Finextra’s ‘Breaking into fintech’ series dives into what financial services companies are looking for employees. For the second piece in this series, we chatted with Jack Johnstone, head of people at digital wealth manager, Moneybox, to uncover exactly what they’re looking for in their future employees.

What strengths is Moneybox looking for in a candidate?

Johnstone explained that the Moneybox values are  “Action-Learning-Openmindedness-Team (ALOT) and so we look for action-oriented people, with a learning mindset, naturally open-minded and passionate about working collaboratively toward a common goal.”

Moneybox brings saving, investing, home-buying, and retirement services together into a single app, aimed at helping users reach their goals and build wealth with confidence - whatever their starting point. Emerging companies in the industry are looking for creative and flexible hires who can support them in building their repertoire and working their way up. Financial services companies such as Moneybox are changing the industry – they want people who can confront new challenges as they arise and think creatively.  

They add, “we have found that people who genuinely care about our mission and the social issues we are working to solve have the greatest impact.”

What is Moneybox looking for in an ideal candidate?

“There’s not one ‘ideal’ candidate profile that would be suitable for all jobs; we welcome a wide range of individuals to join the business. However, it’s important that successful candidates are aligned with our ALOT values. You’ve got to be able to get stuff done and done well, you’ve got to want to learn and grow, you’ve got to be open-minded (things are ever-changing and we need to be open to new ideas and ways of doing things), and you’ve got to be able to work as part of a team.”

What should I change on my social media accounts when looking for a job?

A big factor when searching for a job is to keep your LinkedIn profile up to date. A spokesperson from Moneybox describes a candidate’s profile as a “shop window”, and so “to catch people’s eye the information itself should be short, sharp and easy to digest.” Recruiters zip through dozens of profiles, so ensuring that your LinkedIn page highlights your achievements and skills is essential to making an impression.

What roles are Moneybox currently hiring for?

Currently Moneybox is hiring for a range of roles in tech and non-tech. They are currently looking for candidates for support team senior manager, QA engineer, IOS developer, compliance analyst, and more.

Why work at Moneybox?

Moneybox expects “ALOT" from new hires, but also provides their workers with programmes and benefits to making working at the company an opportunity to thrive and grow.

Moneybox offers a range of training programmes for their employees, including online learning platform Udemy. Their workers also receive a personal training budget for them to use for relevant learning opportunities. Within the company, they run training programmes on interview skills, strategic thinking, neurodiversity, and more.

Moneybox adds: “There is some function-specific training we offer too. For example, we provide training and support for junior team members in finance who are going through their chartered accountancy qualifications. A number of our operations and compliance employees complete CISI (chartered institute for securities & investment) courses too.”

What can Moneybox do for you?

Employee benefits include company shares, health insurance, enhanced pension contribution, individual learning budget, home office allowance, gym membership, additional annual leave days, and a team social budget. Moneybox also provides maternity and paternity leave and pay tied to length of service and a salary sacrifice scheme for nurseries.

In terms of the hybrid working situation that has been adopted by most companies, Moneybox employees range from two days a week in the office to full remote working.

Tell us about the success stories of employees that have risen through MoneyBox’s ranks.

“Many of those who started with the business early on have risen up the ranks. For example, a number of our ‘heads of’ and ‘director-level employees started out in fairly junior positions within the business. We also have numerous examples of employees who join the business in one function but have successfully moved laterally. In some cases, going from non-technical positions to software engineering roles!”

Want to see more fintech opportunities? Visit the Finextra Job Board for hundreds more roles, and bookmark the link for regular check-ins.