Lead Recruiter

We are looking for a Lead Recruiter to become Payforge’s first dedicated recruiter and own recruitment across the company - an ownership role, not a people-management one. Much of our hiring is driven by client engagements at short notice, so we need someone whose local market knowledge and existing network let them put strong candidates forward within days.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own Payforge’s recruitment process end to end and run every search from intake to signed offer: briefing, job ad, sourcing, screening, interviews, references, offer, and handover to onboarding.
• Source candidates swiftly, widening the search to other countries - and learning their market specifics - only when local supply cannot meet demand.
• Build warm talent pools ahead of demand for our core profiles (Java, .NET, Go, QA, Front-end, and payments specialists) so candidates can be presented within days of a new engagement.
• Translate client briefs into Payforge-format job descriptions, removing client-identifying detail where required, and keep the job description library current.
• Screen for AI skills, real seniority, and client-specific constraints such as working-hours overlap and domain experience on the first call.
• Present candidates to clients and prepare them for client interviews. Adapt CVs to client needs without inflating them, confirming any gaps with the candidate and flagging them to the client.
• Advise on compensation by role and market, and recommend salary ranges for job ads.
• Own the applicant-tracking system and recruiting reporting, including GDPR-compliant candidate data handling and metrics such as time-to-hire, conversion ratios, offer acceptance, and retention past probation.
• Keep recruiting records audit-ready for SOC 2: job descriptions, interview records, background checks, offer documentation, and onboarding handover.
• Deliver against a monthly hiring target; the bonus for each hire above target is paid once that hire completes probation.

Required Qualifications:

• Experience: proven high-volume technical recruitment - for example, 1,000+ interviews in the last 18 months - with end-to-end ownership from job ad to accepted offer.
• An established network and deep knowledge of the local technology talent market.
• Enough technical understanding to screen backend, frontend, QA, data, and delivery candidates credibly, including how engineers use AI tools in their work.
• Strong interpersonal skills: building rapport quickly and presenting a company and role compellingly and honestly.
• Self-directed and comfortable being the first recruiter, building process and tooling from scratch.
• Practical use of AI tools in your own recruiting workflow, with the judgement to check their output.
• Fluent in the local language and in English, written and spoken.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Background in a services, consultancy, or outsourcing company, recruiting for and presenting candidates to clients.
• Knowledge of the payments or fintech domain.
• Familiarity with hiring-related compliance (SOC 2, ISO 27001) and GDPR.

What we value?

• Integrity - representing candidates, their experience, and Payforge honestly, every time.
• Ownership & accountability - taking full responsibility for outcomes, from first contact to a hire who succeeds in the role.
• Speed with quality - moving fast when the business needs people, without lowering the bar.
• Relationships & communication - building genuine, lasting connections with candidates, colleagues, and clients.
• Curiosity & adaptability - quickly understanding new roles, technologies, and markets, including how engineers work with AI.

About Payforge

Payforge is a specialist professional-services company focused exclusively on payments and fintech. We help clients deliver high-quality, scalable technology solutions in an evolving global financial landscape.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Payforge is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds.