Senior Manager, Licence Applications

Company Description

We're Checkout.com. You might not know our name, but companies like eBay, Spotify, Klarna, Uber, and Sony do, because we're behind many of the digital experiences you use every day.

We are where the world checks out, enabling over 10 billion transactions yearly for more than one billion global shoppers. Whether you want to book a holiday, order food, renew a subscription, or check out online, there's a good chance our tech powers the payments behind the scenes. Our platform helps the most ambitious businesses deliver effortless digital experiences, at scale. If you want to do career-defining work, you've come to the right place. We move fast, think globally, and believe great teams are built by hiring exceptional people with conviction, curiosity, and the desire to make an impact. With 20 offices across six continents and London as our HQ, we're shaping the future of fintech - and we're just getting started.

The Role

Checkout.com is looking for a dynamic and strategic Senior Manager, Licensing Applications to join our Global Affairs team. Reporting directly to the Director of External Affairs, you will lead the end-to-end execution of our global licensing strategy, serving as the central architect for our regulatory expansions in new and existing markets.

Based in London with a global remit, you will sit at the intersection of public policy, regulatory strategy, and corporate expansion. This is a high-impact, cross-functional role requiring a blend of project management mastery, deep regulatory fluency, and the commercial gravitas to align internal product and compliance roadmaps with external regulatory requirements.

You will be instrumental in securing the banking & EMI licenses that form the bedrock of Checkout.com's global growth.

How You'll Make an Impact

• Global Licensing Roadmap: Lead the preparation, drafting, compilation, and submission of major regulatory license applications globally (e.g., EMI, PI, and local payment method or central bank approvals).
• End-to-End Application Ownership: Turn vague or complex regulatory frameworks into structured project plans. Coordinate multi-layered application materials, ensuring technical, financial, and operational sections meet rigorous local regulatory standards.
• Cross-Functional Orchestration: Act as the ultimate bridge between External Affairs, Legal, Compliance, Risk, Finance, and Product. Align internal technical roadmaps with external commitments made to regulators during the application process.
• Regulator & Stakeholder Engagement: Craft compelling narratives and formal briefs for central banks, financial regulators, and executive leadership. Support local leadership teams during pre-licensing interviews and regulatory audits.
• Strategic Expansion Intelligence: Monitor and analyze shifting global regulatory trends. Work closely with the Head of External Affairs to assess the feasibility of new market entries and advise leadership on potential regulatory risks and opportunities.
• Governance and Process Architecture: Build out scalable, internal frameworks and playbooks for licensing applications to optimize speed-to-market and ensure operational efficiency across regional expansions.

What We're Looking For

• FinTech & Payments Expertise: 8+ years of experience in regulatory compliance, legal, government relations, or a strategic expansion role within the FinTech or payments ecosystem.
• Proven Licensing Track Record: Direct experience successfully writing, managing, and delivering complex financial services licensing applications across multiple global jurisdictions.
• Masterful Project Management: A highly organized operator comfortable navigating massive, multi-departmental deliverables under tight, high-pressure deadlines.
• Regulatory Fluency: Ability to deconstruct technical regulatory text and translate it into actionable commercial and product requirements.
• Exceptional Communication: Stellar drafting skills and the ability to articulate complex financial mechanisms into clear, outcome-led narratives for C-suite executives and external regulators.
• Ambiguity and Drive: A builder's mindset. You are highly autonomous, comfortable navigating grey areas, and motivated by shaping a rapidly scaling global blueprint.

Additional Information

Bring all of you to work

We create the conditions for high performers to thrive, through real ownership, fewer blockers, and work that makes a difference from day one.

Here, you'll move fast, take on meaningful challenges, and be recognized for the impact you deliver. It's a place where ambition gets met with opportunity, and where your growth is in your hands.

We work as one team, and we back each other to succeed. So whatever your background or identity, if you're ready to grow and make a difference, you'll be right at home here.

It's important we set you up for success and make our process as accessible as possible. So let us know in your application, or tell your recruiter directly, if you need anything to make your experience or working environment more comfortable.

Life at Checkout.com

We understand that work is just one part of your life. Our hybrid working model offers flexibility, with three days per week in the office to support collaboration and connection.