Job Description

Overview:

Downtown Music's (Downtown) global ecosystem supports millions of creators, rights holders and their partners to manage their music as a business and get paid fairly for their work. Across its four core divisions - Publishing, Distribution, Artist & Label Services and Royalties & Financial Services - Downtown collectively serves over 5,000 business clients and reaches over 4 million creators & artists in 145 countries.



Downtown-owned Curve is a royalty system designed by music royalties experts who understand the needs of the music industry today and tomorrow. It is a powerful and complete solution for managing your catalogue's rights and processing royalties related to both Recorded Music & Publishing. Curve is an advanced music royalties toolset which caters to multiple types of deals and complex deal scenarios, including, but not limited to, profit share, net receipt deals, crossed contracts, mechanical liability deductions, controlled composition clauses and black box revenue distribution. It can handle complex royalty rates and terms, and rapidly calculate royalties using massive volumes of income data. For Publishers, Curve also offers work registration features. Ingesting millions of lines of data and producing statements takes minutes and hours versus days and weeks. When it comes to music royalties, Curve covers it all.



Curve Royalties has recently introduced Curve Payments Feature, marking a significant step in its product and services evolution. Downtown is seeking a VP of Payments to spearhead the development and execution of its growth strategy in Payments. This role will be instrumental in driving substantial growth as Curve Payments Feature transitions from its MVP stage into a mature and widely adopted solution.



The ideal candidate will possess a profound understanding of the intricate global payments landscape, exhibit exceptional strategic thinking capabilities and demonstrate a proven track record of driving significant business expansion within the financial technology sector. This individual will be a key leader in shaping Downtown's payment strategy and ensuring its successful implementation.

This position can based in London or Amsterdam

Key Outcomes:

Achieve widespread adoption of Curve Payments Feature among Downtown's diverse clientele, establishing it as a core and preferred payment solution. This includes developing targeted strategies and commercial models for different client segments and ensuring seamless integration with existing Downtown systems and workflows Establish comprehensive global coverage for Downtown's payment solutions, enabling efficient and compliant payment processing across various international markets and currencies. This will involve navigating complex regulatory environments and building strategic partnerships with international payment providers Develop and implement a robust and adaptable pricing strategy for Curve Payments Feature, catering to the diverse needs and scales of Downtown's client base. This will require a deep understanding of market dynamics, competitive offerings and the value proposition of Curve Payments Feature

What You Do:

Assume overall responsibility and accountability for Payments business goals, including revenue targets, adoption rates, flow through volumes and client satisfaction metrics Evolve the current overarching business plan and commercial strategy for Payments, adapting to market trends, competitive pressures and client needs. This includes identifying new opportunities for growth, refining the product roadmap in collaboration with product and technology teams and developing innovative go-to-market strategies Design and deploy end-to-end operational workflows, identify bottlenecks and drive process improvements to support client's use of the platform and nurture business growth Develop and deliver comprehensive training programs for the Business Development team, equipping them with the knowledge, skills and resources necessary to effectively promote and sell Curve Payments Feature to both new and existing clients. This will involve creating compelling sales collateral, conducting product demonstrations and providing ongoing support to the BD team Take full ownership of relationships with existing and potential payment providers, including rigorous due diligence, contract negotiation and ongoing performance management. This also entails proactively identifying and onboarding new vendors to expand global reach, enhance functionality and optimise cost-effectiveness Ensure unwavering compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements and industry standards across all jurisdictions where Curve Payments Feature operates. This includes staying abreast of evolving regulations, implementing robust compliance controls and working closely with legal and compliance teams Collaborate closely and effectively with the Royalties and Financial Services product and technology teams to contribute to the ongoing development and enhancement of the Curve Payments Feature product. This involves ensuring optimal user flow, prioritising business critical feature requests and ensuring seamless integration with other Downtown systems Work in close partnership with the Splits & Payments Distribution team to thoroughly understand their specific requirements and ensure that Curve Payments Feature effectively meets their operational needs and workflows for accurate and timely payment distribution. This includes gathering feedback, addressing pain points and collaboratively designing solutions that streamline payment processes for Splits & Payments clients Provide regular and insightful reports on the progress of the Payments business to senior management, highlighting key performance indicators, strategic initiatives, challenges and opportunities. This requires strong analytical skills, clear communication and the ability to present complex information in a concise and understandable manner

Who You Are:

Deep expertise in the global payments ecosystem, with an understanding of cross-border transactions, regulatory environments and emerging fintech innovations Demonstrates a proven track record of driving substantial business growth and product adoption in the financial technology sector, ideally in a B2B or platform context Exhibits exceptional strategic thinking with the ability to define vision, shape commercial models and translate complex requirements into scalable solution Brings strong leadership experience, including managing strategic partnerships, negotiating contracts and influencing diverse internal and external stakeholders Thrives in high-growth, fast-paced environments where ambiguity is the norm and proactive, solution-oriented thinking is essential Experience building and optimising operational processes to support complex, data-driven products and ensure client success Understands compliance and regulatory frameworks related to international payments and is adept at navigating evolving requirements Highly collaborative leader who can partner effectively with product, engineering, legal, sales and client operations teams * Excellent communication skills; capable of articulating strategy, presenting insights and building alignment across teams and senior leadership