Chief Data Officer

Job Description

Job Description

WHO WE ARE

At Trustly, we're building a smarter, faster, and more secure financial future by revolutionizing the world of payments. As a global leader in Open Banking Payments, we are establishing Pay by Bank as the new standard at checkout, providing unparalleled freedom, speed, and ease to millions of consumers and merchants worldwide.

Our Ambition: To build the world’s most disruptive payment network and redefine what the payment experience should feel like.

Trustly is a global team of innovators, collaborators, and doers. If you are driven by a strong sense of purpose and thrive in a dynamic, entrepreneurial, and high-growth environment, join us and be part of a team that’s transforming the way the world pays.

About the team 
The Data team at Trustly is the backbone of our decision-making and product innovation. We are a global, multidisciplinary collective of Software Engineers, Data Engineers, Machine Learning Specialists, Scientists, and Analysts who believe that data is more than just rows and columns - it is the fuel for a more transparent financial ecosystem.

We operate at the intersection of high-scale engineering and deep financial intelligence. Our team processes millions of transactions in real time, turning complex Open Banking signals into seamless payment experiences. We pride ourselves on a culture of intellectual curiosity, technical excellence, and extreme ownership. 

About the role
Reporting directly to the Global CTO, the Chief Data Officer (CDO) will serve as Trustly’s most senior data executive, responsible for the strategy, architecture, and execution of the company’s global data program. This is a broad, high-impact mandate: you will own the data platform that underpins our products and operations, the datasets that drive business decisions, the analytics capabilities that serve our internal and external stakeholders, and the machine learning and artificial intelligence initiatives that will define Trustly’s competitive edge in the years ahead.

You will be a key member of the extended C-suite, partnering with the CTO, CPO, CFO, and business leaders across the company to turn data into product, revenue, and risk advantage. You will set the vision for how Trustly thinks about data as a first-class asset, while building and leading the engineering, science, and analytics teams to deliver on that vision at scale.

What you’ll do

 

Global Data Platform & Infrastructure

• Define and execute the strategy for Trustly’s global data platform, including data lakehouse architecture, streaming and batch pipelines, data cataloging, observability, and correctness.
• Own the end-to-end data engineering function, ensuring reliable, scalable, and cost-efficient data infrastructure that serves product, analytics, risk, and compliance use cases across all geographies.
• Drive the evolution of Trustly’s data stack, making deliberate build-vs.-buy decisions and managing a best-in-class ecosystem of data tools and vendors.
• Establish and enforce data standards, taxonomy, and governance frameworks that enable self-service access without sacrificing data quality or integrity.
• Partner with Engineering and Infrastructure teams to ensure the data platform meets the availability, security, and regulatory requirements of a globally operating payments company.

Data Strategy & Key Datasets

• Identify, develop, and steward Trustly’s highest-value proprietary datasets, including transaction-level payment data, bank account intelligence, consumer behavioral signals, and merchant performance data.
• Define a long-term data strategy that turns Trustly’s unique data assets into durable competitive advantages - for risk management, product differentiation, and potential new revenue streams.
• Oversee data governance, data lineage, and master data management programs, ensuring a single source of truth across the organization.
• Champion data quality and reliability as foundational standards, implementing frameworks that ensure confidence in data used for business-critical decisions.
• Collaborate with Legal, Compliance, and Privacy teams to ensure responsible and lawful use of data across all jurisdictions, including under GDPR, CCPA, and relevant open banking data regulations.

Analytics & Business Intelligence

• Build and lead a world-class analytics function that delivers actionable insight to business stakeholders across Product, Finance, Risk, Operations, Sales, and the C-suite.
• Establish a self-service analytics culture, enabling non-technical teams to access, explore, and act on data confidently and safely.
• Own the development of key performance metrics, executive dashboards, and board-level reporting, ensuring data is accessible, accurate, and impactful at every level of the organization.
• Partner with merchant-facing teams to develop external analytics products and insights that deepen Trustly’s value proposition with key partners and enterprise clients.

Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence

• Lead Trustly’s machine learning and AI program, setting the technical vision and organizational structure for applied ML across fraud detection, risk scoring, payment success optimization, personalization, and operational automation.
• Build and grow a team of machine learning engineers and data scientists, establishing rigorous practices for model development, validation, deployment, and monitoring.
• Drive the responsible adoption of generative AI and large language models where they can create meaningful productivity or product value, with appropriate governance and oversight.
• Define and maintain Trustly’s AI ethics and model risk management framework, ensuring fairness, explainability, and regulatory compliance across all deployed models.
• Stay current with the rapidly evolving AI/ML landscape and translate emerging capabilities into concrete business opportunities for Trustly.

Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing, global team of data engineers, analytics engineers, data scientists, ML engineers, and BI analysts.
• Foster a data-driven culture across Trustly, partnering with senior leaders to raise the overall level of data literacy and analytical rigor in decision-making.
• Represent Trustly’s data capabilities externally with partners, regulators, and the broader industry, where relevant.
• Contribute to the broader technology leadership team, collaborating with the CTO and peer executives on cross-cutting strategy and resource allocation.

Who you are

• 15+ years of progressive experience in data engineering, data science, analytics, or a closely related technical discipline, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Demonstrated success building and scaling data platforms and teams in high-growth, data-intensive technology or financial services environments.
• Deep expertise in modern data architecture: cloud data warehouses (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift), data lakes, streaming platforms (Kafka, Flink), and orchestration frameworks.
• Hands-on understanding of machine learning and AI methodologies, with experience overseeing applied ML programs in production at scale.
• Strong command of data governance, data quality, and regulatory compliance requirements relevant to financial services and global data privacy law (GDPR, CCPA).
• Track record of translating complex data strategy into business outcomes, with the communication skills to influence C-suite and Board-level audiences.
• Experience managing geographically distributed, cross-functional data teams in a global organization.
• Prior CDO, VP of Data, or equivalent executive title at a technology company, payments platform, or regulated fintech.
• Experience in payments, open banking, financial services, or another highly regulated, data-rich industry.
• Familiarity with transaction-level payment data, fraud modeling, credit risk scoring, or consumer behavioral analytics in a financial context.
• Proven experience building or scaling ML platforms and MLOps infrastructure for production model deployment and monitoring.
• Experience with generative AI and large language model deployment in an enterprise context.
• Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related quantitative field, or equivalent practical experience.

Applications for this role are accepted on an ongoing basis.

LOCATION & WORKPLACE
This is a hybrid role based out of our San Francisco or New York hubs. We look for team members to be in the office Tuesday through Thursday.

 
SALARY RANGES IN US-BASED ROLE POSTING
Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Recruiters can share more information with applicants about the specific salary range for preferred locations during the hiring process. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only and do not include other perks and benefits.

 
WHAT WE OFFER
At Trustly, you will have the chance to solve meaningful challenges alongside some of the brightest minds in FinTech. Together, we are shaping the future of payments in an environment that celebrates curiosity, collaboration, and innovation. You will be challenged and empowered to grow, making a real impact every step of the way.

 
Our team is as diverse as the global footprint we serve, with colleagues across Silicon Valley, the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Europe, and beyond.  At Trustly, we foster a workplace where everyone feels they belong—a place where teamwork thrives, ideas flourish, and we never forget to have fun along the way.

 
We offer innovative perks and benefits packages that include:
- Flexible paid time off & generous PTO accrual plans
- Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and other insurances
- FSA & HSA plans for medical and dependent care
- Home office set-up allowance
- Internet stipend
- Retirement plan match for 401k and RRSP
- Gender-neutral paid parental leave, and more!
(The benefits and total compensation packages outlined above are for full-time employees; some exclusions apply for temporary positions.)

 
At Trustly, we embrace and celebrate diversity of all forms and the value it brings to our employees and customers. We are proud and committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer and believe an open and inclusive environment enables people to do their best work.  All decisions regarding hiring, advancement, and any other aspects of employment are made solely on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.