Product Lead, Payments

Role Overview

• End-to-end product ownership of Astra's payments rails – Visa Direct, Mastercard Move, RTP, FedNow, ACH, and stablecoin – from API contract through settlement and reconciliation.
• The transaction lifecycle: authorization, clearing, settlement, dispute/chargeback handling, and exception management.
• Developer-facing payments primitives: API design, payload schemas, error surfaces, and webhook contracts that serve sophisticated fintech builders.
• Multi-rail routing logic: how Astra selects, fallbacks, and optimizes across rails based on speed, cost, and risk parameters.
• Payments compliance surface: Reg E implications, network rule adherence (VCR framework, dispute windows), and AML/sanctions workflow integration.
• Rail-specific product strategy and roadmap: identifying capability gaps, emerging network features (e.g., RTP request for payment), and net-new monetization opportunities.
• Close partnership with payment operations and engineering on incident response, degraded-rail scenarios, and SLA commitments.
• Write rigorous PRDs and technical specs for complex payment flows, with explicit handling of edge cases, failure modes, and regulatory constraints.
• Own the product roadmap for your surface area – prioritizing ruthlessly across rail expansions, developer experience improvements, and compliance requirements.
• Conduct deep discovery with customers and prospects to surface unmet needs in how they move money.
• Partner with engineering to define API contracts, review implementation, and maintain a high bar on developer ergonomics.
• Collaborate with compliance and legal on network rule changes, NACHA updates, and card network bulletins – translating regulatory inputs into product requirements.
• Work with payment operations to define reconciliation requirements, exception-handling workflows, and ops tooling needs.
• Represent the payments product in customer conversations, sales cycles, and external thought leadership.

Requirements

• 6+ years of product management experience, with at least 3 years building payments products at infrastructure, fintech, or card network depth.
• Hands-on experience with at least two of: ACH, RTP/FedNow, Visa Direct/Mastercard Move, card issuing or acquiring, or stablecoin rails.
• Deep familiarity with the transaction lifecycle – authorization, clearing, settlement, disputes – and the operational mechanics underneath each step.
• Experience navigating Reg E, NACHA operating rules, or Visa/Mastercard network rules as inputs into product requirements.
• Strong API product instincts – you've shipped developer-facing payment APIs and have opinions about what makes them great.
• Comfort operating with ambiguity at the IC level – you don't need a manager to set your agenda.
• Exceptional written communication; you can reduce a complex payment flow to a clear, precise spec.
• Demonstrated ability to influence across engineering, compliance, and operations without direct authority.

Tech Stack

• Ruby on Rails

Benefits

• Competitive compensation with equity in a growing fintech company.
• 100% company paid health insurance for employees.
• 401(k) with company matching.
• Flexible working arrangements.
• Professional growth opportunities in compliance and risk management.
• Mission-driven — build infrastructure that powers financial innovation while meeting the highest regulatory standards.