Principal - Emerging Payments

Velera

About The Position

Join the People Helping People Velera is the nation’s premier payments credit union service organization (CUSO) and an integrated fintech solutions provider. The company serves more than 4,000 financial institutions throughout North America, operating with velocity to help our clients keep pace with the rapid momentum of change and fuel growth in the new era of financial services. Our purpose: We accelerate partners’ success through innovative financial technology solutions and inspired service. Basic Function The Principal, Emerging Payments will support Velera’s emerging technology efforts and will drive the strategy, development, launch, and commercialiazation of innovative payment products and solutions.This role will shape the next generation of payment capabilities – spanning emerging technologies, real-time payments, digital wallets, embedded finance and other new rails – while ensuring initiatives align with enterprise strategy, partner needs and market opportunity.This role will partner cloesly with internal business units, technology teams, community financial institutions, fintech partners and external networks to translate strategic opportunities into scalable offerings that unlock value across the Velera network.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, or other related field or equivalent combination of education and experience required.
Ten to fifteen (10-15) years of experience in payments, fintech, banking technology, or related innovation roles.
Extensive industry experience in digital payments, faster payments, card networks, fraud/risk, and emerging payment rails.
Proven ability to lead complex cross‑functional initiatives with enterprise-level visibility.
Demonstrated success of defining strategy and delivering on execution- bringing new payment products or services to market.
Exceptional strategic thinking, communication, storytelling, and executive influence skills.
Ability to navigate ambiguity, operate at both strategic and execution levels, and deliver results in fast-paced environments.
Experience working with or supporting credit unions, community banks, or network‑based ecosystems.
Familiarity with ISO 20022, tokenization, authentication technologies, and real-time payment infrastructures.
Analytical mindset with strong business case and financial modeling capabilities.
Entrepreneurial approach with a passion for innovation and customer-centric design.
Demonstrate behaviors based on Velera core values: Dedication, Collaboration, Belonging, Curiosity, and Integrity.
Understanding of the financial services industry and associated payments industry and products.
Knowledge of mergers & acquisitions process, diligence process, valuation analysis.
Execution of strategic planning and forecasting.
Ability to lead and execute on strategic initiatives.
Ability to quickly and intuitively grasp how new products, complementary business models, and creative transaction structures could impact the company from a strategic and financial perspective.
Ability to represent the company to relevant organizations inside and outside the credit union system.
Excellent communication and project management skills.
Strong analytical skills and ability to present analysis in an impactful and concise manner.
Ability to represent Velera as a thought leader, speaker and content creator.
Strong executive communication skills and presence.
Ability to manage relationships, solve problems and provide consultation to senior leaders across Velera, credit unions, fintechs and other industry partners.

Nice To Haves

MBA Preferred

Responsibilities

Identify, evaluate, and prioritize emerging payment trends, technologies, and market opportunities aligned to Velera’s strategic roadmap.
Lead cross-functional development of multi-year payment strategies, including business cases, financial modeling, market sizing, and impact analysis.
Serve as a cross-functional change agent for the organization, collaborating with multiple internal and external partners in an ongoing effort to ensure a holistic approach to commercialization that is smooth and easy to maneuver.
Maintain deep understanding of competitive dynamics, regulatory developments, and partner needs within the payment’s ecosystem.
Support end‑to‑end innovation lifecycle—from ideation and concept validation through pilot, commercialization, and scaling.
Lead the strategy and the design of new payment products, services, and features that advance Velera’s position in digital payments, faster payments, authentication/identity, fraud mitigation, and value-added services.
Translate user needs, market insights, and research into clear product requirements and strategic use cases.
Build commercialization strategies, pricing frameworks, and partner value propositions for new payment solutions.
Ensure commercialization readiness across training, operations, support, compliance, contracting, and delivery teams.
Manage high-impact, enterprise-wide initiatives that modernize Velera's payment capabilities and infrastructure.
Track program performance, risks, and dependencies; communicate progress to senior leadership and key stakeholders.
Curate strategic relationships with fintech’s networks, processors, and technology providers to bring innovative capabilities to Velera’s ecosystem.
Evaluate partnership models and negotiate agreements to accelerate innovation and distribution.
Serve as a subject matter expert on payments innovation, sharing insights with executives, credit unions, the industry, and internal stakeholders.
Champion a culture of innovation, experimentation, and continuous learning across the organization.
Perform all other duties as assigned.