Payment Operations, EMEA Lead

Aspire is the leading all-in-one finance operating system for growing businesses in APAC. We are on a mission to reinvent business finance for a new generation of entrepreneurs and business owners, empowering startups and MSME to realise their full potential. 

Founded in 2018, Aspire has raised over USD 300M+ across equity and debt from world-class investors. In 2023, we successfully closed an oversubscribed USD 100 million Series C equity round led by Sequoia Capital and Lightspeed Ventures with participation of Tencent, Paypal Ventures, LGT Capital Partners, Picus Capital and MassMutual Ventures. To power our solutions, we have partnered with some of the best companies in the world such as Visa and Wise and helped more than 50,000 businesses using our suite of products.

For 2 consecutive years in 2022 & 2023, Aspire has been awarded Best Employer of the Year and Startup of the year by Asia FinTech Awards, and also LinkedIn’s Top Startup in Singapore. In 2023, we also made it to CB Insights’ Top 100 Global Fintech List. 

You will be amazed by the energy and experience of our team! Aspire serves as an environment for you to innovate and drive change with our team of ex-entrepreneurs, ex-founders, and high-achievers with international and diverse backgrounds.

Are you a top talent who is passionate about entrepreneurship? Join our rapidly growing team to make an impact in the fintech space! 

ABOUT THE TEAM

At Aspire, we are committed to empowering our customers throughout their journey with us. Our Operations Team ensures customers can operate seamlessly on our platform, and guarantee the best customer experience possible.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As the Payment Operations, EMEA Lead, your primary responsibility will be to ensure the success and accuracy of all payment flows within Aspire’s platform in EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa). You will play a pivotal role in managing the operations and owning the KPIs of Aspire’s payment products in the region to drive exceptional performance and ensure compliance with regulatory frameworks in new markets.

In addition to managing day-to-day operations, you will have a critical role in supporting Aspire’s expansion into new countries. You will be instrumental in setting up and scaling treasury operations in this new market, ensuring that our infrastructure is robust and optimized for local requirements.

Key responsibilities include:

• Payment management. Oversee daily payment processing (domestic and cross-border), including successful execution, completion and safeguarding of funds. 
• Payment reliability. Track and improve payment success rates and payment processing time by enhancing payment flows, identifying system bottlenecks, and resolving payment issues..
• Payment systems. Optimize treasury and payment systems to streamline processes, improve automation, and ensure scalability as Aspire grows in new markets.
• Reconciliation. Ensure accurate reconciliation between Aspire and payment partner accounts, monitoring inflows and outflows to prevent discrepancies. Set up the reconciliation process for new payment rails. Investigate & resolve reconciliation breaks.
• Payment investigations. Manage and resolve payment escalations and incidents.
• Cross-functional collaboration. Collaborate with stakeholders from various departments such as product, commercial, and compliance to assess, analyze, and improve the payment performance
• Vendor and partner management. Be the PIC for operational relationships with payment service providers and financial institutions, ensuring they meet Aspire’s service standards.
• Launch new countries and rails. Ensure the successful launch of new payment rails in EMEA. 
• Regulatory compliance. Ensure all payment operations comply with local and international regulatory requirements as Aspire scales.
• Audit & Risk. Support the Finance team as the PIC for client money movements during external audits & treasury risk committees.
• Team management. Lead a team of payment analysts based in APAC and EMEA.
• Reporting. Provide senior stakeholders, including the CEO, COO, and regional leaders, with data-driven insights and reports on payment performance.

Qualifications:

• Payments experience: At least 8+ years work experience of which 4+ years experience in fintech managing payments processing and/or treasury operations.
• Problem-solving skills: A proactive approach to troubleshooting payment issues, identifying root causes, and implementing sustainable solutions.
• Strong analytical abilities: Experience with data analysis and performance metrics, particularly related to payment flows, payment success rates, and reconciliation.
• Operational focus: A background in scaling payment systems and processes in a fast-paced, high-growth environment, with a focus on accuracy, efficiency, and reliability.
• Vendor management: Ability to manage external relationships with payment providers and financial institutions, ensuring high levels of service.
• Regulatory knowledge: Understanding of payment-related compliance and regulations, both domestically and internationally.
• Collaboration: Strong communication and coordination skills, with a proven ability to work cross-functionally with internal teams and external partners.
• Adaptability: Ability to support the launch of payment operations in new markets, adapting processes to fit local regulations and infrastructure.

What we offer

• Uncapped flexible annual leave.
• Hybrid work arrangement. 
• Training subsidy for your professional growth.
• Wellness benefit.
• Team bonding budget to foster collaboration and sense of belonging.
• Flexibility to work from anywhere (for up to 90 days per annum).
• Culture is Key: We always strive to cultivate a special culture that brings special talents together - You can learn more about our culture on our careers site and LinkedIn Life page.
  

Equal Opportunity Statement 

Aspire is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by applicable laws. 

Please note: by submitting your application, you acknowledge that you have read and understood Aspire’s Data Protection Policy for Employees, Freelancers, Contractors and Job Applicants (the “Policy”), and consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal data by Aspire for the purposes set out in the Policy. You may withdraw consent for such collection, use and disclosure, and make an access or correction request in respect of your personal data, in accordance with the Policy by emailing people@aspireapp.com.