SME – Merchant Acquiring Transformation
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
ContractOn-site
Job description
About us
Specialized, disciplined, and driven by measurable growth across every engagement.
Ektis, founded in 2025, is a financial services consulting firm built on decades of combined industry experience. Our diverse team of specialists brings deep sector expertise across the regional financial ecosystem, enabling us to turn complex challenges into practical, high-impact solutions.
As an expert-led, boutique firm, we operate as an extension of our clients - partnering closely with financial institutions to translate ambition into measurable progress. We focus on building enduring internal capability and applying creative problem-solving that delivers lasting impact.
Our approach integrates real-world insights with strategic thinking and disciplined execution. We define objectives with precision, map the pathways required, and deliver outcomes that work in practice - not just in presentation decks. Every deliverable is designed to be actionable, professional, and reflective of the capability and results our clients aim to achieve.
Our Vision
Redefining financial services consulting for a new era - accelerating ideas, deepening execution, and driving outcomes that matter.
Our Mission
We partner with financial institutions to turn ambition into measurable results. Guided by our entrepreneurial spirit, we integrate with client teams and combine strategic clarity, disciplined execution, and creative problem-solving to deliver lasting impact and build capabilities that endure
About the Opportunity
Ektis has been engaged to support a major Saudi-based fintech and payments organisation on the establishment and transformation of its merchant acquiring and payments capabilities.
The client is a leading player within the Saudi payments market. As part of this engagement, Ektis is seeking a Payments SME to support the next phase of the programme.
This is a highly hands-on role for a payments professional with experience across merchant acquiring, payment gateways and fintech acquiring set-up. The successful candidate will bring a blend of commercial, technical and regulatory understanding, with the ability to support the design, launch and scaling of an acquiring business within Saudi Arabia.
Role Focus
To support the merchant acquiring transformation programme, providing both strategic input and hands-on delivery support across the commercial model, technology architecture and Saudi regulatory requirements.
The role will work closely with senior client stakeholders and the Ektis project team to help shape and deliver a modern acquiring proposition, ensuring it is commercially viable, technically robust and aligned with local regulations.
Key Responsibilities
Commercial & Business
- Support the definition of the commercial strategy and business model for the acquiring proposition.
- Help shape the merchant services offering, including target customer segments, proposition, pricing and go-to-market approach.
- Contribute to the development of the target operating model, including sales channels, merchant onboarding, partnerships and service structure.
- Assist with commercial forecasts, revenue models and business planning.
- Provide input on acquiring economics, including interchange, scheme fees, merchant pricing and profitability.
- Support the identification of partnership opportunities with banks, fintechs, payment gateways and payment service providers.
- Contribute to the roadmap for launching and scaling the acquiring business.
Technology & Platform
- Support the definition of the target technology architecture for the acquiring and payment gateway platform.
- Assist with the technical set-up, integration and implementation of acquiring systems.
- Contribute to build versus buy assessments and the selection of technology vendors and partners.
- Support the design of the end-to-end payments architecture, including integration with banks, card schemes, processors and merchant systems.
- Provide working knowledge across payment gateways, merchant acquiring platforms, POS and SoftPOS, settlement, reconciliation and fraud systems.
- Help ensure the solution is scalable, secure and aligned with PCI DSS, cybersecurity and data protection requirements.
Regulatory & Compliance
- Support the interpretation of Saudi regulatory requirements for establishing and operating a merchant acquiring business.
- Assist with the preparation of acquiring license applications where required.
- Ensure the acquiring model and operating framework are aligned with local legal and regulatory obligations.
- Provide support across SAMA requirements, KYC, AML, merchant onboarding, transaction monitoring and settlement processes.
- Identify regulatory risks and support the recommendation of mitigation actions.
- Assist with engagement with regulators and stakeholders across the Saudi payments ecosystem.
Candidate Profile
- Minimum 5 years’ experience within payments, merchant acquiring, payment gateways or fintech acquiring set-up.
- Experience supporting banks, fintechs or payment providers in establishing, launching or transforming acquiring businesses.
- Strong understanding of both the commercial and technical aspects of acquiring and payments.
- Good familiarity with the Saudi payments landscape and regulatory environment.
- Exposure to SAMA requirements, acquiring license processes and broader Saudi payments regulation is desirable.
- Background from Visa, Mastercard, a leading fintech, merchant acquirer, payment gateway provider or major payments organisation is preferred.
- Strong understanding of merchant acquiring economics, payment gateway infrastructure, scheme integration and acquiring technology architecture.
- Existing experience within Saudi Arabia or the GCC is strongly preferred.
- Previous experience in roles such as: Merchant Acquiring Manager, Payments Manager, Merchant Services Manager, Payments Transformation Analyst / Consultant, Acquiring Technology or Commercial Specialist
Key Skills
- Ability to operate in a hands-on delivery role whilst contributing to broader strategic discussions.
- Strong stakeholder management skills and ability to work with senior colleagues and clients.
- Ability to work across commercial, technology and regulatory workstreams simultaneously.
- Strong communication, presentation and problem-solving skills.
- Experience working within fast-paced, transformation-led environments.
- Experience supporting greenfield or large-scale payments transformation programmes.
Engagement Details
- Consulting engagement through Ektis
- Project-based appointment
- Based in Saudi Arabia, with travel as required
- Immediate or short-notice availability preferred