Director Fraud Operations

At Aspire, we’re more than just a FinTech company—we’re the leading all-in-one financial operating system built to empower the world’s innovators and entrepreneurs. We are on a mission to reinvent business finance, empowering startups and businesses to realise their full potential.

Founded in 2018, Aspire has raised over USD 300M+ across equity and debt from world-class investors. In 2023, we successfully closed an oversubscribed USD 100 million Series C equity round led by Sequoia Capital and Lightspeed Ventures with participation of Tencent, Paypal Ventures, LGT Capital Partners, Picus Capital and MassMutual Ventures. To power our solutions, we have partnered with some of the best companies in the world such as Visa and Wise and empowered more than 50,000 businesses using our suite of products.

Aspire has consistently been recognized for excellence, earning Best Employer and Startup of the Year by the Asia FinTech Awards in 2022 and 2023, ranked as LinkedIn’s Top Startup in Singapore, and listed on CB Insights’ Top 100 Global Fintech in 2023 and 2024.

You will be amazed by the energy and experience of our team! Aspire serves as an environment for you to innovate and drive change with our team of ex-entrepreneurs, ex-founders, and high-achievers with international and diverse backgrounds.

Are you a top talent who is passionate about entrepreneurship? Join our rapidly growing team to make an impact in the fintech space! 

About the Team

At Aspire, we are committed to empowering our customers throughout their journey with us. Our Operations Team, including the dedicated Fraud team, ensures customers can operate seamlessly and securely on our platform, guaranteeing the best and safest customer experience possible. This team plays a critical role in protecting both our customers and Aspire from financial crime risks globally.

About the Role

As the Director of Fraud Operations, based in Singapore HQ or India office in Gurugram, you will be a senior leader responsible for building, leading, and scaling Aspire's global fraud operations capabilities including our expansion initiatives into markets like the US. You will define and execute the strategy to prevent, detect, and respond to fraudulent activity across all our products and international markets, encompassing diverse payment types including card transactions and a wide array of non-card account-to-account payment methods. This role requires a strategic mindset, deep operational expertise in diverse global fraud environments, and a proven ability to lead and inspire a geographically distributed team of fraud professionals. You will be responsible for operational excellence, team development, and advanced analytics, and will champion the use of advanced technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), to drive operational effectiveness and enhance our fraud defenses globally. You will work closely with senior leadership and cross-functional partners to ensure our global fraud defenses are robust, scalable, and support Aspire’s international growth ambitions.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Vision:

• Develop, implement, and own Aspire's global fraud operations strategy, roadmap, and key performance indicators (KPIs), ensuring alignment with overall business objectives and regional nuances.
• Continuously assess and anticipate emerging global fraud threats, typologies (across various international payment ecosystems, including card networks and real-time payment rails), and technological advancements to proactively adapt Aspire's prevention and detection capabilities.
• Drive innovation in fraud management, strategically leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and data analytics to significantly enhance detection capabilities and achieve operational excellence and efficiency on a global scale.
• Champion a customer-centric approach to fraud prevention, balancing risk mitigation with a seamless user experience across diverse markets.

Team Leadership & Development:

• Build, lead, mentor, and develop a global Fraud Operations team.
• Encourage a collaborative, high-performance culture, promoting professional growth, knowledge sharing, and operational excellence within the team.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations; Provide regular coaching and feedback.
• Manage resource allocation and capacity planning to ensure optimal team performance and coverage across time zones and markets.

Operational Excellence & Global Risk Management:

• Oversee all aspects of day-to-day global fraud operations, including real-time monitoring, alert management, fraud investigations, dispute resolution, and recovery efforts.
• Define and ensure adherence to fraud operations policies, procedures, and service level agreements (SLAs) tailored to global operations.
• Drive the continuous improvement of fraud detection systems, tools (including rule engines and ML models), and operational workflows, actively seeking and implementing AI-driven solutions to optimize efficiency, minimize fraud losses, and reduce false positives globally.
• Establish robust reporting mechanisms to provide insights on global fraud trends, operational performance, and loss exposure to executive management.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Management:

• Serve as the primary fraud operations expert and point of contact for senior leadership and other key stakeholders across Product, Engineering, Data Science, Compliance, and Customer Experience globally.
• Collaborate closely with Product and Engineering teams to embed fraud prevention measures into new product development and feature enhancements considering global market requirements for all payment types.
• Partner with Data Science teams to refine and implement advanced analytical models, including AI applications, for fraud detection and prevention adaptable to various regions.
• Work with external partners, including financial institutions, law enforcement, and industry forums globally, to share intelligence and enhance fraud prevention efforts.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience:

• Minimum 10+ years of progressive experience in fraud risk management or fraud operations within the FinTech, payments, e-commerce, or financial services industry.
• Minimum 5+ years of experience in a significant leadership role, managing and developing fraud operations teams, including managers/leads, ideally in an international context.
• Demonstrable experience in developing and executing global fraud prevention strategies at a senior level.
• Deep understanding and strategic oversight experience related to diverse global payment systems fraud, explicitly including both card fraud and non-card payment fraud (e.g., account takeover, scams) across various international markets.

• Proven, in-depth experience and strong understanding of US payment systems fraud, specifically relating to ACH fraud (e.g., unauthorized debits, credit push fraud, account takeovers targeting ACH), Check fraud (e.g., check kiting, paperhanging, forgery, alteration) and Card issuing fraud.

• Proven track record in overseeing complex international fraud investigations and ensuring compliance with reporting requirements across different regulatory regimes.

Skills:

• Expert knowledge of global fraud trends, advanced fraud detection techniques, and mitigation strategies applicable to diverse markets (APAC, EMEA, Americas) for both card and non-card payment types.
• Strong understanding of fraud operations metrics, data analysis, and the ability to translate complex global data into actionable strategies.
• Comprehensive understanding of fraud detection systems, rules engines, machine learning applications in fraud, and case management tools suitable for global deployment.
• Demonstrable understanding of how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) can be strategically applied to enhance fraud detection accuracy and drive significant operational efficiencies in a global operations environment.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to inspire globally diverse teams and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Proven strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities, particularly in complex, multi-jurisdictional situations.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple global initiatives simultaneously.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading fraud operations in a high-growth, global company, particularly with experience in or managing operations for APAC markets.
• Relevant professional certifications (e.g., CFE, CAFS).
• Experience managing remote or geographically distributed teams across multiple time zones.
• Established network within the global fraud prevention industry and international law enforcement agencies.
• Fluency in additional languages relevant to key global markets.

What we offer

• Uncapped flexible annual leave.
• Hybrid work arrangement. 
• Training subsidy for your professional growth.
• Wellness benefit.
• Team bonding budget to foster collaboration and sense of belonging.
• Flexibility to work from anywhere (for up to 90 days per annum).
• Culture is Key: We always strive to cultivate a special culture that brings special talents together - You can learn more about our culture on our careers site and LinkedIn Life page.
  

Equal Opportunity Statement 

Aspire is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by applicable laws. 

Please note: by submitting your application, you acknowledge that you have read and understood Aspire’s Data Protection Policy for Employees, Freelancers, Contractors and Job Applicants (the “Policy”), and consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal data by Aspire for the purposes set out in the Policy. You may withdraw consent for such collection, use and disclosure, and make an access or correction request in respect of your personal data, in accordance with the Policy by emailing people@aspireapp.com.