Head of Payments and Trade Finance - United Fintech (London)

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Head of Payments and Trade Finance - United Fintech

Leadership Role Driving Growth & Innovation in Commercial Banking

United Fintech is seeking an energetic and strategic leader to take over the leadership of United Fintech Commercial Banking Applications, our recently acquired Oslo-based fintech, Commercial Banking Applications (CBA), home of IBAS - a market-leading IT platform specialising in trade finance, payments, commercial lending infrastructure used by banks globally. This is a pivotal role at the intersection of client trust, product innovation, and internal leadership.

As Head of Payments and Trade Finance, you will be responsible for representing the company with credibility in the market, managing a high-calibre technical team, driving forward the product roadmap, and ensuring that CBA evolves into a customer-centric, sales-conscious, and future-ready business unit. You will report to the incoming Managing Director of Commercial Banking and play a key role in shaping the future of United Fintech’s commercial banking offerings.

If you are passionate about enterprise fintech solutions, API-driven architectures, and the evolution of commercial banking, we encourage you to apply.

Key Responsibilities

Client Credibility & Market Representation

• Serve as the primary face of CBA to both prospective and existing financial institutions, particularly Tier 1 and regional banks.
• Build trust with senior banking stakeholders by communicating a clear product vision, a stable roadmap, and strong operational continuity post-acquisition.
• Engage in customer conversations with confidence and composure, especially in regulatory, compliance, and technology-focused discussions.

Product-Minded with Technical Fluency

• Acquire and possess a strong grasp of the IBAS product suite and underlying architecture to answer high-level technical questions from banking CIOs and operations leaders
• Deep understanding of global payment systems and standards including SWIFT, SEPA, ISO 20022, and real-time payments
• Collaborate closely with the engineering leads and CTO to translate client needs into product priorities.
• Communicate technical capabilities in commercial terms – ensuring clients understand the business value of modular, API-driven architecture.
• Lead a team of ~25 experienced professionals in Oslo with empathy and decisiveness, developing the talented team, fostering a culture of accountability, curiosity, and team cohesion.
• Bridge the generational and cultural gaps between long-tenured technical staff and modern commercial ambitions.
• Act as a unifying leadership presence in the Oslo office, ensuring strong collaboration with central United Fintech teams (Finance, People, Sales, RevOps).

Positive Energy & Sales Consciousness

• Bring proactive energy, clarity, and warmth to a team that historically leaned introverted — acting as the “connector” between clients, tech, and commercial teams.
• Cultivate a commercial mindset across the team, including client empathy, urgency, and responsiveness.
• Serve as a trusted partner to the United Fintech commercial leadership in sales discussions and RFP engagements.
• Partner with the Chief Commercial Officer, MD of Commercial Banking, and Global Head of Sales to evolve and activate a modern GTM approach for CBA and collaborate with the United Fintech CCO to develop and execute the go-to-market strategy
• Build and nurture relationships with Financial Institutions, corporate banking clients, and strategic partners.
• Leverage expertise in payments, banking solutions, and trade finance, combined with API-driven architectures, to drive market adoption.
• Effectively communicate and commercialise the technical value of API-driven, modular solutions to banks, demonstrating how they enhance scalability and efficiency.
• Help evolve customer success, onboarding, and product marketing workflows in line with platform standards.

Product Leadership and Roadmap Execution

• Define and lead the product development strategy, ensuring scalable growth and innovation while overseeing pricing strategies and market positioning.
• Drive the product roadmap, aligning technical and business objectives to meet market demands. Prioritise customer feedback loops and innovation sprints in collaboration with Product & Tech.
• Work closely with Product & Technology teams to refine and enhance solutions, staying ahead of industry trends and regulatory changes.
• Lead the future vision of the IBAS platform – identifying new capabilities in trade digitisation, embedded lending, and cross-border automation.
• Ensure compliance and strategic alignment with evolving payment industry standards and infrastructure such as SWIFT, SEPA instant payments, and ISO 20022 migration.

Ideal Profile

Experience:

• Proven leadership experience scaling product development within fintech or enterprise banking, including managing cross-functional teams and executing go-to-market strategies for fintech solutions.
• Strong background in commercial banking solutions, trade finance, payments, and API-driven SaaS architectures, with a deep understanding of their modular benefits.

Skills & Attributes:

• Strategic, results-oriented mindset with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience in product strategy, development, and execution.
• Strong people management skills with a focus on team development and collaboration.
• Ability to drive innovation and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Travel Requirements

• This role requires frequent travel between Oslo or Copenhagen, with a working week split between the two offices.

What’s in it for you?

• Be part of a high-growth fintech company driving financial innovation.
• Lead and shape the commercial banking strategy in a dynamic, acquisitive environment.
• Work with visionary leaders, global partners, and industry experts to influence the future of commercial banking.
• Make a real impact by driving innovation and expanding commercial banking divisions.
• The opportunity to lead additional commercial banking divisions as United Fintech continues to expand through further acquisitions in the market
• Access to benefits like pension, healthcare, and professional growth opportunities

About United Fintech

United Fintech, founded in 2020, is an industry-neutral Digital Transformation platform that brings Financial Institutions and fintechs together in a single ecosystem, designed to bridge the gaps across the financial landscape.

By acquiring and integrating proven fintech solutions within a single-vendor platform, United Fintech simplifies procurement and accelerates deployment, giving Financial Institutions seamless access to a curated portfolio of market-ready innovations and a network of market experts.

Backed by strategic investors like BNP Paribas, Citi, Danske Bank, and Standard Chartered, United Fintech combines capital market expertise with innovation, creating a trusted platform for Financial Institutions to collectively address challenges and drive sustainable growth.

• Seniority level
  Executive

• Employment type
  Full-time

• Job function
  Finance
• Industries
  Financial Services, Investment Banking, and Banking

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