Banking Operations Governance Team Lead

Job description

We are looking for a Banking Operations Governance Team Lead to to lead one of our Banking Operations Governance teams. Banking Operations Governance is a control-critical function that helps Wise manage banking partner access, signatory governance, partner due diligence, portal administration, documentation, and operational control evidence as we scale. The team sits between global strategy and day-to-day execution, making sure our banking partner operations are safe, consistent, well-documented, and scalable.

As Team Lead, you’ll be responsible for leading a team of Specialists, managing operational performance, improving governance processes, and helping the team move from manual, reactive work toward clearer, more proactive operating models. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can combine people leadership, operational discipline, stakeholder management, and strong judgment in ambiguous environments.

In this role, you will:

• Lead a team of Banking Operations Governance Specialists, focusing on consistent team performance while actively supporting the professional growth and development of each team member
• Manage team workload, capacity, SLA performance and quality, making sure urgent work is handled without losing sight of control quality and long-term improvement
• Act as the first level escalation point for the team as well as stakeholders in the organization, providing guidance and resolution for complex operational matters
• Monitor and report against team performance metrics while managing team resources and their relevant skills, ensuring at all times a high-quality, high-speed workflow with optimal coverage; Ensure team readiness to handle unexpected situations and guarantee process documentation and improvement within your area
• Implement comprehensive governance frameworks that establish standardized processes for banking operations, follow formal SLAs and review procedures, implement proactive monitoring systems to prevent operational gaps, and develop documentation standards that ensure regulatory compliance and eliminate inefficiencies; Establish robust financial and access controls by ensuring accurate partner access management and signatory controls are implemented; Manage key stakeholder relationships by actively collaborating with internal teams, product, engineering, and external banking partners to implement governance frameworks, resolve complex escalated issues, maintain operational integrity, and drive continuous improvements in banking operations.

Qualifications

You’ll be a strong fit if you have: At least 2 years of people leadership or formal team leadership experience, ideally in Operations, Risk, Governance, Compliance, Financial Services, or another control-sensitive environment. Experience managing team performance, workload, prioritisation, quality and delivery against SLAs or operational KPIs.

A track record of coaching and developing people, including supporting performance, building capability and creating clarity in ambiguous situations Experience in identifying process gaps and turning them into practical improvements, documentation, operating rhythms or governance frameworks

• Strong stakeholder management skills, including the ability to communicate trade-offs, manage expectations and challenge scope constructively Good analytical judgment: you can use data, spreadsheets, dashboards or operational metrics to understand capacity, performance, quality and risk
• Strong ownership and resilience: you can make progress in messy or unclear environments without waiting for everything to be perfectly defined
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex operational issues clearly A collaborative leadership style: you build trust, invite challenge and help people succeed without avoiding difficult conversations Nice to have: Experience in banking operations, access management, partner governance, risk controls, audit-readiness or due diligence Experience working with external partners, especially banks or regulated financial institutions
• Familiarity with process mapping, RACI, control frameworks, operational dashboards or continuous improvement methods Experience building or improving a team, process or operating model during a period of growth or change