Lead IT Operations

Are you ready to lead IT Operations hands-on in a Swiss Fintech?

At YAPEAL, we haven’t just entered the market; we’ve redefined Embedded Finance. Recently recognized again by BILANZ as one of the country's most innovative SMEs in financial services, we were the first Swiss Fintech to secure our own FINMA license. The foundation is built. Now, we are scaling through our B2B(2X) model.

To power our next growth phase, we are looking for a Lead IT Operations who takes a holistic view of our entire IT landscape – from cloud platform and deployment pipelines to the digital workplace and information security. You lead a hands-on team, shape our deployment and automation roadmap with Harness and GCP, drive AI-powered operations, and make sure the whole system stays secure, compliant and ready to scale.

Curious to learn more? Explore the role and join us in redefining the future of finance!

About The Role:

In this role, you own the operational backbone of YAPEAL. You lead and empower our IT Operations team, and set the direction for modern cloud engineering and deployment automation.

While our software engineers write the core business logic, you coordinate engineering efforts from an infrastructure perspective – ensuring that the frameworks, pipelines and harnesses integrating LLMs into our tech stack are robust, secure and production-ready. You push for AI-powered operational efficiency (AIOps), step in during critical incidents, and ensure Security-by-Design is deeply embedded across all environments. Partnering closely with our Risk & Compliance team, you translate regulatory and AI governance requirements into secure, high-performing technical solutions.

Expect a Day Full of:

IT Operations Leadership & Team Management:

• Serving as Product Owner and Lead for IT Operations: setting priorities, coordinating change management, and approving production releases.

• Fostering a high-performing, hands-on team culture; mentoring the hybrid team in continuous improvement and modern operational standards.

• Managing incident response, triage, root-cause analyses, and maintaining SLA compliance across internal and external operational requests.

AI & Deployment Orchestration (Harness & Cloud Strategy):

• Shaping our roadmap for automated CI/CD pipelines, GitOps, and release engineering utilizing Harness and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

• Driving the integration of AI-assisted operational tooling (AIOps) to continuously optimize monitoring, capacity management, and pipeline efficiency.

• Maintaining architectural oversight of GCP environments, containerization (Kubernetes), and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) standards.

Digital Workplace & End-User IT:

• Owning our digital workplace: devices, collaboration tools (e.g., Google Workspace), identity and access management, and SaaS landscape.

• Ensuring a secure, seamless and efficient working environment for all employees.

• Bringing workplace IT and platform operations together, so changes in one area are designed with their impact on the other in mind.

Security & Regulatory Mastery:

• Steering our Information Security Strategy and acting as the official technical security contact.

• Translating Information Security and FINMA requirements pragmatically into team workflows, pipelines and code.

• Executing Internal Control System (IKS) procedures, Business Continuity Management (BCM), and serving as a key member of the Crisis Management Team.

Who We’re Looking For:

Leadership & Operational Experience:

• Proven experience in leading IT Operations, Cloud Operations, or DevOps teams, ideally in agile or product-centric setups.

• "Lead by example" mindset. You understand the underlying tech (GCP, CI/CD, Kubernetes) and are comfortable making technical decisions, troubleshooting incidents, and guiding the team.

• Systems thinker: you see the connections between infrastructure, workplace IT, security and business needs, and optimize end-to-end.

Modern Tech & AI Vision:

• Strong technical background in Google Cloud Platform (GCP), cloud architecture, and modern deployment frameworks (e.g., Harness, Jenkins, GitOps).

• High curiosity and strong interest in leveraging AI tools to drive automation, efficiency, and smart operations.

• Solid understanding of Infrastructure as Code (Terraform) and scripting concepts.

Pragmatic Security & Regulatory Understanding:

• Solid grasp of Information Security frameworks (ISO 27001, Data Protection / FADP / GDPR) and Swiss fintech regulatory requirements (FINMA).

• Strong communication skills to bridge technical team discussions, business requirements and regulatory audit interviews.

Why Join YAPEAL?

At YAPEAL, we’re on a mission to transform the future of finance, and we’re looking for visionaries like you to join our journey. Here’s why YAPEAL is maybe your place to be:

A Modern Tech Platform & How We Build
Our embedded finance platform runs cloud-native on Google Cloud, using Kubernetes, Infrastructure as Code and GitOps-driven deployments with Harness. We work in small cross-functional teams, ship frequently, and actively use AI in development and operations. You’ll join a team where engineering quality, automation and Security-by-Design are part of everyday work.

A Culture of Innovation and Flexibility
Be part of a collaborative, forward-thinking team that values creativity, flexibility, and customer success. At YAPEAL, every idea matters, and every voice counts. We give our people all the flexibility they need to thrive and succeed.

Unmatched Growth Opportunities
As an expanding company, we will rely on your contribution to directly shape our success and market presence. This is your chance to grow with us and make a tangible impact on the future of finance.

If this sounds like the challenge you’ve been waiting for, we’d love to hear from you.