Deputy Head of Back Office

Who are we?

iBanFirst is a fast-growing European fintech that is revolutionizing international payments for SMEs. Founded in 2016, our platform empowers Small & Medium Multinationals (SMMs) to regain control over their payment operations: currency conversion (FX), international transactions, and foreign exchange risk management across 140 countries — quickly, transparently, and securely.

We make life easier for SMEs through an advanced technology platform (automation, APIs, AI…) combined with dedicated expertise, offering the best of both worlds: the agility of a SaaS solution and the reliability of a trusted partner.

By simplifying complexity, iBanFirst helps thousands of bold companies seize global business opportunities with peace of mind — delivering simplicity, transparency, and security.

Key figures

• 350+ employees across 14 offices in 11 European countries
• 30+ nationalities represented, average age: 32
• 10,000 corporate clients trust us
• €80M in revenue in 2025, with a target of around €100M in 2026
• Profitable for nearly two years
• Ranked for 7 consecutive years in the Financial Times FT1000, among the fastest-growing European companies
• An NPS of 87.5 — an exceptional score in our industry

A strong culture built around 4 core values

• Team First: The complexity of our industry demands collective intelligence. We prioritize cooperation, transparency, and knowledge sharing. Success is a team effort, and decisions are made together.
• Tenacity: We're transforming a challenging and highly regulated market. It requires endurance, fast learning, and resilience — qualities rooted in our entrepreneurial DNA.
• Transformation: Innovation is not a buzzword; it's a necessity in a constantly shifting and strategic sector. We innovate with intent: every technical, product, or organizational improvement is designed for real impact.
• Trust: Trust is the foundation of everything we build — with our clients and, above all, internally. It's driven by ownership, autonomy, and a shared commitment to transparency, rigor, and reliability.

Why join us?

• We operate at the heart of a strategic and fast-evolving sector: international payments for SMEs — a complex, high-potential market.
• We're driven by a meaningful mission: helping bold "Small & Medium Multinationals" succeed globally.
• Our platform integrates cutting-edge technologies (AI, automation…), making it an ideal playground to test, learn, and innovate continuously.
• You'll join an agile environment where your expertise has tangible impact.
• iBanFirst is profitable and backed by long-term investors: Xavier Niel, Bpifrance, and Marlin Equity Partners.

Joining iBanFirst means joining a profitable, international, fast-growing company at a pivotal moment — where operational excellence and technological transformation go hand in hand.

The Role

Recruitment Context

We are opening this position to strengthen the leadership and transformation capacity of our Back Office team. As iBanFirst scales across Europe, we need a sharp, senior operator who can sit alongside the Head of Back Office, take ownership of our improvement agenda, and help build the next generation of payment infrastructure.

We are not necessarily looking for a payment specialist — we are looking for a fast thinker with a transformation and analytics mindset, who learns quickly, brings structure, and is excited by the challenge of automating and scaling complex financial operations.

Manager & Team

You will report to Marc Lippler, Head of Back Office, with iBanFirst for 6 years.

The Back Office team is currently based in Brussels (Avenue Louise, Ixelles), embedded in an office of 25 people. You'll work closely with Finance, Compliance, Technology, Risk, Treasury, and the C-suite across Europe.

The role can be based in Brussels (Avenue Louise), Paris (Porte Maillot) or London (The City).

What will you do?

As Deputy Head of Back Office, you are Marc's strategic right hand. You bring structure, leadership, and a transformation mindset to a function that is evolving fast. Less focused on day-to-day production, you concentrate on building the controls, tools, and processes that allow the Back Office to scale — and on developing the people around you.

Task breakdown:

• 35% — Production oversight & critical operations: Staying hands-on with daily operations, handling the most complex and high-stakes cases, leading incident resolution, and stepping in to back up the team whenever needed. You are the safety net — operationally credible and always ready to roll up your sleeves.
• 65% — Transformation, control framework & leadership: Driving process redesign, AI & automation initiatives, data-driven governance improvements, and team development. You bring structure and a forward-looking vision to how the Back Office evolves.

Key responsibilities:

Leadership & Management:

• Act as Marc's deputy: represent the function, make decisions in his absence, and support team development
• Be the escalation point for complex operational and governance issues
• Drive knowledge sharing, onboarding, and upskilling across the team
• Contribute to building a high-performing, resilient Back Office team as headcount grows

Transformation & AI:

• Own the Back Office improvement roadmap: process redesign, automation, control enhancement
• Leverage AI and automation tools to eliminate manual processes and build smarter, more resilient workflows
• Lead strategic projects end-to-end — from scoping to delivery — in close collaboration with Product and Technology
• Apply an analytics and data-driven mindset to redesign monitoring frameworks and reporting
• Build the next generation of reconciliation and control tools, using Metabase, Grafana, SQL, and Power BI

Control & Governance:

• Redesign and strengthen the control framework across payment and FX operations
• Define and monitor KPIs and operational metrics
• Ensure full regulatory compliance, particularly around client fund safeguarding
• Liaise with Risk, Finance, Compliance, Treasury, and C-suite on governance matters
• Approve exceptional operational decisions and provide sign-off on critical cases

Role Objectives

First 3 months:

• Gain a deep understanding of the team's operations, pain points, tools, and ongoing projects
• Build strong relationships with key stakeholders across Finance, Compliance, Tech, Risk, and Treasury
• Take ownership of at least one transformation initiative

First 6 months:

• Redesign at least one key process or control area with measurable impact
• Fully trusted to represent the Back Office function when Marc is unavailable
• Deliver first automation or monitoring improvements

First 12 months:

• Be a recognised operational and transformation leader within the organisation
• Have materially advanced the automation and control roadmap
• Ready to take on broader responsibilities as the team scales

What do you bring?

Experience:

• 7–10 years of experience in financial operations, payment operations, management consulting (payments/fintech focus), or a closely related analytical/transformation role
• Track record of leading complex projects and driving operational transformation
• Experience with AI tools, automation, and data analytics in an operational context
• First management or team leadership experience

Must-have skills:

• Fast thinker — you process complex information quickly, connect the dots, and make sound decisions under pressure
• Transformation and analytics mindset — you've redesigned processes, automated workflows, and used data to improve how things work
• Project management — you structure ambiguous challenges, prioritise ruthlessly, and deliver end-to-end
• AI-savvy — comfortable identifying and applying AI/automation tools to operational problems
• Leadership and change management — you bring people along, create buy-in, and develop those around you
• Data-driven — fluent with SQL, Power BI, Metabase, or Grafana
• Rigorous and structured — you build frameworks that last
• Excellent communicator — at ease with C-suite and cross-functional stakeholders
• Fluent in English (working language); French and/or Dutch is a plus
• Office presence required — regular attendance at one of our three offices (Brussels, Paris, or London)

Nice to have:

• Background in a fintech, payment institution, or financial services consultancy
• Payment expertise
• Knowledge of safeguarding regulations (PSD2/EMD), SWIFT, or FX settlement
• Experience in a regulated financial environment

What do we offer?

• Permanent contract
• Office location: Brussels (Avenue Louise), Paris (Porte Maillot) or London (The City) — your choice

Why this is a great opportunity:

• Fast track in fintech — broad scope, immediate impact, and a clear path toward greater leadership responsibility in a profitable, fast-growing company
• Build something that matters — redesign the Back Office of tomorrow using AI and automation, not just maintain what exists today
• Senior exposure from day one — direct collaboration with the C-suite and cross-functional leadership
• Flat hierarchy — your ideas reach decision-makers quickly
• International environment — work across 14 European offices, with teams in Brussels, Paris, London and beyond

Compensation & Benefits (may vary by country):

• Base salary: €64,000 – €75,000 gross annual, depending on experience and location
• Public transport reimbursement
• Meal vouchers
• AXA group health insurance
• Pension plan
• Phone subscription
• Gym pass
• Participation in company-wide events, team offsites, and social activities

Recruitment Process

1. Screening call with Malorie Petitjean (Talent Acquisition Specialist) — 30 minutes – remote (video) — Purpose: General fit, motivation, salary expectations, availability

2. In-depth interview with Marc Lippler (Head of Back Office) — 1 hour – in-person (Brussels) or remote (Teams) — Purpose: Leadership experience, transformation track record, analytical mindset, team fit

3. Final round with Julien Molez (Chief Operations Officer, N+2) — 45 minutes – in-person (Paris) or remote (Teams) — Purpose: Strategic alignment, leadership validation, long-term potential