Director of Operations (12 month contract), Limassol

Director of Operations (12 Months Contract)

Location: Limassol, Cyprus
Reports to: VP Operations
Duration: Fixed-term (Maternity Cover - 12 months+)

Role Summary

We're seeking a hands-on Director of Operations to lead our global Operations (100+ FTE across locations). The role owns end-to-end execution for client onboarding, payments/cashiering (Money In/Money Out), account lifecycle, partners/corporate operations and operational oversight of e-money activities. You'll convert policy into practical procedures, lift performance through data, and run multiple change initiatives in a dynamic, multi-jurisdiction environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day operations across onboarding, cashiering, account lifecycle, partners/corporates, and e-money operations; set clear goals and operating rhythms for managers and team leads.
  
  

• Provide clear direction to a manager-of-managers layer: set OKRs/KPIs, establish cadences (daily/weekly/monthly), and ensure consistent execution quality across locations; coach managers/TLs on planning, delegation, and performance management.
  
  

• Create alignment and accountability: translate strategy into quarterly roadmaps, assign owners/milestones, review progress, remove blockers, and hold managers to outcomes (SLA/quality/cost).
  
  

• Own performance management and capacity planning: define KPIs/SLAs, balance workloads, manage backlogs/aging, and run daily/weekly/monthly reviews driving corrective actions.
  
  

• Ensure operational applicability of policies and regulatory requirements by translating them into clear SOPs, workflows, checklists, and controls—with consistent adoption and audit-readiness.
  
  

• Run multiple concurrent projects and enhancements; maintain roadmaps, RAID logs, critical paths, and cross-functional dependencies to deliver outcomes on time and within constraints.
  
  

• Prioritize effectively: triage inbound requests (2nd line, other domains and regions), perform impact assessments (client, risk, cost, capacity), and sequence work for maximum ROI.
  
  

• Forward planning: build quarterly/annual capacity, hiring, and training plans; prepare readiness for policy/procedure or platform changes across regions.
  
  

• Partner tightly with AML, Risk, Compliance (2nd line), Product, Finance, and Customer Service to streamline interfaces, reduce ad-hoc/uncoordinated tasks, and drive multi-country policy/process/tooling rollouts—plan, train, go-live, and confirm adoption.
  
  

• Strengthen tooling and reporting (e.g., Salesforce/Back Office, Tableau Reporting): optimize queue design and routing, enhance dashboards, and automate controls to improve quality, speed, and cost.
  
  

• Lead incident response for onboarding/payments issues; run structured RCAs and implement preventive actions.
  
  

• Build capability and engagement: coach managers/TLs, uplift frontline quality, and improve retention in higher-attrition teams; deliver targeted training with HR/Training.
  
  

• Maintain accurate, tested procedures and records; ensure effective governance, timely updates, and readiness for audits and regulatory reviews.
  
  

Requirements

• 10+ years in operations within fintech/brokerage/crypto or similarly regulated environments, including 5+ years leading large, cross-location teams (100+ FTE) through managers/TLs.
  
  

• Demonstrated success leading leaders: builds a strong management bench, sets clear direction, establishes cadences/rituals, and elevates manager effectiveness through coaching and feedback.
  
  

• Proven ability to drive alignment across multiple managers and sites: converts strategy into roadmaps with owners/milestones; enforces accountability to outcomes (SLA, CSAT, quality, cost).
  
  

• Proven track record running complex operations spanning onboarding, payments/cashiering (deposits/withdrawals, ACATs, coin transfers), account maintenance/closures, partners/corporates.
  
  

• Strong program/change leadership: comfortable running multiple projects simultaneously; disciplined in roadmapping, RAID, dependency management, and landing change at scale.
  
  

• Expert prioritization & impact assessment: converts unstructured demand into a sequenced backlog; quantifies client/risk/cost/capacity impact; communicates trade-offs clearly.
  
  

• Operational excellence toolkit (Lean/continuous improvement, control checks, root cause, KPI frameworks); certification a plus.
  
  

• Analytical fluency: advanced Excel/Sheets; comfortable with BI/SQL to diagnose bottlenecks, size benefits, and track outcomes.
  
  

• Hands-on with Salesforce (or similar) for queue architecture, workload balancing, and SLA governance.
  
  

• Solid grounding in AML/Compliance principles sufficient to ensure procedural adherence.
  
  

• Thrives in a dynamic environment with shifting priorities; structured, detail-oriented, and decisive under pressure; excellent written and verbal communication.
  
  

• Bachelors degree required; advanced degree and/or relevant certifications preferred. High proficiency in English.
• Must be based in Cyprus or willing to relocate.