Payments Specialist - iDEAL / SEPA

Engagement: Fixed-term, day-rate contract (10-15 days)
Reports to: Head of Technology / Engagement Lead
Direct reports: None

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Payments Specialist to provide focused expertise ahead of a European market launch.

The role will assess how an existing credit card customer payment lifecycle needs to adapt to support iDEAL and SEPA Direct Debit through Stripe, while retaining credit card payments as an available option.

This is a specification and business analysis engagement, not a delivery or development role. You will analyse the existing payment architecture and customer journeys, identify where iDEAL and SEPA differ from card payments, and produce a detailed implementation-ready specification that the internal software architecture team can translate directly into engineering tasks.

Key Responsibilities

• Review existing payment documentation, payment scenarios and Stripe integration.

• Analyse the current card payment lifecycle, including Stripe API calls and webhook events.

• Work with technical, operational and product stakeholders to validate the current state.

• Define how iDEAL and SEPA Direct Debit should coexist with existing card payments.

• Analyse payment lifecycle differences, including:

  • Initial payments

  • Recurring payments and renewals

  • Failed payments and dunning

  • Refunds and cancellations

  • Pauses and plan/dose changes

  • SEPA mandates, cancellations and expiry

  • Payment reversals

  • Chargebacks and disputes

  • Settlement and payment timing

• Consider the additional financial and operational risks associated with dispatching physical prescription medication following payment.

• Define where in the payment lifecycle it is safe to fulfil and dispatch orders.

• Identify open design decisions, risks and dependencies, providing recommendations where appropriate.

• Produce a structured, implementation-ready specification in Confluence, supported by clear process and payment flow diagrams.

• Participate in technical review and incorporate stakeholder feedback before final handover.

Essential Experience

• Demonstrable experience implementing iDEAL and SEPA Direct Debit through Stripe.

• Strong knowledge of Stripe APIs and webhooks.

• Experience with subscription and recurring payment models.

• Strong understanding of payment failures, dunning, mandates, refunds, reversals and disputes.

• Ability to understand and document API integrations and webhook-driven architectures.

• Experience producing technical specifications that can be translated directly into engineering tasks.

• Strong technical business analysis and solution design capability.

• Experience working independently within a defined, short-term consulting engagement.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Ideal Background

We are particularly interested in candidates with backgrounds including Payments Specialist, Payments Consultant, Payments Business Analyst, Technical Business Analyst, Payments Product Analyst, Payments Architect or Payment Solutions Architect.

Experience with European payments, Stripe Billing, Payment Intents, Setup Intents, subscription lifecycle management and SCA/PSD2 would be highly beneficial.

Spectrum IT Recruitment (South) Limited is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.