Head of Sanctions

Position:
Head of Sanctions

Company:
Qonto

Location:
France, Paris

Employment type:
Full-time

Work Arrangement:
Hybrid

Short Summary:
Join our Anti-Financial Crime team as a Head of Sanctions, based in Paris, to build and lead Qonto’s sanctions framework across all our markets. You will report to Florence, our Anti-Financial Crime Director (Western Europe), and play a key role in Qonto’s transition towards becoming a Credit Institution by ensuring we meet the right regulatory standards on sanctions, PEP and adverse media screening.

Responsibilities:
- Build Qonto’s sanctions framework: define, document and continuously improve sanctions policies, standards, governance and operational processes across all Qonto markets.
- Lead sanctions oversight and controls: create the right control and quality assurance mechanisms to challenge investigation decisions, monitor risk, and ensure Qonto maintains a strong compliance posture.
- Optimise screening operations: improve how Qonto uses screening tools and data to manage alert volumes, reduce false positives, strengthen matching quality and maintain efficient, accurate screening.
- Partner with internal teams: work closely with MLROs, Banking Operations, AML, Fraud, Product and Tech teams to embed sanctions requirements into products, payment flows and operational processes.
- Represent Qonto externally: conduct regulatory watch and maintain trusted relationships with external authorities such as ACPR, DGT and equivalent regulators across Qonto markets, as well as with industry peers and banking partners.
- Lead and grow the team: manage the sanctions team, including the production team lead and expert profiles, while staying close to day-to-day alert treatment to understand operational reality and continuously raise the bar.

Requirement:
- Deep sanctions expertise: you have strong experience in sanctions, embargoes, and broader AFC / compliance topics, ideally gained in a large bank or international financial institution.
- Multi-country regulatory experience: you understand how sanctions requirements vary across European markets and can translate complex regulatory expectations into clear policies, controls and operational processes.
- Strong payment ecosystem knowledge: you understand payment schemes and flows, and can assess how sanctions requirements apply to them.
- Screening and tooling expertise: you have experience with screening tools and methodologies, such as matching logic, false-positive reduction, data-quality improvements and vendor management.
- Hands-on leadership: you are able to lead at a senior level while staying close to operational detail, and can coach team leads / expert profiles effectively.
- Autonomous, pragmatic operator: you are comfortable owning a high-impact scope with limited guidance, making sound decisions in ambiguity, and communicating risks clearly with concrete options.
- Languages: you communicate clearly and professionally in English. French or another European language is a plus.

Benefits:
- Direct regulatory impact: your work will help Qonto meet ACPR and equivalent regulatory expectations as we strengthen our framework and move towards Credit Institution status.
- A build-from-scratch opportunity: this is a newly created role where you will design the foundations of Qonto’s sanctions function, from policies and governance to controls, tooling and operating rhythms.
- High autonomy and visibility: you will own a central, market-spanning scope with strong exposure to senior Risk & Compliance leaders, MLROs, Product, Operations and external authorities.
- Operational and strategic influence: you will improve both Qonto’s strategic sanctions framework and the day-to-day efficiency of screening operations, including alert volumes, data quality and tooling costs.
- A growing team and scope: you will manage and develop a small team today, with potential for the scope and team to grow as Qonto scales across markets and payment schemes.