Lead, Fraud Operations

Navan is building a best-in-class fraud defense, and at the heart of our success are the expert practitioners who lead our front lines. We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Lead for our Fraud Operations team. This is a critical "player-coach" role for an individual who is passionate about both deep-dive investigations and mentoring the next generation of fraud analysts.

As the Lead, you will be the team's subject matter expert and primary escalation point. You will not only handle our most complex and sensitive cases but also guide the team in its day-to-day execution, ensuring operational excellence and consistency. Reporting to the Senior Manager of Fraud Operations & Investigations, you will be instrumental in translating strategy into tactical success, refining processes, and fostering a culture of rigorous, high-quality work.

What You’ll Do:

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  As the Fraud Operations Lead, you will be deeply involved in the team's daily rhythm, ensuring performance and quality standards are met while contributing as a senior individual investigator.

  
  
  
  
  1. Expert Investigation & Incident Response
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • Serve as the Lead Investigator: Personally own and resolve the most complex, high-impact fraud investigations, utilizing advanced analytical techniques to uncover sophisticated fraud rings and patterns.
  
  
  • Act as the Escalation Point: Be the first point of contact for fraud analysts, providing expert guidance on challenging cases, policy interpretation, and tool usage.
  
  
  • Support Incident Response: Act as a tactical lead during fraud incidents, coordinating the team's real-time response, gathering critical data, and executing containment actions under the direction of the Incident Commander.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1. Operational Guidance & Mentorship
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • Drive Daily Operational Excellence: Manage real-time operational queues, monitor service levels (SLAs), and assist the Senior Manager with team scheduling and workforce management (WFM) to ensure consistent coverage and performance.
  
  
  • Refine and Uphold Standards: Champion the team’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Identify areas for process improvement and work with the Senior Manager to update and refine documentation.
  
  
  • Mentor and Coach: Provide regular, on-the-floor coaching, feedback, and training to Fraud Analysts. Lead case review sessions and serve as the primary trainer for new team members to accelerate their development.
  
  
  • Lead Quality Assurance: Conduct regular quality assurance (QA) reviews of analyst casework, providing constructive feedback to ensure investigations are thorough, accurate, and well-documented.
  
  
  
  

  III. Data-Driven Insights & Collaboration

  
  
  
  
  • Monitor and Report on Trends: Track and analyze team performance metrics (e.g., productivity, accuracy, loss impact) and fraud trends, providing regular updates and insights to the Senior Manager.
  
  
  • Provide Expert Feedback for Detection Systems: Act as the voice of the front line, collaborating with Data Science and Engineering partners to provide detailed, actionable feedback for tuning fraud rules and models based on investigative findings.
  
  
  • Master and Optimize Fraud Tooling: Become a power user of all fraud prevention and investigation tools, training the team on best practices and identifying opportunities to improve tooling efficiency.
  
  
  
  

What We’re Looking For:

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  Required Qualifications:

  
  
  
  
  • A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field or equivalent practical experience in fraud and risk.
  
  
  • 7+ years of hands-on experience in fraud investigations and operations, preferably within a fast-paced fintech, e-commerce, or financial services environment.
  
  
  • Proven Leadership & Mentorship: At least 2 years of experience in a formal or informal leadership capacity (e.g., Team Lead, Senior Analyst, mentor, project lead). Formal people management is not required, but a passion for coaching others is essential.
  
  
  • Deep Domain Expertise: Mastery of the fraud landscape, including card-not-present (CNP) fraud, account takeover (ATO), issuing fraud (BIN attacks), identity fraud, and chargeback processes.
  
  
  • Strong Analytical Acumen: Excellent proficiency with SQL is required for complex data analysis. Experience identifying patterns and trends that inform broader strategies.
  
  
  • Operational Mindset: Experience working within an SLA-driven environment and a strong understanding of operational metrics, queue management, and the importance of detailed SOPs.
  
  
  • Calm Under Pressure: A composed and methodical problem-solver, capable of making sound judgments in time-sensitive situations.
  
  
  
  

  Preferred Qualifications:

  
  
  
  
  • Experience helping to develop and deliver training materials for an operations team.
  
  
  • Experience with BI tools (e.g., ThoughtSpot, Tableau, Power BI) for monitoring performance dashboards.
  
  
  • Professional certifications such as CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner).
  
  
  • Experience providing direct feedback to data science or engineering teams to improve fraud detection models.