Payments are a bit like plumbing – everything works fine… until something gets clogged. And then it gets tense.
In many companies, payments are treated as a background task. Something that “just has to work”. You integrate a payment gateway, people pay for their carts or add their cards, invoices go out, money comes in – and that’s it.
But then the transaction volume grows.
You enter a new market.
Chargebacks start to spike.
And suddenly you realize: this “technical detail” has a massive impact on your revenue, conversion rate, customer experience, and cashflow.
That’s when they step in: the Head of Payments.
A person who doesn’t just understand how payments work – but knows how to turn that knowledge into real profits and operational safety for your company.
What does a Head of Payments actually do?
They’re not just the “person who sets up the payment gateway“.
They’re the one who oversees the entire payment ecosystem in your company – both strategically and operationally.
Their responsibilities typically include:
- selecting the right payment providers (PSPs, acquiring banks, payout solutions, money remittance partners)
- negotiating terms and fees
- analyzing payment data and optimizing conversion rates
- managing risk (fraud detection, chargebacks, failed transactions)
- ensuring compliance with regulations (PSD2, AML, DORA, etc.)
- overseeing technical integrations
- working cross-functionally with product, finance, support, and legal teams
In short: they understand both numbers and tech.
And they know that a 0.3% difference in transaction fees isn’t just a detail – it’s a competitive edge.
They also know that choosing the right local payment method can make or break your expansion into a new market.
Why does it matter? 5 real reasons
There are many reasons to have a Head of Payments, but let’s focus on the most critical ones:
1. Revenue and conversion
Every extra step in the payment flow lowers your conversion. A Head of Payments tests, analyzes, and implements the best-performing solutions. They choose what actually converts – not what just looks nice in the checkout.
2. Lower costs
Routing transactions through the cheapest providers, negotiating fees with PSPs, optimizing payouts, and setting up efficient partner payment flows – that’s real money saved. And no one does this better than someone who lives and breathes payments.
3. Healthy cashflow
Managing settlements, payouts, schedules, and account balances. The Head of Payments ensures that money flows where it should, when it should.
4. Compliance
Financial regulations can be unpredictable. Your Head of Payments keeps up with changes, implements requirements (SCA, AML, PSD2, PCI, DORA), and makes sure you’re never caught off guard.
5. Daily operations and scalability
New market? New currency? New payment methods? The Head of Payments not only keeps things running smoothly but also stress-tests processes and prepares your company for growth – without the chaos.
Does your company need one?
You don’t have to be a bank. You don’t even need to be a fintech or a massive enterprise.
If you:
- accept online payments (cards, BLIK, wire transfers, subscriptions),
- operate at a medium or large scale,
- sell in more than one country,
- work with many partners or merchants,
- run a marketplace or e-commerce platform,
- struggle with settlements or chargebacks,
then yes – you need a Head of Payments. Full-time, part-time, or even as an advisor.
What happens if no one owns payments?
Usually, someone “just takes it on.” Or worse – it’s split between a few people:
- The CTO battles APIs and broken integrations,
- The CFO talks to banks and PSPs but doesn’t know the landscape,
- The product owner guesses at the checkout flow,
- Support answers angry customer emails about failed payments,
… and no one actually thinks strategically.
The result? Lost time, lost money, and lost customers. Payments become a bottleneck, not an advantage.
What to look for in a Head of Payments
Let’s say you’re convinced and ready to hire. What skills should you look for?
A great Head of Payments is not just a technical person. They’re strategic. They understand how payments impact the business, have a strong industry network, and know who to call and how to negotiate.
1. Experience with payment providers
They should know the major players (PSPs, acquirers, payout providers), understand their differences, and know how to negotiate. Bonus points for experience with split payments, marketplace settlement, multi-acquiring, or payment orchestration.
2. Technical understanding
They don’t need to code, but they should be able to:
- read API docs,
- talk to developers without friction,
- manage integration and testing processes.
In other words: they don’t panic when the backend team says, “our webhooks are broken.”
3. Regulatory awareness
PSD2, AML, SCA, MiCA, DORA, KYC, PCI, chargebacks, card data – if these acronyms mean nothing to them, that’s a red flag. A solid Head of Payments knows what compliance means and can collaborate with legal and compliance teams.
4. Business thinking
They ask:
- How will this payment method impact our conversion?
- Can we cut payout fees by 0.2%?
- How can we improve cashflow with our current setup?
They work with data, KPIs, and benchmarks. They propose real improvements, not just “keep things running.”
5. Cross-functional collaboration
They talk to product, tech, finance, marketing, support, and execs. They align everyone around a shared payments strategy. They’re not working in a silo – they connect the dots.
6. Experience with international operations
If you’re planning to scale globally, your Head of Payments needs to understand local markets: customer habits, regulations, currencies, settlement models, payouts, and tax implications.
7. Resilience and adaptability
Payments break. Banks update APIs. Chargebacks spike. PSPs freeze funds. Acquirers get acquired.
A good Head of Payments doesn’t panic. They fix the issue, stay calm, and always have a Plan B.
Maybe not full-time?
Not every company needs a Head of Payments on payroll from day one. There are flexible options:
- consulting or advisory services,
- fractional or as-a-service models (1–2 days a week),
- one-off projects (checkout optimization, PSP selection, cost audits).
This makes sense if you’re scaling but don’t yet have the budget or internal know-how.
At z3x, we support companies across Europe and beyond with exactly this kind of service. If you’d like to talk about how we could help your business grow, let us know. Here’s what we do under our Head of Payments-as-a-Service model.
Head of Payments is not a cost – it’s an investment
They make sure your money flows safely, on time, and without friction. They know the market, understand compliance, and speak both tech and finance.
Their work might be invisible, but the results are not.
Invest in payments the same way you invest in product, marketing, or sales. Because in the end – it’s payments that bring money into your business.
