Fintech sits at the point where financial services rules meet fast-moving product teams, and that shapes who you can hire. Demand in financial services clusters at the more senior, more qualified end of the market. The Temporary Shortage List review found that recruitment in the sector was generally for roles at Regulatory Qualification Framework (RQF) level 6 and above, rather than the RQF 3 to 5 band the GOV.UK Temporary Shortage List Stage 2 report.
For a first third-party risk hire, that matters. You're not competing for a junior administrator. You're competing for someone with the judgement to own regulated relationships, and the market for that judgement is tight. Knowing this upfront helps you set a realistic brief and move quickly when the right person appears.
A third-party risk manager owns the risk that comes from the people and companies you depend on: cloud providers, payment processors, data vendors, outsourced customer support. In a fintech, several of those relationships are regulated outsourcing arrangements, so the role carries real accountability, not just paperwork.
Day to day, the work splits into a few clear strands. There's onboarding due diligence, deciding which suppliers you trust and why. There's ongoing monitoring, watching for concentration risk, service failures and changes in a vendor's own financial health. And there's reporting, giving your board and, where relevant, your regulator a clear view of where third-party risk sits. When you scope the role, name these outcomes. They tell you the seniority you need far better than a list of certificates.
The seniority point lines up with the wider market. Because financial services hiring skews towards RQF level 6 and above the GOV.UK Temporary Shortage List Stage 2 report, a first risk hire usually needs someone who can operate independently and set the framework, rather than follow one that already exists.
Start with the decision, not the job title. Write down the three or four risk decisions you most need this person to own in their first six months, then build the role around those. A tight, outcome-led brief attracts people who can do the actual work and screens out those who only recognise the buzzwords.
Because demand concentrates at the senior, qualified end of financial services the GOV.UK Temporary Shortage List Stage 2 report, a slow process is your biggest risk. The founders who win this hire are the ones who keep the shortlist tight and the feedback fast.
Once your brief is sharp, the work becomes finding the right person fast. That's where we help. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost, through Reed.ai. If you're scoping your first third-party risk manager, tell us the outcomes you need owned and we'll surface people who can own them.
