Buy now pay later has moved from a checkout novelty to a mainstream way to borrow, and that shift is changing who fintech firms need to hire. As BNPL products come under closer regulatory attention, lenders are building out the teams that decide who can afford to borrow and how that lending is governed. The centre of gravity is moving towards senior, qualified people.
We see this in the official picture of financial services skills. In the Financial Services sector, recruitment was generally for Regulatory Qualification Framework (RQF) 6+ roles, rather than RQF 3 to 5 roles GOV.UK - Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report. In plain terms, firms are reaching for degree-level and above expertise, not entry-level hires, when they fill these gaps.
For anyone building a credit risk function around BNPL, that tells you something clear. The hardest roles to fill are the ones that carry judgement and regulatory weight, so you need a hiring approach that can find and engage that scarcer, more senior talent.
BNPL lending is short, frequent and high in volume, so the risk decision has to be fast and automated while staying fair. That mix is shaping a set of roles that sit between data, lending and regulation.
These roles share a common thread: they need degree-level and above capability, which fits the pattern of recruitment generally being for RQF 6+ roles in financial services GOV.UK - Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report. That makes them competitive to hire, because the same small pool is wanted across lenders, banks and consultancies.
Start with the problem, not the job title. A BNPL lender scaling fast needs someone who can build and defend an affordability model; a firm preparing for new rules needs someone strong on governance and reporting. Write the brief around the decision the person will own, then the must-have skills, then the nice-to-haves.
Because the strongest people are often qualified and in work, speed and clarity matter. Keep your process short, give clear feedback quickly, and be specific about the mandate, the data and the regulatory environment. Test real skills with a practical exercise rather than relying on a long list of certifications. And widen your view beyond the obvious profiles: strong modellers can come from banking, insurance, telecoms or academia.
Above all, move at the pace of the market. When recruitment is concentrated on senior, RQF 6+ roles GOV.UK - Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report, the firm that engages the right person first usually wins them.
We help you find the right person and manage recruitment end to end. We search a database of 15 million candidates, rank a shortlist in under 30 seconds, contact matched people in under a minute and can book an interview in under three minutes, so you move quickly on scarce credit risk talent. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. Tell Reed.ai the role and we will start building your shortlist today.
