Lead, mentor, and develop the Onboarding, Risk, and Underwriting teams to ensure high performance and continuous professional growth.
Oversee the full merchant onboarding lifecycle, including application intake, verification, documentation, and activation.
Manage underwriting operations, ensuring timely and accurate risk assessments, consistent application of approval guidelines, and appropriate escalation practices.
Monitor portfolio risk by analyzing behavior, transaction trends, and early warning indicators to identify and mitigate potential exposure.
Establish, refine, and enforce risk policies aligned with industry standards, regulatory requirements, and card brand rules.
Collaborate with Legal, Compliance, Product, Engineering, and Support to streamline workflows and resolve escalations.
Optimize operational efficiency by identifying bottlenecks, recommending improvements, and implementing automation where appropriate.
Ensure high-quality data management, accurate reporting, and visibility into operational KPIs for leadership.
Participate in initiatives related to fraud prevention, compliance, and PayFac regulatory obligations.
Support system enhancements, including evaluating tools and partnering with Product/Engineering on requirements and testing.
Willingness to travel for work assignments and maintain a valid passport.
Participate in after-hours on-call rotation as required by leadership.

Strong understanding of payment processing, merchant onboarding workflows, and risk evaluation principles.
Familiarity with KYC/KYB, AML, OFAC/sanctions screening, and PCI compliance.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong analytical and problem‑solving abilities.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment.
Proficiency with CRMs, risk tools, and operational workflow systems.
Knowledge of payment fee structures (interchange, assessments, pricing models, surcharging, PayFac fee models).
3–5+ years of experience in payments, merchant acquiring, PayFac operations, or fintech.
Experience managing underwriting, risk, or onboarding teams.
Strong understanding of payment workflows (authorization, settlement, chargebacks).
Experience with strategic planning, process optimization, and operational scaling.
Familiarity with leveraging AI‑based tools to improve workflows and decision‑making.

Payment Operations Manager

Key skills