Head of Owl Payments Limited- 12 Month FTC

Head of Owl Payments Limited- 12 Month FTC

Oxford or London-United Kingdom

12 Month FTC

The Tripadvisor Group connects people to experiences worth sharing, and aims to be the world’s most trusted source for travel and experiences. We leverage our brands, technology, and capabilities to connect our global audience with partners through rich content, travel guidance, and two-sided marketplaces for experiences, accommodations, restaurants, and other travel categories. The subsidiaries of Tripadvisor, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRIP), include a portfolio of travel brands and businesses, including Tripadvisor, Viator, and The Fork

We're seeking an experienced leader to head up the operations of Tripadvisor's FCA-regulated Payment Institution in the UK. This is a hands-on leadership role within a high-volume marketplace environment, where you'll tackle complex commercial and regulatory challenges with agility and precision.
The Head of Owl Payments will provide strategic leadership, commercial direction, and operational oversight for the Payments Institution and will be responsible for driving sustainable revenue growth whilst embedding a culture of regulatory compliance.
Based in Oxford/London with hybrid flexibility, you'll report to the Global Head of Payments. The position requires close collaboration with global functional teams across the Tripadvisor Group and extensive cross-functional business partnering with product, engineering, legal, and operations.
The role will carry with it a nominated PSD individual status with the FCA.

Regulatory Compliance & Governance

• Ensure full compliance with FCA regulatory requirements, serving as primary FCA liaison and regulatory point of contact
• Establish and maintain robust internal controls, governance frameworks, and risk management processes
  Reporting to the board to provide business insight, regulatory updates and strategic direction
• Ensuring company policies and legal guidelines are fully compliant and clearly communicated with all key stakeholders within the business

Strategic & Commercial Leadership

• Developing, gaining agreement to and executing payment-led strategies to achieve both short-term and long-term objectives
• Developing and implementing operational business plans to drive optimal efficiency in payment processing and the cost of payments
• Accountable for the monetisation and profitability of payment strategy across the UK operation

Stakeholder Management

• Creating and developing trusted partnerships with wider functional area stakeholders throughout the Tripadvisor Group to foster close working relationships across UK and US-based geographies
• Working closely with functional leads across Risk, Compliance, Operations and Legal etc. to ensure that the UK entity is operating efficiently
• Leading, guiding and delegating effectively to executives in their duties

• Degree-level education or equivalent
• Minimum 8 years of professional finance experience
• Previous experience in regulated financial services, fintech, or payments sectors

• Comprehensive knowledge of payment institution regulatory frameworks and compliance requirements
• Exceptional analytical skills with meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to quickly master complex processes and systems

• Proven ability to thrive in high-growth, fast-paced fintech environments
• Experience managing international or multi-jurisdictional operations
• Hands-on approach with the ability to balance strategic oversight and operational execution
• Proven track record in leading and developing teams
• Demonstrated ability to use AI tools to improve efficiency, quality, and decision-making in day-to-day work.
• Proven ability to operate effectively with a global-first mindset

• Competitive compensation packages (routinely benchmarked against the latest industry data), including base salary and annual bonuses
• “Work your way” with flexibility to suit your lifestyle. Tripadvisor Group takes a remote-friendly approach to collaboration across a worldwide team, with the option to join on-site as often as…