Director, Product Operations – Wallets and Card Issuance

Western Union•Atlanta, GA

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Product Operations – Wallets and Card Issuance shapes and executes product operations strategy for account-based products, including digital wallets, payment systems, and core account platforms. The role oversees end-to-end operations for core account services, payment wallets, and embedded finance products, with a focus on operational efficiency, scalability, reliability, risk controls, fraud management, and seamless daily execution. This leader serves as a product operations subject matter expert across cards, account origination and maintenance, settlement, clearing, and reconciliation. The position defines product requirements and direction, improves operational policies and procedures, advances automation and digital transformation, and ensures regulatory compliance and customer safety. It coordinates product readiness and delivery across digital and retail channels, including launches, upgrades, migrations, and sunsetting, while monitoring performance metrics and resolving operational issues. The Director is the US Wallet product operations liaison among product, engineering, compliance, risk, customer operations, and external partners. The role also works with partner banks, fintechs, and vendors; develops fraud prevention and risk management requirements; collaborates on monitoring and incident response tools; and leads investigations of suspicious activity and periodic risk assessments with legal and compliance teams.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, operations, finance, information systems, or a related field.
At least 10 years of experience in banking operations, payments, core account services, or financial services product operations.
At least 5 years of experience in a leadership role.
Deep knowledge of US-based card issuing and digital wallets.
Deep knowledge of US payment systems, including ACH, wires, RTP, and card networks, as well as banking regulations and compliance requirements.
Proven experience managing operational risk, fraud prevention, incident response, and regulatory audits.
Strong technical understanding of core banking platforms, APIs, digital wallets, and embedded finance ecosystems.
Track record of leading large-scale operational improvement projects and successful product launches.
Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, including using data to drive operational outcomes.
Outstanding communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management abilities.
Demonstrated ability to build and lead high-performing teams in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

Oversee end-to-end product operations for core account services, payment wallets, and embedded finance products to drive efficiency, scalability, and reliability.
Serve as a product operations subject matter expert for cards, account origination, account maintenance, settlement, clearing, and reconciliation.
Develop and implement product requirements and directions that influence internal policies and procedures.
Drive product improvements to meet regulatory standards and best practices and help keep customer services safe and secure.
Champion automation and digital transformation initiatives to improve the speed and accuracy of operational workflows.
Lead continuous improvement efforts, anticipate operational risks, and ensure solutions are scalable and future-proof.
Manage internal and external product operations and ensure integration and performance across platforms and channels.
Serve as the US Wallet product operations liaison among product, engineering, compliance, risk, customer operations, and external partners.
Oversee operational readiness for US Wallet products and services, including launches, upgrades, migrations, and sunsetting, while minimizing business disruption.
Monitor and report product operations metrics, conduct root cause analysis, and execute rapid response plans.
Own operational delivery of key features across digital and retail channels, including card processing, wallet integrations, and API-based offerings.
Work with partner banks, fintechs, and third-party vendors to ensure operational standards and service-level agreements are consistently met.
Define requirements for fraud prevention and risk management strategies for payments and core account services, including limit management, and collaborate with internal partners to implement them.
Collaborate with data analytics and engineering teams to develop real-time monitoring tools and incident response frameworks.
Ensure products and operations comply with applicable regulations and industry standards, including BSA/AML, Reg E, Reg Z, NACHA, and PCI DSS.
Lead investigations of suspicious activities and partner with legal and compliance teams on periodic risk assessments.
Build and lead high-performing teams in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.