About the Role?
The Head of Technology is a pivotal leadership role responsible for steering Zai’s technology function to align with business objectives and meet customer needs. As a member of the Business Operations leadership team, this role demands a results-driven individual with a strong focus on accountability for delivery timelines and operational excellence.
The Head of Technology will lead and manage the engineering and infrastructure teams, ensuring the timely and efficient delivery of technology solutions that meet both customer and business expectations. Additionally, this role is accountable for maintaining the performance and uptime of systems, ensuring their reliability and availability to effectively support customer needs.
About Zai?
Zai is a leading Australian fintech payments provider headquartered in Melbourne, with over a decade of experience and supported by SC Ventures by Standard Chartered, the innovation and ventures unit of Standard Chartered Bank. We empower businesses to streamline complex payment workflows with our all-in-one solution, enabling automation and simplifying payment reconciliation so enterprises can scale securely and confidently.
Our flexible integration options cater to diverse business needs, offering a CMS plugin for quick setup, low-code tools for customised workflows, and direct API access for complete control. Zai supports a wide range of payment methods, including credit card acceptance, direct debit, BPAY and next-generation account-to-account payments such as PayID and PayTo.
Learn more about our journey at www.zaipayments.com
What you will be doing?
Develop and implement technical strategies that align with the company’s overall business goals.
Lead the engineering and infrastructure teams, ensuring optimal performance across all technical departments.
Drive team performance by setting clear expectations, overseeing work allocation, and maintaining high standards for technical delivery.
Own and be fully accountable for technical delivery processes, ensuring technology projects are completed on time and within scope.
Monitor and enforce timelines, hold teams accountable for delivery schedules, and proactively manage risks and bottlenecks.
Work in partnership with the Head of Product to schedule and prioritise work effectively.
Build mechanisms for sizing work, ensuring accurate estimations of cost, time & effort.
Establish and maintain governance processes to ensure the delivery of high-quality, secure, and reliable technology solutions.
Develop and implement disaster recovery and business continuity plans to mitigate risks related to technology.
Champion the use of agile methodologies to improve delivery efficiency, reduce development timelines, and foster team collaboration.
Work with the Project Mangers, Product Managers and Tech Leads to establish standardised processes for consistent delivery across teams.
Develop and implement metrics and measures to track performance and system operations, including system uptime, reliability, and overall performance, ensuring alignment with business objectives and customer expectations.
Provide reporting to the Chief Operations Officer, detailing key metrics, progress, risks, and areas for improvement to support informed decision-making.
Manage and collaborate with external vendors to ensure operational efficiency.
Own the end-to-end system architecture across the organisation, including application, platform, infrastructure, integration, and security architecture.
Lead internal IT operations, including end-user technology, workplace systems, identity and access management, device management, and internal support services.
Partner with risk, compliance, security, and operational stakeholders to maintain PCI DSS compliance and support audits, assessments, remediation activities, and evidence gathering.
What we are looking for?
Proven experience in senior technology leadership roles, managing engineering and infrastructure teams in dynamic, customer-focused environments.
Demonstrated ability to deliver technology projects on time, within scope, and with a strong emphasis on accountability and operational excellence.
Expertise in managing SaaS and customer-facing systems, with a focus on uptime, reliability, and performance.
Strong knowledge of agile methodologies, modern technology stacks, and best practices for system design and delivery.
A practical, team-oriented approach with the ability to foster collaboration and drive alignment across teams.
Excellent communication skills, capable of translating between business and technical stakeholders to ensure projects remain aligned with objectives.
Ability to maintain a big-picture perspective, stay abreast of emerging technical trends, and think strategically about the company’s technology direction.
Familiarity with the latest tools and industry trends, with prior experience in the payments, banking, or finance industries being beneficial.
Experience and knowledge of security frameworks, guidelines and standards such as PCI DSS, ISO27001, ISM, SOC2, NIST, OWASP is essential.
Key Success Metrics
Timely delivery of technology projects meeting quality and scope expectations.
Achievement of uptime and reliability targets for customer-facing systems.
High levels of engagement, collaboration, and retention within technology teams.
Successful alignment of technology initiatives with business objectives and customer outcomes.
- Ongoing maintenance of PCI DSS compliance, with successful audit outcomes and timely remediation of identified gaps.
Competencies
Leadership: Exceptional ability to inspire, lead, and develop high-performing teams.
Delivery Management: Proven track record in managing delivery schedules, mitigating risks, and ensuring accountability.
Strategic Vision: Ability to design and execute a technology roadmap aligned with business goals.
Technical Expertise: In-depth understanding of system architecture, cloud infrastructure, and performance optimisation.
Problem-Solving: Strong capability to identify challenges and implement effective, data-driven solutions.
Communication: Skilled in engaging stakeholders across technical and non-technical domains.
Key Stakeholders
People Management
Perks?
- 💰 Competitive salary package and benefits
- 🏠 Flexible hybrid working options (3 days WFH)
- 🏝️ 5 weeks of annual leave as standard
- 👶🏼 12 weeks paid parental leave (4 weeks for secondary carers)
- 🏠 One-off working from home allowance
- 💰 Salary sacrificing options
- 🚗 Novated leasing options
- 🌱 Work remotely from anywhere in the world for 4 weeks every year
- 🧠 An innovative, inclusive, and collaborative team culture
- 💼 A beautiful CBD office with perks near Parliament Station
- 🤸♂️ A flexible, fun work environment where you’ll learn every day
Ready to join the mission? Apply now!
Equal Opportunity at Zai
Zai is an equal opportunity employer committed to building an inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without bias to education, race, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, or age. If you need specific assistance or adjustments during the application process, please let us know, we’re here to help.
