Chief Executive Officer

IMPETUS EXECUTIVE; Dubai; On-site; AED 350,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

IMPETUS EXECUTIVE in Dubai seeks an accomplished CEO to lead a growing FinTech business focused on merchant acquiring, payment acceptance and fintech product strategy. You will translate market opportunities into scalable products and drive sustainable commercial growth across MEA and beyond.

You will steer strategy, product roadmaps, commercial development and regulatory compliance, build a high-performance team, and nurture relationships with banks, merchants and partners to deliver

Qualifications

• 15+ years of senior experience in FinTech/Payments.
• Deep merchant acquiring and payment acceptance expertise.
• Strong background in Product Management, Strategy or Leadership.
• Robust knowledge of regulatory and compliance frameworks in payments.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the company's overall business strategy, vision and growth plan.
• Lead the senior management team and create a high-performance, accountable and collaborative leadership culture.
• Own the company's commercial strategy, revenue growth and key strategic relationships.
• Develop and expand relationships with major merchants, banks, acquiring institutions, PSPs, fintechs, card schemes and strategic partners.
• Lead the product strategy and roadmap, ensuring products are commercially relevant and scalable.
• Identify new acquiring, payment and fintech opportunities from concept through development and launch.
• Provide leadership across the full product lifecycle with cross-functional teams.
• Oversee regulatory and compliance strategy across payments and financial services.

Skills

15+ years senior exp

Merchant acquiring

Payment acceptance

Product leadership

Regulatory knowledge

Strategic partnerships

MEA network

Payments ecosystem

Job description

We are looking for a highly experienced and commercially driven CEO to lead our growing FinTech business, with a strong focus on merchant acquiring, payment acceptance and financial technology.

This is a senior leadership role for an executive who combines deep acquiring and product expertise with strong commercial relationships, regulatory knowledge and the ability to lead a senior team.

The ideal candidate will have a strong product background and the ability to translate market opportunities into scalable products and sustainable commercial growth. They will lead the business across strategy, product, commercial development, operations and regulatory matters, while building and managing relationships with major merchants, banks, acquirers, PSPs, fintechs and strategic partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and execute the company's overall business strategy, vision and growth plan across target markets.
• Lead the senior management team and create a high-performance, accountable and collaborative leadership culture.
• Own the company's commercial strategy, revenue growth and key strategic relationships.
• Develop and expand relationships with major merchants, banks, acquiring institutions, PSPs, fintechs, card schemes and strategic partners.
• Lead the product strategy and roadmap, ensuring products are commercially relevant, technically scalable and aligned with market demand.
• Identify new acquiring, payment and fintech opportunities and take them from concept through product development and commercial launch.
• Provide leadership across the full product lifecycle, working closely with Product, Technology, Sales and Operations.
• Oversee regulatory and compliance strategy, ensuring the business operates within all applicable payments, acquiring, financial services and data regulations across relevant markets.
• Work closely with Compliance, Risk and Legal teams and maintain strong relationships with relevant regulators and financial institutions.
• Lead market expansion across MEA, identifying new markets, partnerships and revenue opportunities.
• Personally engage in high-value commercial negotiations and strategic enterprise deals.
• Represent the company with key industry stakeholders, investors, regulators, partners and major clients.
• Establish and monitor business KPIs across revenue, transaction volume, profitability, product performance, merchant acquisition and customer retention.
• Ensure close alignment between Product, Sales, Technology, Operations, Risk and Compliance.
• Continuously challenge the existing business model and identify opportunities for innovation and differentiation.

What We're Looking For

• 15+ years of senior experience in FinTech, Payments, Banking, Merchant Acquiring, PSP or related financial technology.
• Deep and proven merchant acquiring / payment acceptance expertise.
• Strong background in Product Management, Product Strategy or Product Leadership, ideally having progressed from a product-oriented role into broader business leadership.
• Strong understanding of the complete payments ecosystem, including acquiring, issuing, payment processing, gateways, card schemes, merchant onboarding, authorization, settlement, reconciliation and chargebacks.
• Strong knowledge of relevant regulatory and compliance frameworks within payments and financial services.
• Proven experience working with regulators, banks, acquirers, PSPs and other financial institutions.
• Demonstrated success in developing commercial partnerships and large enterprise relationships.
• Strong network within the payments ecosystem across MEA.
• Proven experience leading senior and cross-functional teams.
• Strong commercial acumen with responsibility for revenue, profitability and business growth.
• Experience taking products and businesses from strategy / concept through execution and scale.
• Strong understanding of technology and ability to work effectively with Engineering and Product teams.
• Excellent negotiation, communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• Entrepreneurial, innovative and highly hands-on leadership style.
• Arabic and/or French would be a plus.
• Willingness to travel extensively across the region.