Head of Technology

About Pay10

Pay10 is a fast-growing global payments solutions provider headquartered in the UAE, offering secure payment gateways, digital wallets, cross-border transfers, FX, and alternative payment methods. As part of our global expansion, Pay10 is establishing its UK entity and progressing through the Electronic Money Institution (EMI) licensing process with the Financial Conduct Authority.

Role Overview

The Head of Technology (UK) will be responsible for building, leading, and scaling the UK technology function to support Pay10’s EMI operations. This role will define and execute the UK technology strategy, ensuring regulatory compliance, operational resilience, and secure, scalable payment infrastructure aligned with FCA expectations.

You will play a critical role in EMI readiness, technology governance, and platform localisation, while collaborating closely with global engineering teams to ensure consistency across markets.

Key Responsibilities

Technology Strategy & Leadership

• Define and execute the UK technology strategy aligned with Pay10’s global roadmap and UK regulatory requirements
• Build and lead a high-performing UK-based technology team (engineering, infrastructure, security, data)
• Act as the UK technology representative in executive and regulatory discussions
• Lead and govern technology change programmes, ensuring alignment with regulatory updates, business transformation, and scaling requirements

EMI Readiness & Regulatory Compliance

Ensure full alignment with Financial Conduct Authority requirements for EMI licensing, including:

• Operational resilience frameworks
• IT governance and controls
• Outsourcing and third-party risk management
• Partner with Compliance and Risk teams to embed secure-by-design and compliant-by-design principles
• Support regulatory submissions, audits, and ongoing supervisory engagements
• Collaborate with Compliance to implement and maintain financial crime technology frameworks, including AML, fraud detection, and transaction monitoring systems

Platform & Infrastructure

• Oversee the localisation and deployment of Pay10’s core payments platform in the UK
• Ensure high availability, scalability, and performance of systems supporting:
• Payment processing
• Wallet infrastructure
• Cross-border transactions
• Define cloud strategy (AWS/Azure), architecture standards, and disaster recovery frameworks
• Establish and maintain business continuity and disaster recovery plans, including regular testing and crisis response readiness

Information Security, Data & Risk

• Establish and maintain a robust cybersecurity framework aligned with industry standards (ISO 27001, PCI DSS)
• Implement monitoring, incident response, and threat management capabilities
• Ensure full compliance with UK GDPR and data protection requirements
• Oversee customer data governance, privacy, and consent frameworks, aligned with regulatory and consumer protection expectations

Engineering & Delivery

• Drive modern engineering practices (CI/CD, DevOps, microservices architecture)
• Ensure timely and high-quality delivery of product and platform enhancements
• Collaborate with Product and Operations teams to support UK market needs

Vendor & Partner Management

• Manage relationships with third-party technology providers, including:
• Banking partners
• Payment schemes
• SaaS vendors
• Ensure all outsourcing arrangements meet FCA regulatory expectations

Technology Governance, Audit & Assurance

• Own and manage the UK technology budget, including cost optimisation and resource allocation
• Engage with internal and external auditors, regulators, and assurance functions
• Ensure timely remediation of technology-related audit findings and control gaps
• Establish clear reporting on technology risks, incidents, and performance

Training & Awareness

• Ensure ongoing technology, security, and compliance training across the UK entity
• Promote a strong culture of risk awareness, security, and regulatory accountability

Stakeholder Management

Work closely with:

• UK CEO and Board
• Group CTO and global engineering teams
• Compliance, Risk, and Operations leadership
• Provide clear reporting on technology performance, risks, and roadmap

Key Requirements

Experience

• 10–15+ years in technology leadership roles within fintech, payments, or regulated financial services
• Proven experience supporting or operating within an EMI or regulated payments institution in the UK
• Strong understanding of FCA expectations, particularly around:
• Operational resilience
• Outsourcing
• Information security
• Data protection and financial crime systems
• Technical Expertise

Strong background in:

• Payments systems (gateways, acquiring, issuing, wallets)
• Cloud infrastructure (AWS/Azure)
• API-driven architectures
• Experience scaling platforms in high-growth environments
• Leadership & Commercial Acumen
• Demonstrated ability to build and scale teams in a startup or scale-up environment
• Strong stakeholder management skills, including regulatory interaction
• Ability to balance speed of delivery with regulatory rigor
• Experience managing budgets and optimising technology spend

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in EMI license application or mobilisation phase
• Familiarity with UK Open Banking ecosystem
• Certifications in cloud, security, or architecture (AWS, CISSP, TOGAF)

Why Join Pay10

• Opportunity to build the UK technology function from the ground up
• Direct impact on EMI licensing and market entry
• High-growth fintech environment with global exposure
• Collaborative, entrepreneurial culture with strong executive backing

Success Metrics (First 12 Months)

• Successful support of EMI license approval with no major technology gaps
• Deployment of UK-compliant, production-ready payments platform
• Establishment of UK technology governance and risk frameworks
• Delivery of scalable infrastructure supporting initial UK volumes