Director of Strategic Operations - Payment Network

Capital One•McLean, IL

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Strategic Operations – Payment Network will lead the Business Development Support (BDS) and Product Delivery teams—critical engines within US & Canadian Markets Operations. In this high-impact leadership role, the Director will act as a key change agent, driving operational transformation, modernizing delivery frameworks, and steering complex payment strategies. The BDS team delivers both strategic and tactical consulting expertise to unlock new market opportunities. The Product Delivery team leads the end-to-end execution and strategy for advanced payment solutions (including EMV, transit, 3-D Secure, and digital payments) across a complex ecosystem of global payment partners. The Director will serve as the primary operational and strategic liaison across internal and external stakeholders, leveraging deep payments expertise to challenge legacy processes, accelerate go-to-market execution, and drive measurable business results.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or military experience
At least 8 years of operations, consulting, program or project leadership experience within the payments industry (including payment networks, merchant acquiring, issuing, or digital payments)
At least 5 years of experience leading organizational change initiatives or process transformations
At least 5 years of experience managing, partnering with, and influencing internal and external stakeholders

Nice To Haves

10+ years of deep payments industry experience, with demonstrated mastery of payment network rules, card schemes, and emerging digital payment rails
6+ years of experience leading continuous improvement initiatives (Lean, Six Sigma, Agile, or similar frameworks)
Project Management Professional (PMP) or Prosci Change Management certification

Responsibilities

Serve as a visionary change agent by continuously evaluating end-to-end operational workflows, eliminating friction, and implementing agile delivery practices to accelerate product deployment across the payment ecosystem.
Champion execution strategies for complex, next-generation payment capabilities (EMV, Transit, ProtectBuy, tokenization, and digital wallet integration) across a network of diverse payment partners.
Proactively cultivate and manage high-stakes relationships with internal business units and external network/fintech partners to align on growth initiatives and operational standards.
Partner with internal executives to evaluate market shifts, identify high-growth payment strategies, and translate complex industry requirements into actionable operational plans.
Provide deep payments consulting across client engagement, regulatory/legal approvals, and technical feasibility assessments to guide senior leadership through evolving network rules and market innovations.
Optimize resource capacity and operational infrastructure to sustain day-to-day payment reliability while dynamically scaling to support prioritized, high-growth initiatives.