Founding Managing Director

Founding Managing Director – UK

Edinburgh, Hybrid 

Competitive base + performance bonus + long-term share options

About the Company

We're partnered with an ambitious fintech and AI scaleup whose platform helps banks engage, support and grow their SME customers through AI, Open Banking and intelligent automation. Backed by an established international payments group, but no a corporate machine, it's now launching a UK operation from Edinburgh, with the energy of a startup and the credibility of a group that has already scaled globally.

The Opportunity

This is a founding role: you'll build the UK business from the ground up as employee number one. Setting commercial direction, winning the first customers and partnerships, hiring the early team and shaping the culture, with direct exposure to the Chairman and Board. It's a genuine build, not a seat you inherit, and business development is front and centre: opening doors with banks, fintechs and enterprise clients and creating a pipeline from a standing start.

You may not have held a title like this before, so, what counts is the hunger to build something and share meaningfully in the value you create.

Please note: Candidates must have the right to live & work in the UK, and client do not have any Visa sponsorship Mechanisms in place at this time.

What You'll Be Doing

• Own the UK commercial strategy, building sales pipeline from a standing start into real, measurable revenue.
• Win business with banks, fintechs and enterprise clients, leading consultative B2B deals through to close.
• Land pilots and partnerships for the flagship AI- and Open Banking-powered SME engagement platform and grow traction across the wider portfolio.
• Secure strategic partnerships across the banking and fintech ecosystem.
• Recruit and inspire a high-performing local team, shaping the culture as the business scales.
• Support future funding, investment and ecosystem relationships alongside the Board.
• Be the face of the business presenting to clients, partners and investors.

What We're Looking For

• A commercial builder who's personally won new business and created pipeline, ideally from an early or standing start.
• A strong B2B, enterprise or consultative sales / business development track record with clear evidence you make things happen.
• Credible selling into banks and financial institutions. You know how they buy, even if your background is fintech, SaaS or scaleup rather than big-bank corporate.
• A fintech, SaaS or payments scaleup mindset you thrive on pace and ownership, not corporate process.
• A natural relationship-builder who creates momentum and enjoys being in front of customers.
• Strong presentation and communication skills.
• Leadership potential and ambition to grow, hunger and trajectory matter more than the titles.
• Energy, resilience and an international outlook.

Useful, but not essential:

• Exposure to fintech, Open Banking, payments or SME banking.
• Experience in a growth-stage or scaling business.
• Experience hiring or building a small team.
• International or cross-border commercial exposure.

Why This Role?

• A true founding opportunity — build the UK business and own the outcome.
• Direct exposure to the Chairman, feeding startup energy and freedom, backed by a group that has already scaled globally.
• An attractive long-term share option, real ownership in what you create.
• Room to grow into a major leadership role as the business scales.
• Hybrid working based in Edinburgh.

Package

• Base salary: £70-100k, dependent on experience
• Performance-based bonus linked to business growth and key milestones
• Long-term share option opportunity for the right person

Keywords

Founding Managing Director, Country Manager, Commercial Director, Head of UK, Business Development, B2B Sales, Enterprise Sales, Consultative Selling, Go-to-Market, Fintech, SaaS, Payments, Open Banking, SME Banking, Predictive Analytics, AI, Partnerships, Pipeline Development, Commercial Leadership, Scaleup, Growth Stage, Startup, Edinburgh, Scotland, International Expansion