Head of Middle East

Responsibilities

• Lead the full commercial, operational, and cultural agenda for the Middle East region
• Own the end-to-end go-to-market strategy and drive long-term commercial vision
• Manage full P&L responsibility, focusing on revenue, customer acquisition, and cash-flow-positive growth
• Build, attract, and retain a high-performing, diverse regional team
• Partner with Legal, Risk & Compliance teams to secure necessary regional licensing and regulatory approvals
• Act as a senior external voice with regulators, government bodies, and industry associations to build brand presence

Requirements

• 12+ years of experience in financial services, fintech, or technology
• Significant leadership experience within the Middle East market
• Proven track record of P&L ownership and delivering commercial growth in a scaling business
• Deep understanding of the payments, banking, or cross-border financial services landscape in the UAE and/or Saudi Arabia
• Demonstrated experience navigating regional regulatory and licensing environments

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience scaling a fintech or payments business in the Middle East from an early or greenfield stage
• Proven track record of personally leading senior regulatory engagements to successful licensing outcomes
• Previous experience as a Country Manager or General Manager with genuine P&L ownership
• Existing professional relationships within the UAE and KSA fintech and banking ecosystems
• Arabic language proficiency and deep cultural fluency in GCC business norms

About the Company

Airwallex is a unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 200,000 businesses worldwide—including Brex, Rippling, and Qantas—with integrated solutions for business accounts, payments, spend management, and treasury. Valued at US$8 billion, Airwallex is building the future of global banking.