Head of Talent Management

Head of Talent Acquisition - Regulated Fintech | EuropeWe are partnering with a fast-scaling, internationally operating fintech to appoint a hands-on Head of Talent Acquisition.This search is intentionally sector-specific. We are looking to speak with Talent Acquisition leaders who currently work, or have recently worked, within a regulated fintech, ideally payments, digital banking, crypto or another closely related financial technology environment.Experience recruiting in an unrelated industry will not provide the regulatory understanding, talent networks or scaling experience required for this role.The opportunityThis is not a traditional Head of TA position focused mainly on managing vacancies or processing inbound applications.You will build the talent acquisition engine for a growing, founder-led fintech operating across multiple international markets. Your goal will be to raise the quality of talent entering the business and create a more proactive, structured and evidence-based approach to hiring.Reporting directly to the CEO, you will lead a lean TA function while remaining personally involved in sourcing, assessment and senior or business-critical searches.What you will doBuild a proactive, outbound-first talent acquisition strategy across technology, commercial and corporate functions.Define what exceptional talent looks like and translate this into clear scorecards, competencies and selection criteria.Design structured interview and assessment processes that test critical thinking, problem-solving ability and potential.Develop talent maps and qualified pipelines for specialist, senior and difficult-to-fill positions.Personally source, engage, assess and close high-quality candidates.Coach hiring managers to become stronger and more consistent talent assessors.Introduce regular interviewer training and calibration sessions.Build a Quality of Hire framework linking recruitment decisions to performance, retention and probation outcomes.Use recruiting data to improve pipeline quality, conversion, time-to-hire and source effectiveness.Strengthen onboarding and create a clear connection between selection criteria, probation goals and subsequent performance.Lead and develop a small TA team while maintaining a strong player-coach approach.Use AI and modern recruiting technology to improve sourcing, screening, outreach and recruitment operations.The background we are looking forYou must have:Recent Talent Acquisition experience within a regulated fintech environment.Experience in payments, digital banking, crypto, financial infrastructure or a closely related fintech sector.Experience working in a mid-sized business moving through international scale-up and growth.A strong understanding of recruiting in a regulated, high-performance and fast-moving environment.A proven track record of building outbound sourcing strategies rather than relying mainly on applications.Hands-on experience recruiting technology and commercial talent across multiple markets.Experience designing structured, evidence-based interview and assessment processes.The confidence to challenge senior stakeholders and protect the hiring bar when the business is under pressure to recruit quickly.A data-driven approach, including experience using funnel metrics and post-hire outcomes to improve hiring decisions.A player-coach mindset: comfortable leading a small team while remaining directly involved in delivery.Strong experience working internationally and supporting a globally scaling organisation.Additional experience in executive search, early-career hiring, employer branding or multi-country recruitment would be valuable.Please consider before applyingThis role is specifically for Talent Acquisition professionals from regulated fintech companies.If your experience has mainly been in general technology, SaaS, retail, consumer goods, professional services, healthcare or another unrelated industry, this will not be the right opportunity.We are particularly interested in hearing from TA leaders who understand the talent landscape across payments and crypto and who have helped a mid-sized fintech scale internationally.Location and packageThis is a confidential search. Further information about the company will be shared with suitable candidates during the process.