Senior Funding Specialist

Senior Funding Specialist, Leanpay Group

Main Task and Goals

The Senior Funding Specialist will be responsible for leading Leanpay's funding strategy and execution across its markets, ensuring sufficient, stable, and cost-optimized liquidity to support Leanpay's ambitious growth. In the period 2025–2028 Leanpay plans to originate over €600 million in consumer loans across at least two markets (Slovenia, Romania, and potentially others).

Reporting will be to the Leanpay Cofounder responsible for funding.

The Senior Funding Specialist will have the following over-arching goals for the period :

• Enable Leanpay to fulfil its ambitious growth plans by developing sufficient and appropriate funding capabilities,
• Maintain and further develop high-quality relationships with existing funding partners in Slovenia and Romania,
• Secure new, more cost-efficient funding solutions, in 2026 with a special focus on Romania,
• Develop new funding markets and instruments beyond bank partnerships, including alternative funds and platforms,
• Lead the setup and potential launch of Leanpay's own Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) for institutional investors,
• Drive funding-related operational tasks, business development and project management, ensuring Leanpay remains balance-sheet light, scalable, and profitable.

Responsibilities

Funding Strategy Execution

• Contribute to Leanpay's long-term strategy by developing the funding network and solutions into a core strategic pillar.
• Lead Leanpay's group-level funding development, aligned with business growth targets (over €600m loans issued 2025–2028).
• Structure and negotiate new Forward Flow / Forward Flow + Repurchase (FF+R) agreements with banks and other financial institutions.
• Actively seek and bring market intelligence and best practices to strengthen Leanpay's competitiveness and funding model. Evaluate and execute new funding models, including international securitizations, alternative platforms, and wholesale facilities.
• Develop the business case, structure, and lead the implementation of Leanpay's own Alternative Investment Fund.

Relationship Management, Funding oversight, and day-to-day tasks

• Manage existing strategic partnerships with banks and other funding partners in Slovenia and Romania, ensuring trust, performance, and continuous improvements.
• Onboard new funding partners, focusing on securing lower-cost, stable funding, especially in Romania.
• Act as Leanpay's senior representative in negotiations and relationship management with institutional investors, advisors, and regulators.
• Monitor Leanpay markets for key metrics like interest rates, cost of funds, risk-sharing structures, and funding partner profitability to optimize Leanpay's results.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory and contractual obligations across all markets and partners about funding for Leanpay loans origination and outstanding portfolio.
• Regularly assess and report on funding capacity, risks, and partner satisfaction to Leanpay's management. Prepare presentations, reports, and updates for Leanpay leadership, investors, and funding partners.

Business Development & Project Management

• Lead funding-related projects end-to-end: preparation, due diligence, structuring, coordination of technical onboarding together with the Leanpay dedicated technical team, and pilot phases.
• Cooperate with and coordinate internal teams (Finance, Risk, Legal, Tech, Operations) and external stakeholders (banks, investors, regulators, advisors) to achieve funding goals.
• Cooperate internally to ensure funding processes are integrated with Leanpay's operations (reporting, IT/data exchange, risk & compliance, collections).

Requirements for the Position

Experience & Expertise

• 5+ years of relevant experience in funding, treasury, debt capital markets, structured finance, or banking/fintech funding.
• Proven track record in structuring, negotiating, and managing institutional funding solutions (e.g., securitizations, forward flow, funds, wholesale facilities).
• Strong understanding of consumer lending, fintech funding models, and risk-sharing structures.
• Advantage: experience in CEE markets, especially Romania.

Skills

• Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder management skills, comfortable engaging with C-level executives, investors, and regulators.
• Strong project management and business development skills; able to independently lead complex multi-party funding projects from start to finish.
• Financial modelling and analytical skills to assess funding structures and economics.
• Understanding of legal, regulatory, and compliance aspects of funding structures.

Personal Attributes

• Independent, proactive, and accountable, with strong problem-solving skills.
• Strategic thinker with a hands-on approach.
• Comfortable navigating uncertainty and negotiating complex situations.

Education & Other

• University degree in finance, economics, business, or similar (advanced degree a plus).
• Fully fluent in English (written and spoken); additional CEE languages an advantage.
• Proficient in the use of new technologies (including AI) and also MS Excel, PowerPoint, and Word; experience with reporting tools.
• Willingness to travel across markets (Slovenia, Romania, others as needed).

Potential for advancement and career development

• Subject to fulfilling goals and living Leanpay values, the Senior Funding Specialist will be a natural candidate for the position of Leanpay C-level Funding VP within 15-24 months.
• Other career paths are also possible – for example, in the finance area or being a part of management of Leanpay specific single country business.

Other

• Assumed (preferred) location for this position is Ljubljana, Slovenia, but Leanpay will consider candidates that would reside in Belgrade, Serbia, Bucharest, Romania, or Vienna, Austria.
• 3 months' probation period, then full employment; Leanpay will also consider other arrangements, such as a long-term service agreement, but does require the candidate to dedicate its working time 100% for Leanpay and disengage from other projects