Head of Information Technology

Company: FinPlus Europe Ltd
Location: Malta – Malta residency required
Employment: Full-time | Hybrid working
Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer
Regulatory Status: Position subject to prior MFSA approval (Personal Questionnaire)

About FinPlus Europe

FinPlus Europe Ltd is a Malta-based fintech company and a subsidiary of a leading and well-established fintech group headquartered in North Africa, with a significant presence and track record in the financial services and payments sector.

The Company is currently undergoing the regulatory authorisation process with the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) to obtain a Payment Institution licence, representing an important milestone in the Group's European expansion strategy.

As FinPlus Europe prepares for its future regulated operations and European growth, the Company is building a strong local management and governance structure in Malta to support its technology, operational and regulatory requirements.

About the Opportunity

FinPlus Europe Ltd is seeking an experienced and highly motivated Head of Information Technology to lead and oversee the Company's IT function as it builds its operations within Malta's regulated financial services sector.

This is a key senior role within the organisation, providing the successful candidate with the opportunity to contribute directly to the development of a growing European fintech operation and its technology, operational resilience and regulatory framework.

The Head of IT will act as the single point of accountability for FinPlus Europe Ltd's information technology function, exercising retained control and oversight over outsourced ICT services, including the Company's SaaS core banking platform and intra-group technology services.

This is primarily an IT governance, oversight and product ownership role rather than a software development position. The Head of IT will define technology requirements, oversee delivery, verify conformity and authorise releases into production through the Company's New Product Committee (NPC).

Key Responsibilities

Functional & Security Ownership

• Define and maintain the functional and security requirements applicable to ICT services provided to the Company.
• Own and manage the technology and product roadmap, establishing priorities, requirements and delivery milestones.
• Oversee and validate functional acceptance testing.
• Hold authority for the approval of production releases in accordance with the Company's governance framework.
• Ensure technology solutions remain aligned with the Company's operational, security and regulatory requirements.

ICT Provider & Outsourcing Oversight

• Manage the operational relationship with ICT and technology service providers.
• Monitor and verify providers' compliance with contractual obligations and agreed service levels.
• Monitor system availability, performance, resilience and recovery objectives.
• Investigate service deviations and oversee corrective and remediation action plans.
• Verify the effective application of secure development controls and appropriate separation of technology environments.
• Contribute to pre-contractual ICT due diligence, periodic provider reviews and exit/reversibility planning.

Operational Resilience & Regulatory Compliance

• Be responsible for the implementation and ongoing oversight of the Company's ICT incident management, business continuity and disaster recovery strategy.
• Contribute to the Company's ICT risk register and DORA Register of Information.
• Take responsibility for Identity and Access Management (IAM).
• Work closely with the outsourced CISO, Compliance Officer, Risk function and senior management on ICT security and operational resilience matters.
• Participate in the Company's quarterly Security Committee alongside the CEO, CISO and Compliance Officer.
• Support the Company's compliance with Regulation (EU) 2022/2554 – Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and other applicable ICT regulatory requirements.

Governance & Regulatory Engagement

• Report directly to the CEO and, where required, to the Board of Directors and its Risk & Audit Committee.
• Provide appropriate management information and reporting on ICT performance, risks, incidents and strategic developments.
• Contribute to engagement with the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) and other competent authorities on ICT and technology-related matters.
• Manage the Company's IT budget and contribute to technology investment decisions and prioritisation.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will possess:

• A degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or another relevant discipline.
• Proven experience leading an IT function, technology governance function or product ownership function, preferably within an EEA-regulated financial institution.
• Demonstrable experience within the payments, remittance and/or fintech sector is essential.
• Strong experience managing ICT service providers, outsourced technology arrangements and third-party technology dependencies.
• Preferably, practical experience in implementing or operating an ICT risk management and operational resilience framework under DORA (Regulation (EU) 2022/2554), including incident management and classification, the Register of Information and resilience testing.
• Working knowledge of the EBA Guidelines on Outsourcing Arrangements (EBA/GL/2019/02) and the PSD2 regulatory framework.
• Strong understanding of IT governance, information security, business continuity and disaster recovery.
• Excellent stakeholder-management skills and the ability to engage effectively with senior management, Boards, regulators and external technology providers.
• Ability to satisfy the MFSA's fit and proper requirements applicable to the position.
• Malta residency is required.

What We Offer

Joining FinPlus Europe means becoming part of a growing fintech organisation at an important stage of its European development.

The remuneration and benefits package includes:

• €48,000 gross annual salary
• Performance bonus of up to 10%
• Hybrid working arrangement
• Health insurance
• Exposure to an international fintech environment
• Opportunity to work closely with senior management, the Board, regulatory stakeholders and leading technology partners
• A key role in shaping the Company's technology and operational resilience framework as FinPlus Europe develops its European operations

Join FinPlus Europe

If you have strong experience within fintech, payments or remittance technology, combined with a solid understanding of IT governance, outsourcing and operational resilience, we would be pleased to hear from you.

This is an opportunity to take ownership of a critical function and contribute to the development of FinPlus Europe's technology and regulatory infrastructure in Malta.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their CV to:

Graziella Grech
Executive Director – FinPlus Europe Ltd
[email protected]

We look forward to hearing from professionals interested in joining us at this exciting stage of FinPlus Europe’s journey.