Head of Technology
Chief Technology Officer (CTO) - Fintech & Payments
A rapidly scaling, regulated financial technology company operating in the European payments ecosystem is seeking an experienced Chief Technology Officer (CTO). The organization builds modern banking and payments applications and partners with various SaaS providers to deliver secure, resilient, and compliant payment solutions.
This role is ideal for a technology leader who understands how engineering teams think and operate, stays up to date with modern technologies, and has hands-on familiarity with the payments, fintech, or crypto ecosystem. Prior CTO title is not required, but strong leadership experience is essential.
About the Role
This senior leadership position reports directly to the CEO. The CTO will be responsible for the company's overall technology strategy, operational resilience, cybersecurity, and adherence to regulatory standards within the financial sector.
You will balance rapid product innovation with the rigor required by highly regulated environments, particularly within banking and payments.
Key Responsibilities
1. Platform & Operational Resilience
- Oversee and maintain the organization's banking and payments platform in collaboration with SaaS and external technology partners.
- Lead the development and rollout of the next-generation banking platform.
- Serve as the accountable owner for compliance with the EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), covering all key pillars.
- Implement and maintain a full ICT Risk Management Framework.
- Manage and execute annual Digital Operational Resilience Testing, including Threat-Led Penetration Testing (TLPT).
- Govern ICT third-party vendor relationships to ensure alignment with regulatory and operational requirements.
2. Technology Strategy & Leadership
- Define and own the IT and Security roadmap aligned to business goals and growth initiatives.
- Lead and scale engineering, infrastructure, and IT operations teams.
- Foster a culture of operational stability, regulatory discipline, and high engineering standards.
- Manage the technology budget and ensure efficient investment in scalable and resilient solutions.
3. Payments Platform Operations
- Ensure stability, reliability, and availability of the core payments platform.
- Maintain a deep understanding of payment flows-from authorization to settlement.
- Oversee compliance with relevant standards such as SEPA, PCI DSS, and PSD2.
What You Bring
- 5+ years in a senior technology leadership role (Head of IT, CTO, CISO, Engineering Director, etc.) within fintech, payments, or another regulated financial environment.
- Proven experience leading or developing a banking or payments platform.
- Hands-on familiarity with DORA requirements, whether through implementation, oversight, or audits.
- Strong technical understanding of payment processing, core banking systems, and transaction security.
- Experience managing distributed engineering or IT teams.
- Excellent English communication skills; other European languages are an advantage.
- Experience in banking and/or crypto environments is a strong plus.
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