Chief Operating Officer

TL;DR

Chief Operating Officer: Own the operational backbone of hirify.global’s UK regulated transition, including EMI operations, FCA authorization workstreams, and payments-focused launch readiness with an accent on operational risk, governance/controls, and regulatory execution. Focus on building FCA-ready processes and evidence, scaling payments and fiat rails, and running complex cross-functional programmes without formal authority.

Location: Remote (United Kingdom)

Company

hirify.global is a regulated crypto and payments platform building modern financial infrastructure.

What you will do

• Run day-to-day operations across UK entities, including EMI operations at Payward Services Limited, covering safeguarding, payment services requirements, operational risk, incident management, outsourcing coordination, audit/regulatory readiness, and executive reporting.
• Lead operational work for FCA authorization efforts, including crypto (CASP) authorization and MiFID scope application, translating regulatory requirements into governance processes, controls, documentation, and FCA evidence.
• Act as the operational counterpart to FCA alongside Legal and Compliance for information requests, supervisory queries, incident notifications, and follow-up actions.
• Identify and execute UK growth opportunities with a prioritization on payments: scaling EMI and fiat rails, growing institutional and B2B payments, and landing commercial partnerships.
• Own UK product operations and launch readiness for payments (on/off-ramp, fiat funding rails) and trading, gate go-lives against regulatory/operational requirements, oversee financial promotions, and build controls to ship regulated products fast and scale.

Requirements

• 8–12 years of experience, with roots in strategy consulting (MBB, Big 4 strategy, or boutique) and a proven track record of operational execution in-house or in industry.
• Operational experience inside a scaling UK fintech, bank, or crypto firm (e.g., special projects, chief of staff, operations strategy, or operations lead) with a track record of taking on scope beyond the title.
• Deep familiarity with the UK regulatory environment, including operating inside an FCA regulated firm (ideally MiFID investment firm, bank, or EMI) and understanding SMCR, safeguarding, financial promotions, Consumer Duty, operational resilience, and outsourcing rules.
• Proven ability to run complex cross-functional programmes without formal authority and to pick up work outside the job description when needed.
• Strong governance and controls mindset with the ability to avoid bureaucracy while ensuring effective controls.
• Comfortable communicating across regulators, boards, engineers, and commercial partners; individual contributor with executive scope.

Nice to have

• Payments fluency (funding flows, safeguarding, and payment operations) without needing a translator.
• Crypto or digital assets experience, including exposure to regulated product launches.
• Experience supporting or leading an authorization/licence application or regulatory change programme end to end.
• Exposure to SMCR environments and potential to grow into greater formal responsibility as the UK business matures.
• Former founder, GM, or early operations hire at a fintech or crypto startup.

Culture & Benefits

• Individual contributor role with executive scope and ownership measured by shipped outcomes rather than headcount.
• Hands-on remit across operations, regulatory execution, and growth initiatives.
• Ongoing application acceptance (no fixed deadline stated).
• Opportunity to apply for roles even if not all listed requirements are met.
• Ability to redact age/date of birth and education attendance/graduation dates from the resume.

Hiring process

• Skills/work-style assessments may be requested as part of the hiring process.
• Assessments are evaluated alongside experience and interviews, not as the sole basis for employment decisions.