Head of Payments (Canada)

Purpose of the Role

Canada is one of the most compliance-sensitive and payment-demanding Tier-1 markets.
Strict banking controls. Interac dominance. High AML and antifraud scrutiny. A market that is extremely sensitive to payment reliability, transparency, and predictability.

The purpose of this role is clear:
users in Canada must always be able to deposit and withdraw funds using trusted, familiar, and compliant payment methods.

If a Canadian user cannot pay quickly, predictably, and without freezes, this is not a market issue.
It is a payments failure.

1. Canada Payment Architecture

• Design an Interac-first / bank-first payment architecture.

• Build fallback scenarios for Interac or bank blockings.

• Minimize freezes, reversals, and user churn.

2. PSPs and Banks

• Own relationships with Canadian PSPs and banks.

• Rotate providers when risk increases or performance degrades.

• Control limits, delays, and fund freezes.

3. Performance and Stability

• Deposit and withdrawal success rates.

• Deposit coverage across the market.

• Time-to-Credit and Time-to-Withdrawal.

• Hands-on resolution of failed and reversed transactions.

4. Risk, AML, and Antifraud

• Work closely with Compliance and Risk teams.

• Balance growth with acceptable risk levels.

• Prevent mass account freezes and systemic blocks.

5. Operational Readiness

• Define and execute anti-crisis scenarios.

• Support Customer Support during fund freezes.

• Direct communication with Product and Tech teams.

• Deposit Success Rate (Interac / cards).

• Deposit Coverage (% of users with a working method).

• Uptime of key payment methods.

• Time-to-Recovery after blockings.

• GGR uplift driven by payment improvements.

Must-Have:

• Proven hands-on payments experience in Canada.

• Practical experience with Interac e-Transfer.

• Strong understanding of AML and antifraud logic used by Canadian banks.

• Background in high-risk industries: gambling, betting, crypto.

• Ability to operate under strict compliance requirements.

Strong Plus:

• Existing contacts with Canadian PSPs and banks.

• North America experience (US as an addition, not a replacement).

• Proven cases of restoring payment flows after freezes and blockings.

• You have only worked with card payments.

• You have never dealt with AML-driven freezes.

• You are looking for “grey hacks” instead of sustainable, compliant solutions.

• One of the most payment-complex Tier-1 markets.

• Full autonomy over payments in the region.

• Direct impact on company revenue.

• Competitive compensation + performance bonuses.

• Minimal bureaucracy. Maximum ownership and accountability.