Founding CTO - FinTech Payments Ecosystem

Our client is an emerging FinTech preparing to obtain an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license in Latvia, building a high-performance acquiring business from the ground up. This is a rare opportunity to step into a founding-level CTO role and define the entire technology vision, architecture, and execution strategy.

The company is developing a greenfield payments ecosystem combining card acquiring, payment processing, and a scalable gateway platform. As CTO, you will take full ownership of building and scaling this infrastructure, ensuring it is robust, compliant, and commercially viable from day one.

This role is ideal for a hands-on technology leader with deep acquiring expertise who has built (or significantly contributed to building) card processing architecture and understands the complexity of scheme integrations, regulatory requirements, and high-availability systems.

🔍 Responsibilities:

• Define and execute the overall technology strategy aligned with EMI licensing and business objectives;
• Lead the design and build of end-to-end card acquiring architecture (authorisation, clearing, settlement, chargebacks, reconciliation);
• Architect and oversee the development of a scalable payment gateway and processing platform, including routing, failover, and transaction lifecycle management;
• Own integrations with card schemes (Visa, Mastercard), banking partners, Open Banking providers, and alternative payment methods;
• Ensure full compliance with PCI-DSS, EMI regulatory requirements, and secure handling of cardholder data environments;
• Build and lead the engineering function, including hiring, structuring teams, and establishing development best practices;
• Define infrastructure strategy (cloud, DevOps, monitoring, security) to support high availability and scalability;
• Collaborate closely with compliance, legal, and operations teams to align technology with regulatory expectations and licensing documentation;

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• Oversee vendor selection, partnerships, and third-party integrations (KYC/AML, fraud prevention, PSPs);
• Act as the primary technical stakeholder during regulator interactions, audits, and post-licensing expansion.

🎓 Requirements:

• Proven experience as CTO, Head of Engineering, or Lead Architect within FinTech or payments;
• Strong hands-on background in building or significantly contributing to card acquiring or payment processing platforms;
• Deep understanding of card scheme ecosystems, transaction flows, and acquiring business models;
• Solid knowledge of PCI-DSS, tokenisation, and secure payment infrastructure design;
• Experience with cloud-based architectures (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and modern API-driven systems;
• Strong leadership experience in building and scaling high-performing engineering teams;
• Experience working within regulated environments (EMI, payments, banking);
• Fluency in English; Russian or Ukrainian is a plus.

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✨ The Employer Offers:

• Opportunity to build and own the entire technology function from the ground up;
• Foundational role in a high-growth FinTech with direct impact on product and business strategy;
• Fully remote setup with flexibility and autonomy;
• Competitive compensation aligned with senior leadership responsibility; €5,000 - €7,000 gross per month;
• Close collaboration with founders and key decision-makers;
• Exposure to EMI licensing process and regulatory engagement;
• Long-term growth potential, including scaling teams and technology globally.

If you’re ready to build a FinTech platform from scratch and lead at the highest level, let’s talk!