Global Head of Professional Services -SMSTR114

Smartstream Limited; Mumbai; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Smartstream Technologies is seeking a Global Head of Professional Services based in India to lead the newly created function across the Smart Reconciliations product suite. This senior role carries full P&L ownership and requires a transformational, commercially astute leader.

You will manage four regional heads (Singapore, Bangalore, Vienna, New York), drive AI-enabled delivery, scalable frameworks, and a customer-centric approach to lift productivity, shorten time-to-value, and sustain growth.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading Professional Services or Delivery organisations.
• Proven P&L ownership with bookings, revenue, and margin responsibility.
• Experience managing geographically distributed teams.
• Strong commercial acumen in deal structuring and pricing.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute global Professional Services strategy aligned to growth objectives.
• Lead transformation with AI-driven automation to improve delivery efficiency.
• Build a data-driven, customer-centric culture across regions.
• Sponsor key strategic customer engagements and escalations.
• Partner with Sales and Pre-Sales to shape SOWs and pricing strategy.

Skills

P&L ownership

Delivery leadership

AI/automation

Stakeholder management

Education

MBA or equivalent postgraduate

Job description

About the Role

Smartstream Technologies is seeking a transformational leader to take on the newly created role of Global Head of Professional Services. This is a senior, commercially accountable position that will define how Professional Services operates across Smartstream’s Smart Reconciliations product suite — comprising Smart Reconciliations Premium, Smart Reconciliations Corona, and AIR.

Based in India and leading a globally distributed team through four regional heads, the successful candidate will drive a fundamental shift in the way the function delivers value: harnessing AI-enabled tooling and modern delivery practices to raise productivity, shorten time-to-value for customers, and underpin sustainable commercial growth.

This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of Professional Services at one of the most established names in financial technology operations — with full P&L ownership and a mandate to innovate.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Transformation

• Define and execute the global Professional Services strategy, aligned to Smartstream’s growth objectives across the Smart Reconciliations product portfolio.
• Lead a programme of transformational change across the function, with AI-driven automation and tooling at its core, to materially improve delivery efficiency and scalability.
• Build a culture of continuous improvement, data-driven decision-making, and customer-centricity across all regions.
• Act as a senior management sponsor for key strategic customer engagements and escalations.

Commercial Accountability

• Own and deliver bookings, revenue, and gross margin targets for the Professional Services practice globally.
• Partner with Sales and Pre-Sales to shape commercial propositions, statements of work, and pricing strategy.
• Drive cross-sell and upsell opportunities within the existing customer base in close collaboration with Account Management.
• Monitor and manage the financial health of the practice, including utilisation, billing efficiency, and cost management.

AI & Operational Innovation

• Champion the adoption of AI tools across Professional Services to accelerate implementation cycles, improve quality, and reduce delivery cost.
• Identify opportunities to productise repeatable service offerings and build scalable delivery frameworks.
• Establish and maintain robust programme governance, project controls, and reporting standards.
• Drive the development of IP, accelerators, and methodologies that differentiate Smartstream’s service delivery.

People Leadership

• Lead, develop, and inspire four regional heads based in Singapore, Bangalore, Vienna, and New York, fostering a cohesive global team culture.
• Set clear performance objectives, provide regular coaching, and manage talent development and succession planning.
• Build capability across the function through structured hiring, training, and knowledge-sharing programmes.
• Create an inclusive environment that attracts and retains high-calibre professionals in each region.

Customer & Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as a senior point of contact for strategic customers, ensuring high satisfaction levels and long-term partnership.
• Work closely with Product Management and Engineering to feed customer and delivery insights back into the product roadmap.
• Represent Professional Services at industry events, client advisory boards, and executive business reviews.
• Collaborate with the broader Smartstream leadership team on go-to-market strategy and market positioning.

Essential Experience & Qualifications

• Significant experience leading Professional Services or Delivery organisations within enterprise software, ideally in financial technology or capital markets.
• Demonstrable track record of P&L ownership with responsibility for bookings, revenue, and margin performance.
• Experience leading geographically distributed teams, with the ability to inspire and align across cultures and time zones.
• Proven success delivering complex, enterprise-scale implementation programmes in financial institutions.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience in deal structuring, pricing, and negotiation.
• Hands‑on experience with, or a clear vision for, embedding AI and automation into service delivery operations.

Desirable

• Domain knowledge in reconciliations or data management within capital markets back-office operations.
• Familiarity with Smartstream product suites or comparable platforms (e.g., Intellimatch, TLM, FIS, Broadridge).
• Experience working with tier‑1 investment banks, custodians, or large asset managers.
• Track record of building and scaling a professional services practice through periods of organisational change.
• MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification.

Leadership Attributes

• Transformational mindset. A genuine change agent who challenges the status quo and builds momentum behind a compelling vision.
• Commercial drive. Motivated by growth, comfortable with accountability, and skilled at balancing short‑term targets with long‑term value creation.
• Customer obsession. Puts client outcomes at the centre of every decision without compromising on commercial sustainability.
• Collaborative by nature. Builds strong working relationships across Sales, Product, Engineering, and Finance — and earns trust at every level.
• Decisive under pressure. Able to navigate ambiguity and make well‑reasoned decisions in complex, fast‑moving environments.
• Inclusive leadership. Creates psychological safety, values diverse perspectives, and develops people with genuine care and commitment.
• A senior leadership role with real global scope and executive visibility.
• Full commercial accountability and the mandate to drive meaningful, lasting change.
• A supportive culture that values innovation, collaboration, and professional growth.
• Competitive compensation package commensurate with the seniority and responsibility of the role.
• The opportunity to leave a lasting mark on how a world‑class fintech delivers for its customers.