Chief Operating Officer (COO) - Saudi Nationals

Role Overview

The Chief Operating Officer will serve as the second-in-command, overseeing all day-to-day

operational aspects of the company. As a newly licensed EMI under SAMA, the COO will

ensure scalable, compliant, and efficient operations for payment acquiring, digital wallet

services, and money transfers targeted at SMEs. The role focuses on translating strategy

into execution, driving operational excellence, ensuring regulatory adherence, managing

risk, and supporting rapid growth in the Saudi fintech ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

▪ Develop and implement operational strategies aligned with the company’s business

objectives, growth targets, and SAMA regulatory framework for EMIs.

▪ Oversee core operations including payment processing, transaction acquiring, digital

wallet onboarding, fund transfers, merchant services, customer support, and back-office

functions.

▪ Ensure full compliance with SAMA regulations, including anti-money laundering (AML),

counter-terrorism financing (CTF), data protection, cybersecurity, customer due diligence

(CDD), and ongoing reporting requirements.

▪ Lead cross-functional teams (operations, compliance, risk, technology, customer success)

to optimize processes, reduce costs, and enhance service reliability for SME clients.

▪ Build and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), operational dashboards, SLAs, and

reporting mechanisms for transaction success rates, uptime, fraud prevention, and

customer satisfaction.

▪ Manage vendor and partner relationships (e.g., payment schemes, banks, processors,

technology providers) to ensure seamless integration and performance.

▪ Drive continuous process improvement, automation, and technology adoption (e.g., AI

for fraud detection, scalable cloud infrastructure) to support business scaling.

▪ Oversee risk management, operational resilience, business continuity planning, and

incident response in line with SAMA guidelines.

▪ Collaborate with the CEO and leadership team on budgeting, resource allocation,

forecasting, and strategic planning.

▪ Foster a high-performance culture focused on compliance, innovation, and customer-

centric operations.

▪ Bachelor’s degree (Master’s/MBA preferred) in Business Administration, Finance,

Operations Management, or related field.

▪ 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in fintech, payments, digital banking; prior

EMI, PI, PSP, or payment acquiring experience strongly preferred.

▪ Proven track record as a COO or senior operations leader in a regulated financial

environment.

▪ Deep understanding of payment systems, digital wallets, merchant acquiring, transaction

processing, and fintech regulations in Saudi Arabia.

▪ Strong knowledge of SAMA’s EMI/Payment Services regulations, AML/CTF, and

cybersecurity standards.

▪ Excellent leadership, strategic thinking, and change management skills.

▪ Experience scaling operations in a high-growth fintech startup/scale-up environment.

▪ Fluency in English and Arabic (spoken and written).

▪ Saudi nationals with strong local market knowledge.