Director of Operations, Payments EMEA

As Director of Operations for Fireblocks Liechtenstein Ltd., you lead the day-to-day operations of a newly established payment institution authorised by the Liechtenstein Financial Market Authority (FMA) to provide Account Information Services (AIS) and Payment Initiation Services (PIS) across the European Economic Area. You are a controlling-function officer and member of the executive management, serving as the principal local point of contact with the FMA and providing the operational governance that underpins the company's authorisation. The role focuses on governing the outsourcing arrangement with an intra-group technology provider and ensuring the entity operates soundly within its regulatory perimeter, rather than building technology directly.

What you'll do

• Serve as the primary day-to-day point of contact with the FMA for operational matters and manage the ongoing supervisory relationship
• Ensure the company operates at all times within the scope and conditions of its authorisation
• Own the company's regulatory reporting obligations and coordinate the annual statutory and regulatory audit
• Support the Board and executive management in discharging their governance responsibilities, including preparation and follow-through on Board matters
• Hold day-to-day accountability for the operational delivery of the company's AIS and PIS services
• Oversee the outsourcing arrangement with the technology provider, including monitoring of service levels, quarterly service reviews, and management of the outsourcing register and sub-outsourcing controls
• Own the company's business continuity and incident management framework, acting as the escalation and decision point in the event of material disruption
• Oversee the segregated operational processes that support the company's regulatory perimeter, including customer onboarding, support routing, and data governance in coordination with the Risk and Compliance function
• Work closely with the Risk and Compliance function to ensure an effective control environment across AML/CFT, operational, ICT, and outsourcing risk
• Ensure the company meets its obligations under applicable Liechtenstein and EEA regulation, including PSD2/ZDG and, as applicable, DORA
• Oversee the maintenance of the company's risk register and the periodic and permanent control framework
• Oversee the commercial and financial governance of the entity, including the intra-group service arrangements, in coordination with group finance
• Provide operational sign-off on customer onboarding to the entity, ensuring the dual-entity contracting process is completed and customers are correctly provisioned
• Support the Fireblocks group's wider regulated activities where relevant, bringing operational and regulatory experience to bear

What you bring

• Proven operational leadership experience within a regulated financial institution such as a payment institution, e-money institution, bank, or crypto-asset service provider
• Experience of the Liechtenstein or wider EEA regulatory environment, ideally including prior involvement in a licence application and ongoing regulator engagement
• A payments background, with an understanding of open banking (AIS/PIS), payment operations, and the associated regulatory obligations
• Familiarity with outsourcing governance and the operation of a licensed entity that relies on an intra-group or third-party technology provider
• The standing and seniority to act credibly as a controlling function before the FMA
• Sound judgement, personal accountability, and the ability to operate as the responsible individual for a licensed entity
• Ability to work effectively with a distributed group, including colleagues in other time zones
• Fit and proper status satisfying the FMA's suitability assessment for a controlling-function role

Nice to have

• Exposure to the digital asset sector

What we offer

• Base salary range of €150,000 to €205,000
• Target bonus, competitive equity grant, and generous benefits as part of the total compensation package
• Flexibility on location: you may be resident in Liechtenstein or a neighbouring jurisdiction such as Switzerland, with no requirement for full-time residence in Liechtenstein

About Fireblocks

Fireblocks provides the simplest and most secure platform and network for companies to work with digital assets, trusted by major financial institutions including BNY Mellon, BNP Paribas, and ANZ Bank, as well as globally recognised brands and Web3 companies worldwide.