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Fractional Head of Finance - Payments / Fintech Sector

We are working with an established European based payments service provider who wants to obtain an FCA licence and authorisation in the UK.

We have a good team helping with the FCA project but need to begin weaving in SLT members in key areas such as finance, general management, operations, tech and governance. We need an urgent start on this one - before the end of August - and well in advance of the PASS meeting with the regulator.

Likely 1-2 days per week immediately and then a long-term fractional role if the license application is granted.

• To help the organisation through the FCA authorisation process; providing strategic financial leadership to support business growth and expansion
• Lead financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow management
• Oversee treasury, liquidity, and multi-currency payment operations
• Develop financial reporting, KPIs, and board-level insights
• Support fundraising, investor relations, and commercial strategy
• Ensure robust financial controls, audit readiness, and regulatory compliance
• Advise leadership on pricing, profitability, and operational efficiency
• Help build scalable finance processes and systems within a fast-paced environment

The Desired Candidate

Key Requirements for a Head of Finance - Merchant Acquiring (API Licensed)

• Professional Qualifications: Degree in Finance, Accounting, or Business, with a professional accounting qualification (CPA, ACA, ACCA, or CIMA).
• Relevant Experience: 8-15 years in finance, including significant experience in payments, fintech, banking, or merchant acquiring, with proven leadership of finance teams.
• Payments Expertise: Strong understanding of merchant acquiring, card payment flows, settlements, interchange, scheme fees, chargebacks, reserves, and payment processing economics.
• Financial Leadership: Responsible for budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, cash flow, treasury, profitability analysis, and financial controls.
• Regulatory & Compliance Knowledge: Familiarity with payment regulations, AML/KYC controls, PCI DSS, IFRS/GAAP, regulatory reporting, and audit requirements.
• Treasury & Liquidity Management: Experience managing settlement funding, merchant payments, liquidity, working capital, and banking relationships.
• Risk Management: Oversight of financial, operational, fraud, chargeback, credit, and liquidity risks.
• Technology & Data: Proficient with ERP systems, financial reporting tools, Excel, business intelligence platforms, and an understanding of API-driven payment platforms.
• Leadership & Collaboration: Ability to lead finance functions, partner with Product, Engineering, Risk, Compliance, and Operations, and communicate effectively with the UK & German team, regulators, and banking partners.
• Commercial Focus: Strong analytical and strategic skills with a focus on improving profitability, operational efficiency, and supporting business growth in a regulated payments environment.

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