Chief Operating Officer (COO) - Remote (Europe)

Emerald Zebra; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 140,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-first

Tailored compensation

Equity discussions

Job summary

Emerald Zebra Ltd, a private investment group, is launching a crypto-fiat digital banking venture and seeks an experienced Chief Operating Officer to build the operating organisation and scalable processes.

You will own customer onboarding, payments operations, risk controls and partner relationships, leading a lean team to deliver reliable service as the business grows.

Remote-first with Europe preferred; compensation is flexible and tailored for an exceptional candidate.

Qualifications

• Experience leading operations in crypto banking or neobanking.
• Proven record of establishing or scaling financial operations during early-stage launch or rapid growth.
• Strong understanding of payment operations, settlement, reconciliation and onboarding.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement the operating model for a new crypto-fiat digital banking venture.
• Oversee customer onboarding, payment operations and service delivery.
• Build procedures for settlement, reconciliation, exception handling and reporting.
• Coordinate with compliance on KYC/AML and controls.
• Manage relationships with banking, payment, and other partners.
• Define operational KPIs, service levels and reporting.

Skills

Operations leadership

Crypto banking experience

KYC/AML processes

Partnership management

Budget management

Job description

About the Opportunity Our client is a private investment group led by established technology entrepreneurs who have built and scaled international businesses across several sectors. The group is preparing to launch a new crypto-fiat digital banking venture, bringing together digital-asset services and traditional financial payments. The planned offering includes crypto-to-fiat conversion, wallets, payment cards and bank transfer services for both B2B and B2C customers. As the business moves towards launch, the group is looking for an experienced Chief Operating Officer (COO) who can build the operating organisation, establish dependable processes and ensure that the business can serve customers efficiently and responsibly as it grows.

The Role

You will take responsibility for the day-to-day operating model of a new financial services business: how customer and payment operations are organised, how processes are controlled, how partners are managed and how service quality is maintained as transaction volumes grow. Working alongside the CEO and other business leaders, you will establish clear ownership, operating standards and performance measures from the earliest stages. The focus is on financial operations, organisational execution, risk-aware processes and scalable service delivery. We are looking for a pragmatic, hands-on COO who can build a lean team, solve operational problems personally and create a reliable foundation for rapid commercial growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement the operating model for a new crypto-fiat digital banking business.
• Establish and oversee customer onboarding, payment operations, transaction processing workflows and day-to-day service delivery.
• Build robust procedures for settlement, reconciliation, exception handling, disputes and operational reporting.
• Coordinate with compliance and risk specialists on KYC/AML processes, internal controls, monitoring and applicable regulatory obligations.
• Manage relationships and operating arrangements with banking, payment, card and other financial service partners.
• Define operational KPIs, service standards, escalation paths and management reporting; improve efficiency as volumes increase.
• Recruit and lead a lean operations team, with clear responsibilities, practical workflows and a culture of accountability.
• Own operational budgets and cost efficiency, identifying opportunities for process improvement and sustainable scale.
• Partner with commercial and product leadership to support launches, new customer segments and market expansion.

What We're Looking For

• Direct leadership experience in operations within crypto banking, crypto-fiat financial services or crypto-enabled neobanking.
• A proven record of establishing or scaling financial operations, preferably during an early-stage launch or period of rapid growth.
• Strong practical understanding of payment operations, settlement, reconciliation, cards, customer onboarding and banking partner relationships.
• Experience managing KYC/AML-related operating processes, risk controls and regulated financial service requirements in collaboration with compliance specialists.
• Strong organisational judgement, operational risk awareness and the ability to introduce effective processes without excessive bureaucracy.
• Experience managing operational performance, budgets, service levels and cross-functional stakeholders.
• A hands-on, entrepreneurial leadership style and the ability to build and motivate a compact, results-oriented team.
• The focus is on banking and payment operations, people, processes, controls and practical execution in a growing financial services business.

What's on Offer

• Opportunity to build: Create the operational foundations of a new international crypto-fiat financial services business.
• Experienced investment backing: Join a venture supported by established entrepreneurs and a clear ambition to scale.
• Ownership and autonomy: Shape operating processes, build the team and influence how the business runs from day one.
• Flexible and competitive compensation: Our client is open to discussing an attractive, individually tailored package for an exceptional candidate.
• Participation in outcomes: Performance-based incentives, profit participation or equity arrangements will be discussed as part of an individually tailored compensation package.
• International flexibility: Remote-first working arrangements, with Europe preferred and business travel as required.

Location: Remote (Europe preferred) | International travel as required

Salary: Negotiable / Flexible, depending on experience and profile