Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

Our client - is a Riga-based FinTech company preparing to obtain an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license. It is building an e-commerce acquiring and payments business from the ground up, with a focus on the European market. Its technology ecosystem will bring together card acquiring, direct participation in the Visa and Mastercard schemes, payment processing (SEPA, SWIFT), and a scalable payment gateway.

The company is looking for an experienced, hands-on Chief Technology Officer to join the leadership team at board level and own the technology function at a defining stage of its development. The CTO will build a greenfield payments infrastructure from its foundation. That covers technology strategy, key architectural decisions, scheme integrations, building the engineering team, and regulatory readiness, and it will directly shape how the platform is built, operated, and scaled.

The role combines strategic leadership with deep technical involvement and requires practical experience in card acquiring, payment processing, or banking infrastructure. The ideal candidate understands how complex payment infrastructure is, takes ownership of execution, and is ready to turn a technology strategy into a working, regulated payments business.

Location: Riga, Latvia
Type: Hibrid \ Office, full-time 
Start date: ASAP

Key Responsibilities:

⨠ Technology Strategy & Architecture

• Define and execute the technology strategy aligned with EMI licensing requirements and business objectives.
• Lead the architecture and development of the acquiring and payments platform, covering authorisation, clearing, settlement, chargebacks, and reconciliation.
• Design scalable, secure, and highly available infrastructure to support business growth and operational resilience.

⨠ Payment Systems & Integrations

• Lead technical integrations with Visa, Mastercard, banking partners, payment infrastructure providers, and alternative payment methods.
• Oversee the development of the payment gateway and integration with SEPA, SWIFT, and Open Banking providers.
• Evaluate and select technology vendors and third-party solutions, including KYC/AML and fraud prevention systems.

⨠ Security, Compliance & Resilience

• Ensure technology architecture and operations meet applicable PCI DSS, DORA, and EMI regulatory requirements.
• Establish effective security, monitoring, incident management, disaster recovery, and business continuity practices.
• Work closely with Compliance, Risk, Legal, and Operations on regulatory requirements and licensing documentation.
• Represent the technology function in regulatory discussions, audits, and technical assessments.

⨠ Engineering Leadership

• Build and lead the engineering function, including team structure, recruitment, and technical leadership.
• Establish engineering standards, development processes, and delivery practices.
• Define cloud infrastructure, DevOps, and technology operations strategies.
• Take ownership of technology delivery, platform performance, and long-term scalability.

Requirements:

• Proven leadership experience as a CTO, Head of Engineering, or equivalent technology leader in FinTech, payments, or banking.
• Strong hands-on experience building or significantly contributing to card acquiring, payment processing, or core banking platforms.
• Deep understanding of card payment flows, acquiring architecture, and Visa/Mastercard ecosystems.
• Practical knowledge of PCI DSS, tokenisation, payment security, and high-availability architecture.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and modern API-driven systems.
• Track record of building, managing, and developing engineering teams.
• Experience operating in regulated financial environments and working with technical compliance requirements.
• Ability to combine architectural decision-making with practical execution and cross-functional leadership.
• Fluent Latvian and English are required. 
• Russian or Ukrainian would be an advantage.

The company offer:

• Board-level leadership role with direct influence on the company's technology strategy and development.
• Opportunity to build a payments platform from the ground up and shape its core architecture.
• Direct involvement in EMI licensing preparation and the development of a regulated FinTech business.
• Close collaboration with the company's leadership team across technology, business, risk, and compliance.
• Hybrid working arrangement: most remote and 2 days per week in the office
• Health insurance after successful completion of the probationary period.
• Company laptop and equipment required for the role.
• 1 additional paid day off per quarter.
• 1 additional paid birthday leave day, to be used during your birthday month.
• All statutory benefits and entitlements under Latvian employment law.