EU Managing Director at NALA in Brussels, Brussels-Capital, Belgium

👋 About Us

NALA is building Payments for the Next Billion. Faster, smarter, and fairer transfers for everyone. Since 2022, we've grown our business 120x, grown the team from 9 to 150+, raised $50M+ from top-tier investors, and were named to the Forbes Fintech 50 in 2025 & 2026.

We operate two core products:

• NALA, our consumer app, makes cross-border payments cheaper, faster and more reliable for the global diaspora — sending money from the UK, US and EU to Africa and Asia.
• Rafiki, our B2B payments infrastructure, is powering global payments for global giants like MoneyGram & Western Union.

Our team includes alumni from Wise, Stripe, Monzo, Revolut, and CashApp — operators who've scaled world-class products. We act with urgency, think deeply, and put our customers first, always.

At NALA, this isn't just a job. It's ownership, impact, and the chance to change global payments forever. Join us in building Payments for the Next Billion.

🙌 Your Mission

We're establishing our licensed entity in Belgium — the heart of European decision-making — and we need a founding Managing Director to serve as our primary regulatory anchor and commercial catalyst. You'll be the face of NALA to the National Bank of Belgium, the architect of our EU hub strategy, and the executive who steers us through the PSD3 era with the rigour of a Fit and Proper-approved leader and the agility of a fintech pioneer. This is a rare opportunity to build something that matters: a compliant, high-performance base that makes NALA the gold standard for instant, affordable cross-border payments across Europe — and ultimately for the hundreds of millions of people who depend on them.

🎯 Your Responsibilities in this Role

• Own the Belgian licensed entity — serve as the senior executive accountable to the National Bank of Belgium, satisfying Mind and Management requirements and providing the local decision-making authority and oversight the NBB requires for PI or EMI licensing.
• Lead our regulatory relationships — be the primary point of contact for both the NBB (prudential supervision) and the FSMA (conduct of business), building high-trust relationships that give NALA the standing to operate, passport, and grow across the EU Single Market.
• Steer us through PSD3, PSR, and DORA — own NALA's regulatory transition roadmap for 2026 and beyond, working with legal, compliance, and product to ensure we stay ahead of technical and legal change without disrupting commercial growth.
• Architect the EU hub — leverage Belgium's passporting position to build the governance infrastructure, operational substance, and cross-border expansion framework that underpins NALA's EU-wide ambitions.
• Drive commercial momentum — translate regulatory credibility into commercial opportunity; close strategic partnerships with banks, processors, and distribution partners that expand NALA's reach and volume across EU corridors.
• Build and lead the local team — hire and develop a high-performing Management Committee and operational team in Belgium; create the structure and culture that earns and retains the NBB's confidence.
• Own operational resilience — take executive accountability for NALA's compliance with DORA's outsourcing and IT risk standards, ensuring the Belgian entity is operationally independent and resilient.

🔥 Must-have requirements

• NBB Fit and Proper eligibility — a proven track record in a senior executive or Management Committee role within a Belgian or EU-regulated financial institution, with a profile that will satisfy the NBB's approval process.
• Mastery of Belgian and EU financial regulation — deep, working knowledge of the Belgian Banking Law (Law of 11 March 2018), PSD2/PSD3, PSR, DORA, and AML/CFT frameworks; you know how these interact in practice, not just on paper.
• Twin Peaks navigation — demonstrated experience managing relationships with both the NBB and the FSMA, with an understanding of how to operate constructively across prudential and conduct supervision.
• Payments infrastructure expertise — strong command of SEPA rails, Instant Payments, and Belgian safeguarding requirements; you understand how money actually moves and where the operational and compliance risks sit.
• Mind and Management delivery — hands-on experience structuring or managing a regulated entity to meet local substance requirements, including governance, outsourcing oversight, and decision-making autonomy from group HQ.
• Multilingual stakeholder management — professional fluency in English is essential; French and/or Dutch is strongly preferred given the requirements of local regulatory relationships and legal documentation.
• Leadership at executive level — you've built and led teams in regulated environments, earned the confidence of boards and regulators simultaneously, and made high-stakes decisions under pressure.

💪 Nice to have requirements

• Direct experience securing a PI or EMI licence from the NBB or a comparable EU national competent authority, including managing the formal application and approval process.
• Familiarity with the EU AML Authority (AMLA) framework and what its 2026 launch means operationally for cross-border payments businesses.
• Experience working within or alongside a fast-scaling fintech or payments company, where you've had to balance regulatory rigour with the pace of a growth business.
• Knowledge of cross-border remittance corridors connecting Europe to Africa or Asia — understanding the customer and the compliance challenge on both sides of the payment.
• Existing relationships with senior contacts at the NBB, FSMA, or the EBA relevant to payment institution governance.

✅ Success in the role looks like

3-Month Metrics

• NBB Fit and Proper application submitted or formally in progress, with no material gaps identified in NALA's regulatory substance position.
• A clear Mind and Management framework documented and operating — local governance, decision-making authorities, and outsourcing oversight structures are in place and defensible.
• Productive working relationships established with key contacts at the NBB and FSMA; NALA is known, understood, and respected by our supervisors.
• Belgian entity operational roadmap agreed with NALA leadership, with milestones, owners, and dependencies clearly mapped.

6-Month Metrics

• PI or EMI licence granted or at an advanced stage, with no compliance blockers to EU passporting activity.
• DORA-aligned operational resilience framework in place and evidenced to the satisfaction of the NBB.
• Core Belgian Management Committee hired and functioning; governance structures meet the NBB's standards for an independent, substance-rich local entity.
• First EU corridor partnerships live or contracted, with volume beginning to flow through the Belgian entity.
• PSD3/PSR transition plan finalised and resourced, with NALA on track to meet 2026 regulatory milestones without disruption to commercial growth.

➡️ Interview Process

1. [30 mins] Interview with the Talent Team — In this stage we want to get to know you a bit more and follow up on your experience and motivations.
2. [60 mins] Problem-Solving Interview — a role-specific problem-solving exercise.
3. [60 mins] Bar Raiser Interview — a final conversation focused on your track record, ambition and fit.

⭐️ Benefits

• 35 Days Off including your local bank holidays: Take the time to decompress. Working at a startup is hard!
• Birthday Leave: Celebrate your special day with a bonus day off that month.
• Enhanced Parental Leave: 16 weeks of full pay for the primary caregiver and 4 weeks for the secondary caregiver (after a 6-month probationary period).
• Learning Budget: $1000 annually for learning and development.