Sales Director - High Risk Payments
Location: Malta (HQ) | Candidates based remotely in the UK or Europe welcome (regular travel to Malta is essential, or fully funded relocation)
Salary: circa €120,000 base + substantial bonus & commission
The Opportunity:
We’re working with a fast‑growing, licensed payments scale‑up headquartered in Malta. The business is currently at 35 people and on track to grow to 50 FTE this year, with ambitious commercial targets and a clear need for senior commercial leadership that is both strategic and hands‑on.
This is a blended Sales Director role: you will personally originate, negotiate and close revenue‑generating deals, while also shaping the wider commercial strategy, building partnerships across the payment’s ecosystem, and leading a small commercial team.
If you’re someone who can open doors, get a seat at the table with senior decision‑makers, and still roll up your sleeves to close complex payments deals end‑to‑end, this role is built for you.
Role Overview:
As Sales Director, you will own revenue growth across multiple channels, with a particular focus on:
* Driving payments volume from merchants in higher‑risk sectors (e.g. gaming, gambling, travel and adjacent verticals)
* Building and closing strategic partnerships with PSPs, acquirers, banks, FI’s and other payments organisations
* Establishing scalable commercial processes while remaining directly involved in closing key deals
* You must be senior enough to operate at board and partner level, yet practical enough to manage details, contracts, pricing models and onboarding processes yourself when required.
Key Responsibilities:
Hands‑on Sales & Revenue Generation:
* Originate, qualify and close new merchant relationships, particularly within higher‑risk verticals
* Own the full sales lifecycle end‑to‑end: prospecting, pitching, negotiation, contracting, pricing, onboarding and go‑live
* Drive payments volume and long‑term revenue growth through well‑structured commercial agreements
Partnerships & Ecosystem Development:
* Build and close strategic partnerships with PSPs, acquirers, issuing banks, FI’s and other payments players
* Leverage your network to open doors with tier‑one and tier‑two partners
* Secure senior‑level conversations and successfully pitch commercial partnerships
* Structure partnership models that are commercially robust, scalable and compliant
Commercial Strategy & Leadership:
* Define and execute the commercial strategy aligned to company growth plans
* Balance short‑term revenue delivery with long‑term strategic partnerships
* Manage and develop a small commercial/sales team, setting clear targets, processes and expectations
* Lead by example: coaching through live deals and negotiations
Commercial Governance & Detail:
* Own pricing strategy, commercial terms and margin management
* Lead complex negotiations covering pricing, risk, SLAs, contracts and legal frameworks
* Work closely with legal, compliance and risk teams to ensure deals are structured correctly
* Build repeatable sales and onboarding processes; details matter!
What We’re Looking For - Experience & Track Record:
* Proven experience in senior commercial or sales leadership roles within payments or fintech
* Demonstrable track record of closing complex merchant and/or partnership deals in the payments space
* Experience operating in higher‑risk verticals (gaming, gambling, travel, or similar)
* History of successfully building and managing partnerships with PSPs, acquirers, banks or FI’s
* Evidence that you can open doors: who have you closed deals with, how, and at what level?
Commercial Skillset:
* Strong commercial nous: pricing, negotiation, contract structuring and margin optimisation
* Comfortable handling legal and contractual detail
* Highly process‑driven with attention to detail
* Strategic thinker who can translate strategy into executable deals
Leadership & Style:
* Experience managing and motivating a small sales or commercial team
* Hands‑on, lead‑from‑the‑front mentality
* Credible at C‑suite and board level, internally and externally
* Entrepreneurial mindset suited to a scaling business
Why Join?
* Senior, high‑impact role in a licensed, scaling payments business
* Genuine influence over commercial direction and growth
* Competitive package: €120k base + significant bonus & commission upside
* Flexible location (UK/Europe) with travel or relocation fully supported
* Opportunity to build something meaningful and be recognised & rewarded for it
If you’ve done this before - opened the doors, secured the meetings, negotiated the deals and delivered the revenue, and you want the autonomy to do it again in a high‑growth environment, this is a standout opportunity.