Global Head of Professional Services -SMSTR114

About the Role

Smartstream Technologies is seeking a transformational leader to take on the newly created role of Global Head of Professional Services. This is a senior, commercially accountable position that will define how Professional Services operates across Smartstream’s Smart Reconciliations product suite — comprising Smart Reconciliations Premium, Smart Reconciliations Corona, and AIR.

Based in India and leading a globally distributed team through four regional heads, the successful candidate will drive a fundamental shift in the way the function delivers value: harnessing AI-enabled tooling and modern delivery practices to raise productivity, shorten time-to-value for customers, and underpin sustainable commercial growth.

This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of Professional Services at one of the most established names in financial technology operations — with full P&L ownership and a mandate to innovate.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Transformation

Define and execute the global Professional Services strategy, aligned to Smartstream’s growth objectives across the Smart Reconciliations product portfolio.

Lead a programme of transformational change across the function, with AI-driven automation and tooling at its core, to materially improve delivery efficiency and scalability.

Build a culture of continuous improvement, data-driven decision-making, and customer-centricity across all regions.

Act as a senior management sponsor for key strategic customer engagements and escalations.

Commercial Accountability

Own and deliver bookings, revenue, and gross margin targets for the Professional Services practice globally.

Partner with Sales and Pre-Sales to shape commercial propositions, statements of work, and pricing strategy.

Drive cross-sell and upsell opportunities within the existing customer base in close collaboration with Account Management.

Monitor and manage the financial health of the practice, including utilisation, billing efficiency, and cost management.

AI & Operational Innovation

Champion the adoption of AI tools across Professional Services to accelerate implementation cycles, improve quality, and reduce delivery cost.

Identify opportunities to productise repeatable service offerings and build scalable delivery frameworks.

Establish and maintain robust programme governance, project controls, and reporting standards.

Drive the development of IP, accelerators, and methodologies that differentiate Smartstream’s service delivery.

People Leadership

Lead, develop, and inspire four regional heads based in Singapore, Bangalore, Vienna, and New York, fostering a cohesive global team culture.

Set clear performance objectives, provide regular coaching, and manage talent development and succession planning.

Build capability across the function through structured hiring, training, and knowledge-sharing programmes.

Create an inclusive environment that attracts and retains high-calibre professionals in each region.

Customer & Stakeholder Engagement

Serve as a senior point of contact for strategic customers, ensuring high satisfaction levels and long-term partnership.

Work closely with Product Management and Engineering to feed customer and delivery insights back into the product roadmap.

Represent Professional Services at industry events, client advisory boards, and executive business reviews.

Collaborate with the broader Smartstream leadership team on go-to-market strategy and market positioning.

Requirements

Essential Experience & Qualifications

Significant experience leading Professional Services or Delivery organisations within enterprise software, ideally in financial technology or capital markets.

Demonstrable track record of P&L ownership with responsibility for bookings, revenue, and margin performance.

Experience leading geographically distributed teams, with the ability to inspire and align across cultures and time zones.

Proven success delivering complex, enterprise-scale implementation programmes in financial institutions.

Strong commercial acumen with experience in deal structuring, pricing, and negotiation.

Hands-on experience with, or a clear vision for, embedding AI and automation into service delivery operations.

Desirable

Domain knowledge in reconciliations or data management within capital markets back-office operations.

Familiarity with Smartstream product suites or comparable platforms (e.g., Intellimatch, TLM, FIS, Broadridge).

Experience working with tier-1 investment banks, custodians, or large asset managers.

Track record of building and scaling a professional services practice through periods of organisational change.

MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification.

Leadership Attributes

Transformational mindset. A genuine change agent who challenges the status quo and builds momentum behind a compelling vision.

Commercial drive. Motivated by growth, comfortable with accountability, and skilled at balancing short-term targets with long-term value creation.

Customer obsession. Puts client outcomes at the centre of every decision without compromising on commercial sustainability.

Collaborative by nature. Builds strong working relationships across Sales, Product, Engineering, and Finance — and earns trust at every level.

Decisive under pressure. Able to navigate ambiguity and make well-reasoned decisions in complex, fast-moving environments.

Inclusive leadership. Creates psychological safety, values diverse perspectives, and develops people with genuine care and commitment.

Benefits

A senior leadership role with real global scope and executive visibility.

Full commercial accountability and the mandate to drive meaningful, lasting change.

A supportive culture that values innovation, collaboration, and professional growth.

Competitive compensation package commensurate with the seniority and responsibility of the role.

The opportunity to leave a lasting mark on how a world-class fintech delivers for its customers.