Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Location: Remote or Austin, TX (Relocation Support Available)
Travel: First 2 weeks of each quarter on-site + minimum 1 week per month
Industry: SaaS Payments | Private Equity–Backed
Compensation: Competitive base salary + performance bonus + equity
Position Overview
Our client, a high-growth SaaS payments platform recently acquired by a private equity firm, is seeking a visionary and execution-focused Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead the company through its next phase of scale, operational excellence, and market expansion. This role is responsible for defining long-term strategy, elevating the operating model, building a best-in-class executive team, and driving growth in product, sales, customer success, finance, and technology.
The CEO can be based remotely, with relocation to Austin, Texas fully supported for the ideal candidate. A structured on-site cadence is expected to maintain alignment with the executive team and PE sponsor.
This is an opportunity to transform a newly acquired PE-backed SaaS platform into a scalable, category-defining payments leader.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Value Creation
- Develop and execute a forward-looking strategic roadmap aligned with PE value-creation objectives.
- Partner with the board and private equity firm on quarterly initiatives, performance KPIs, and capital allocation decisions.
- Lead the company through operational transformation and modernization across technology, product, and GTM.
Executive Team Development
- Build, mentor, and empower a top-tier executive leadership team across Product, Engineering, Sales, Customer Success, Finance, and Operations.
- Establish a performance-driven culture emphasizing accountability, transparency, and measurable results.
- Recruit additional leadership talent as needed to level up organizational capabilities.
Product, Technology & Innovation
- Guide product strategy to enhance platform functionality, integrations, embedded payments capabilities, and user experience.
- Drive innovation in payments automation, security, reporting, and API-driven expansion.
- Ensure the technology roadmap supports scalability and long-term competitive differentiation.
Commercial Growth & Go-To-Market Execution
- Oversee sales and marketing strategy to accelerate ARR growth and improve customer acquisition and retention.
- Refine pricing, packaging, GTM motions, and value propositions across core markets and verticals.
- Build and expand channel partnerships, enterprise programs, and vertical-specific offerings.
Operational & Financial Leadership
- Lead financial performance including P&L ownership, budgeting, forecasting, and KPI development.
- Strengthen systems, processes, and operational rigor required to support SaaS scalability.
- Drive efficiencies across customer onboarding, implementation, support, and lifecycle management.
Stakeholder Management
- Maintain strong and proactive communication with the board, private equity sponsors, and internal leaders.
- Provide clear updates on financial performance, risks, strategic priorities, and long-term company direction.
Qualifications
Required
- Proven CEO, COO, President, or GM-level leadership in SaaS, ideally in fintech, payments, embedded finance, or transaction-processing platforms.
- Experience operating in a private equity–backed environment, including execution against value-creation plans.
- Demonstrated success scaling recurring revenue businesses, driving margin expansion, and leading organizational transformation.
- Strong people leadership with a history of building high-performing executive teams.
- Willingness to follow required on-site cadence:
- First 2 weeks of each quarter in Austin
- At least 1 week per month onsite thereafter
Preferred
- Payments or financial technology experience (merchant services, payment orchestration, payfac-as-a-service, API-driven payment solutions).
- Background in M&A integration, commercial scaling, or product-led growth initiatives.
- Ability to partner closely with technology and product teams to drive innovation.
Why This Opportunity
- A newly acquired platform with immediate runway for transformation and growth.
- Ability to build and shape a world-class executive leadership team.
- Direct alignment with PE sponsors heavily invested in scale, modernization, and operational excellence.
- Opportunity to relocate to Austin, one of the nation’s leading tech and innovation markets—fully supported.
- Remote flexibility for candidates who prefer to remain based elsewhere, with structured travel.