Chief Executive Officer – Saudi Arabia Payments Fintech

About the role

The company, a fast‑growing international payments and remittances fintech, is launching operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is seeking a Chief Executive Officer to steer the Saudi entity from obtaining a SAMA Payment Service Provider licence through to full commercial scale.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the end‑to‑end SAMA licensing process, acting as the accountable executive and meeting Fit‑and‑Proper requirements.
• Develop the regulatory business plan, governance framework and operational infrastructure required for licence authorisation.
• Engage directly with SAMA, the Ministry of Investment and the Ministry of Commerce throughout the application and registration phases.
• Recruit and manage the initial Saudi team, including compliance, risk and operations functions, and oversee external advisors.
• After licence approval, take full P&L ownership, define and execute the go‑to‑market strategy for payments and remittance products, and build local banking and scheme partnerships (mada, SARIE, SADAD).
• Represent the Saudi business to the board, investors, regulators and key stakeholders while driving revenue growth and market share.

Required profile

• Current or recent experience as a CEO, Managing Director or Country Head of a SAMA‑licensed fintech or a comparable GCC‑regulated payments business.
• Demonstrated ability to obtain central‑bank licences and to build organisations from inception to scale.
• Strong knowledge of Saudi Vision 2030, the National Fintech Strategy and the GCC payments landscape.
• Proven track record of P&L responsibility and revenue growth in digital payments.

Required skills

• Deep understanding of SAMA licensing requirements, AML/CFT compliance and capital adequacy rules.
• Experience with regulatory business planning, governance structures and board committees.
• Ability to manage relationships with central banks, ministries, local banks and payment scheme operators.