Program Manager, Issuing Programs (Cash App Card and Square Banking)

Block•San Francisco Bay Area, CA

20d

About The Position

Block is one company built from many blocks, all united by the same purpose of economic empowerment. The blocks that form our foundational teams — People, Finance, Counsel, Hardware, Information Security, Platform Infrastructure Engineering, and more — provide support and guidance at the corporate level. They work across business groups and around the globe, spanning time zones and disciplines to develop inclusive People policies, forecast finances, give legal counsel, safeguard systems, nurture new initiatives, and more. Every challenge creates possibilities, and we need different perspectives to see them all. Bring yours to Block. The Role We're seeking a senior program manager to lead the sponsor bank partnership and program for Cash App Card and Square Banking deposit products. Reporting to the head of Issuing Bank Program Management/Partnerships, you will own the sponsor bank partnership and be accountable for the outcomes of the bank program. You will hold internal and external stakeholders accountable to SLAs and obligations, and collaborate with internal owners for networks, processors, servicing/Reg E, fraud/risk, compliance and product to deliver secure, compliant, and scalable results. This is a senior level role where you'll be expected to be the voice of the bank partnership, both internally and externally. You will own the bank partnership end-to-end, including gaining approvals for new products and services. Expect to standardize, templatize, and streamline how we work, while continuously improving with a builder's mindset.

Requirements

8+ Years experience in issuing payment cards
Experience of credit card, prepaid and debit cards
Proven experience in account management in the fintech ecosystem
Proven experience working cross functionally with Product, Compliance, Legal, First Line Risk and external partners
Strong analytical apptitude with the ability to identify trends, diagnose issues, and recommend data-driven solutions
Experience leading complex, cross-functional projects from initiation to completion

Responsibilities

Own the bank program and outcomes: Serve as the single-threaded leader for the sponsor bank relationship and program; define and run the engagement model (governance, SLAs, decision rights, change control), ensure obligations are met, and be accountable for program performance, partner satisfaction, and partnership health. Proactively identify opportunities to strengthen the relationship, increase partner value, and create efficiencies and improvements, both internally and externally.
Program governance and accountability: Design and implement clear RACI, intake processes, and cadenced forums (steercos, weekly ops, and QBRs with scorecards). Hold internal and external stakeholders to commitments and timelines. Establish decision-making frameworks that enable speed while maintaining rigor.
Program execution: Own the end-to-end program delivery lifecycle. Ensure bank notifications and approvals for incidents and program changes, including new products and services; coordinate remediation, approvals, and evidence capture across all work streams. Maintain a comprehensive requirements and obligations tracker—you own the process, timeline, and results.
Requirements management and templatization: Build and maintain a centralized requirements management system; create reusable templates and playbooks for obtaining and fulfilling bank requirements (e.g., partner requests, network mandates, collateral/communications submissions, decision logs, approval evidence). Work with internal stakeholders to ensure consistent execution. Continuously refine these tools based on lessons learned and partner feedback.
Program KPI/KRI ownership: Develop and own program-critical KRIs/KPIs (e.g., SLA adherence, approval cycle time, audit/exam finding closure rate, incident notification timeliness, partner satisfaction, change request lead time, partnership value delivery, program milestone completion rate, rework/escalation rates). Continuously monitor and report weekly/monthly/quarterly. Use data to identify improvement levers, track progress against program goals, and communicate program health to leadership.
Program optimization and continuous improvement: Identify systemic issues, failure modes, and inefficiencies in program execution; run pilots; implement workflow/tooling/process changes; measure and scale impact. Drive a culture of continuous improvement across all program workstreams. Standardize best practices and eliminate redundancy.
Program roadmap and strategic planning: Develop and maintain a multi-quarter program roadmap aligned with business priorities by partnering with Product teams throughout the company. Identify strategic initiatives that improve operational efficiency, reduce risk, and strengthen the partnership. Manage dependencies, sequencing, and resource allocation across the program.
Stakeholder and workstream coordination: Coordinate across networks, processors, servicing/Reg E, fraud/risk, compliance, and product teams. Escalate blockers and drive resolution. Serve as the connective tissue that keeps the program moving.
AI-enabled program efficiencies: Apply AI-assisted routing, documentation, policy checks, knowledge retrieval, and program tracking with human-in-the-loop guardrails to improve program operations, decision-making, and efficiency.
Executive communication and presence: Provide crisp, data-informed program updates, status reports, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership. Serve as the trusted voice on program health, risks, and direction.