounder)
Our take
In multiple mature markets, companies have been using QuickBooks, Xero and other SaaS solutions for accounting, but it is a fragmented industry with each country using its own software solution. In France, there is no definitive SaaS solution for accounting.
Pennylane wants to overhaul current tools and modernise the tech stack of accounting firms, by connecting directly with third-party services that hold valuable information. Accounting firms can use Pennylane collaboratively by accessing the platform to centralise receipts, create invoices and automate tasks. Instead of sending information back and forth with spreadsheets and photo attachments, both clients and accounting firms can interact directly on the platform.
Pennylane has a significant market opportunity ahead, with an ambitious goal to become the preferred management platform for European companies. The company already claims an impressive number of customers and strong backing which will allow it to further develop its platform and expand to other markets in Europe.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
25% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 8 rounds)
Jan 2026
$201.7m
SERIES E
Apr 2025
$86.5m
LATE VC
Total funding: $465.2m
Company benefits
- Work remotely from anywhere in Europe, as long as your contract allows you to
- Company shares to enjoy a piece of the success story you're building with us
- A budget to turn your home into a more comfortable workspace, as well as a monthly allowance to work from a coworking space whenever you feel like it
- Access to 8000 fitness spaces in Europe and more than 300 activities related to wellness through our partner Gymlib
- Access to Busuu to perfect your english or your french
- The latest Apple equipment
- Be part of a vibrant social community: we do lots of sports together (running, climbing...), we love to hang out and have a drink together (Thursday afterwork drinks on our rooftop is a usual thing)
- Twice-a-year company seminars
- Wonderful office in the center of Paris
- 10 additional days off (to the 25 standard ones) for those based in France
- Lunch credits (Swile card) to buy your favorite food every day, for those based in France
- Great healthcare cover (Alan Blue) to take care of yourself and your family, for those based in France
Company HQ
Chaussée-d'Antin, Paris, France
Leadership
Arthur Waller
(Co-founder & CEO)Founded PriceMatch in 2012, and progressed from Product Owner to Senior Product Owner at Booking.com between 2015-2018. Co-founded Pennylane in 2020.
Felix Blossier
(Co-founder & COO)Founding Partner of PriceMatch in 2012 and experience as Director General of the French Treasury from 2018-2020. Co-founded Pennylane in 2020.
Tancrède Besnard
(Co-founder & CPO)Co-founded PriceMatch in 2012. Experience as Product Manager for Booking.com between 2016-2018, and current advisor for Predictus. Co-founded Pennylane in 2020.
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