At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead global payments strategy and drive high-impact initiatives in a fast-paced environment.
- Company: Join Fresha, the AI-powered OS for beauty and wellness, trusted by millions worldwide.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, inclusive culture, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic role with significant cross-functional leadership responsibilities and career advancement potential.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in the fintech space while working with innovative technology.
- Qualifications: Experience in payments or fintech, strong leadership, and problem-solving skills.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 € per year.
The AI-powered OS for beauty, wellness and self-care. Fresha is the AI-powered operating system for the global beauty, wellness and self-care industry, connecting and powering everything from salons and barbers to spas, medspas, fitness studios and health practices. Trusted by millions of consumers and businesses worldwide, Fresha is used by 140,000+ businesses and 450,000+ stylists and professionals worldwide, processing over 1 billion appointments to date. The company is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with 15 global offices located across North America, EMEA and APAC.
Fresha allows consumers to discover, book and pay for beauty and wellness appointments with local businesses via its marketplace, while beauty and wellness businesses and professionals use an all-in-one platform to manage their entire operations with intuitive business software and financial technology solutions. Fresha’s ecosystem gives merchants everything they need to run their business seamlessly by facilitating appointment bookings, point-of-sale, customer records management, marketing automation, loyalty, beauty products inventory and team management. The consumer marketplace unlocks revenue potential for partner businesses by leveraging the power of online bookings and automated marketing through mobile apps and advanced integrations with major tech brands including Instagram, Facebook and Google.
The Role: Reporting directly to the Chief Payments Officer, the Head of Payments Operations will lead the operational execution of Fresha’s global payments strategy. This role sits at the centre of Payments, Commercial, Product, Finance, and Operations - acting as the operational engine behind the payments organisation and ensuring strategic priorities are translated into scalable execution and measurable business outcomes. You’ll lead high-impact initiatives across payment acceptance, terminals, pricing, optimisation, and merchant adoption, bringing structure to ambiguity and driving delivery across multiple concurrent priorities. This is a highly strategic and execution-focused role suited to someone who thrives in fast-moving, high-growth environments and has deep experience operating within payments, fintech, acquiring, or POS ecosystems. While initially structured as a highly autonomous individual contributor role, this position carries significant cross-functional leadership responsibility and has strong scope to evolve as the payments organisation scales.
Core Responsibilities & Outcomes:
- Translate payments strategy into clear operational priorities, execution plans, and measurable business outcomes.
- Drive delivery across key initiatives including payment acceptance, terminals, pricing, optimisation, and merchant adoption.
- Build scalable operational processes, governance frameworks, and execution cadence across the payments organisation.
- Create visibility and reporting across all active payments initiatives, operational performance, and strategic priorities.
- Lead terminal and hardware initiatives including device rollouts, upgrade cycles, replacement strategies, and optimisation programmes.
- Act as the operational bridge across Payments, Commercial, Product, Finance, and Operations teams to ensure alignment and accountability.
- Define ownership, timelines, KPIs, and delivery frameworks across complex cross-functional programmes.
- Proactively identify blockers, risks, and dependencies and drive resolution to maintain execution momentum.
- Deliver measurable improvements in payment adoption, wallet share, operational efficiency, and execution performance.
- Improve cross-functional collaboration, delivery predictability, and operational scalability across the payments function.
- Provide clear, regular updates and actionable insights to the Chief Payments Officer and broader leadership team.
- Become a trusted operational partner to leadership, helping scale and strengthen Fresha’s global payments organisation.
What We’re Looking For:
- Essential: Significant experience in payments, fintech, acquiring, merchant services, or POS/terminal environments.
- Proven track record delivering complex cross-functional initiatives at scale within high-growth businesses.
- Strong operational leadership capability with the ability to drive execution across multiple concurrent priorities.
- Deep understanding of payment acceptance, acquiring, payment optimisation, merchant operations, or terminal ecosystems.
- Experience working closely with commercial and go-to-market teams to drive adoption, revenue growth, wallet share, or pricing initiatives.
- Exceptional ability to bring structure to ambiguity and drive execution with limited direction.
- Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills across Product, Commercial, Operations, and Executive leadership.
- Commercially minded with strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
- Highly execution-oriented with a strong sense of ownership, pace, and accountability.
- Comfortable operating in fast-moving, evolving environments with high levels of autonomy.
- Nice to Have: Experience within global or multi-market payments organisations.
- Exposure to payment hardware, terminal estate management, or in-person commerce.
- Experience working within a scaling fintech or marketplace business.
- Familiarity with acquiring, PSPs, payment optimisation, or merchant growth strategies.
Inclusive workforce: At Fresha, we are creating a culture where individuals of all backgrounds feel comfortable. We want all Fresha people to feel included and truly empowered to contribute fully to our vision and goals. Everyone who applies will receive fair consideration for employment. We do not discriminate based on race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, gender identity, national origin, disability, or any other applicable legally protected characteristics in the location in which the candidate is applying. If you have any accessibility requirements that would make you more comfortable during the interview process and/or once you join, please let us know so that we can support you. We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
Head of Payments Operations in London employer: Fresha
Fresha is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and inclusive work culture, empowering employees to thrive in the fast-paced beauty and wellness industry. With a strong focus on professional growth, Fresha offers unique opportunities for career advancement within its global operations, all while being headquartered in the vibrant city of London. Employees benefit from a collaborative environment that values innovation and strategic execution, making it an ideal place for those looking to make a meaningful impact in payments operations.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Payments Operations in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the payments and fintech space, especially those who work at Fresha. A friendly chat can open doors and give you insights that might just land you an interview.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by understanding Fresha's payment operations inside out. Familiarise yourself with their products and services, and think about how your experience aligns with their goals. Show them you mean business!
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t just wait for job openings—be proactive! Keep an eye on our website and apply directly. Tailor your application to highlight your operational leadership skills and experience in payments; it’ll make you stand out.
✨Tip Number 4
Follow up after interviews! A quick thank-you email can go a long way. It shows your enthusiasm for the role and keeps you fresh in their minds as they make their decision.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Payments Operations in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Head of Payments Operations role. Highlight your experience in payments, fintech, and any relevant cross-functional initiatives you've led. We want to see how your background aligns with our needs!
Showcase Your Achievements:Don’t just list your responsibilities; share specific achievements that demonstrate your operational leadership and ability to drive execution. Use metrics where possible to show how you’ve made a measurable impact in previous roles.
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. We appreciate straightforward communication, so avoid jargon and focus on what makes you a great fit for the role. Remember, clarity is key!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our team at Fresha!
How to prepare for a job interview at Fresha
✨Know Your Payments Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of payment systems, fintech, and POS environments. Fresha is looking for someone who can translate complex strategies into clear operational plans, so be ready to discuss your experience in these areas and how you've driven successful initiatives in the past.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
This role requires strong operational leadership, so prepare examples that highlight your ability to manage multiple priorities and lead cross-functional teams. Think about times when you've brought structure to ambiguity and how you’ve influenced stakeholders across different departments.
✨Be Data-Driven
Fresha values analytical skills, so come prepared with metrics and data from your previous roles. Discuss how you've used data to drive payment adoption, improve operational efficiency, or enhance merchant services. This will show that you're not just a doer but also a thinker who can back up decisions with solid evidence.
✨Embrace the Fast-Paced Environment
Fresha operates in a high-growth, fast-moving environment, so demonstrate your comfort with autonomy and rapid change. Share experiences where you've thrived under pressure and adapted quickly to new challenges, as this will resonate well with their company culture.
