We're looking for a Finance & Payment Operations Lead — a key expert who will take ownership of building and managing the financial and payment operations function in an AI-native fintech company developing its own payment infrastructure for European merchants.
We're searching for a strong hands-on leader who understands how money actually flows within payment infrastructure and can build robust processes around it.
About the Company:
The company is a direct participant in international payment systems, currently in the process of obtaining CBC (Cyprus) and FCA (UK) licenses, and is also exploring potential M&A / acquisition opportunities to accelerate market entry.
The core focus is the launch of an EMI (Electronic Money Institution) and the development of its own payment ecosystem.
The project is currently at the pre-launch stage (planned go-live: summer 2026), while already having a strong operational foundation:
an active business processing significant transaction volumes in the European market
Planned milestones:
EMI launch and scaling of current processing capabilities
growth to ~500 clients within the first months post-launch
Why This Opportunity Stands Out:
The company has already passed the most complex stage: infrastructure is in place, core processes are established, and transaction flow is active, while licensing is in progress. The financial function is yet to be built, and you will be at its foundation. This is a rare opportunity to join a nearly ready EMI project and build the financial function for scale.
Minimal bureaucracy: compact, flexible team with fast decision-making
Built from scratch: no legacy constraints, возможность сделать правильно с самого начала
Fast role growth: from key expert → Head of Finance → CFO
Direct access to founders and influence on strategy, not just reporting
Responsibilities:
Build and manage financial and payment operations
Design and implement reconciliation / settlement / funds flow processes
Work with international payment systems (Visa / Mastercard)
Ensure accuracy of money flows across infrastructure (ledger, gateway, processing)
Participate in EMI launch and scaling of processing operations
Act as a bridge between finance, product, and engineering
Develop financial models and unit economics (secondary priority)
Establish core financial and operational processes
Requirements:
Must-have:
5+ years in fintech / payments industry
Hands-on experience with international payment systems (Visa / Mastercard), including: reconciliation, settlement, understanding of payment flow schemes
Experience in acquiring (merchants, MID, onboarding)
Knowledge of EMI / PSP regulation and safeguarding principles