Sr. Payments Operations Strategist

Sony•San Diego, CA

2d•$120,000 - $140,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Join the Sony Engagement Platform Services (SEPS) Team, where innovation meets collaboration in the dynamic world of digital engagement. At SEPS, we are building the next-generation platform that powers how fans connect with the content—and the creators—they love. Our mission is to unlock meaningful, data-driven engagement across Sony’s entertainment ecosystem, from games and anime to music, film, and live experiences—empowering both internal teams and external partners to build at scale. Our mission is to create a world-class engagement platform that not only enhances existing revenue streams but also drives new opportunities through a robust ecosystem of partners and creators. By decoupling application development from platform services, we empower our teams to deliver exceptional solutions with agility and efficiency. If you are passionate about shaping the future of digital engagement and want to be part of a vibrant community that values creativity and collaboration, we invite you to explore the exciting opportunities within our team. Together, we will shape the future of fan experiences and define the foundation for what’s possible in the realm of engagement. To learn more visit: www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/technology/stories/entries/sep_introduction/ POSITION SUMMARY We are seeking a Senior Payments Strategist to support the Sony Engagement Platform, helping Sony operating companies consume SIE's payment orchestration capabilities and related commerce services globally. This senior individual contributor role calls for a payments specialist who can operate independently across complex internal and external stakeholder groups, translate business needs into practical payment strategies, and support onboarding, payment provider and payment method enablement, payment optimization and operational performance. The role will include relationship ownership for assigned Sony operating companies, serving as the primary payments point of contact within SEPS, acting as a trusted payments partner who understands their commercial priorities, payment needs, operational challenges and roadmap requirements. The successful candidate will work closely with SIE Global Payments, Sony Engagement Platform, product, engineering, risk, fraud and regional business teams to identify opportunities, shape requirements and help ensure services are commercially viable, operationally scalable and aligned to operating company needs. Overall, we are looking for an individual who is passionate about our brand and what they do, has a high sense of integrity and excels in building strong relationships by deeply caring about others, including our customers.

Requirements

7+ years of diverse payments experience in a digital ecommerce environment with demonstrable results.
Experience in payment optimisation, complex payments contracting, PSP and payment method management and payment operations.
Strong commercial and analytical mindset, with the ability to interpret payment data and present clear, actionable recommendations.
Experience managing complex stakeholder relationships across internal teams, external partners or enterprise customers.
Proficiency using approved AI tools to accelerate analysis, identify patterns, synthesise complex inputs and develop clear recommendations, while validating outputs and applying appropriate judgement around data sensitivity.
Understanding of cultural and regional differences in attitudes towards online payment systems.
Network of industry relationships including processors, acquirers, card schemes, alternative payment providers and like-minded merchants with similar priorities.
Experience navigating the payment regulatory and card scheme landscape.
Ability to navigate successfully across complex, geographically and commercially diverse internal operations.
Ability to deliver high impact, high quality proposals and presentations and confidently lead meetings with senior stakeholders.
Self-starter who is solution focused and able to work under their own initiative with little day-to-day oversight.
Experience working under pressure in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the video games industry or digital entertainment industry.
Experience supporting multi-tenant, platform, marketplace or payment orchestration environments.
Experience working with product, engineering, operations, risk or fraud teams on payments-related initiatives.

Responsibilities

Work closely with Sony Engagement Platform stakeholders, SIE Global Payments, Sony operating companies and the external payment ecosystem to define forward-looking payment initiatives and translate operating company needs into scalable platform priorities.
Act as the payments relationship owner for assigned Sony operating companies, maintaining a clear understanding of their payment objectives, operational needs, commercial priorities and roadmap requirements.
Support onboarding and readiness for Sony operating companies, including initial payment assessments, payment method requirements, PSP/APM setup, operational readiness and repeatable configuration patterns.
Develop and maintain payment success plans for assigned operating companies, covering onboarding status, optimisation opportunities, risks, decisions, roadmap dependencies and open actions.
Partner with payments analysts to interpret payment performance, conversion, cost and operational data, turning insights into practical recommendations for Sony operating companies and internal stakeholders.
Lead regular payment performance discussions and service reviews, ensuring opportunities, risks, decisions and follow-up actions are clearly captured and progressed.
Coordinate payment-related escalations across operating companies, PSPs and internal Sony teams, ensuring issues are prioritised, communicated clearly and driven to resolution.
Identify and advocate for payment optimisation opportunities, from tactical improvements that can deliver immediate gains to longer-term initiatives requiring product, platform or engineering investment.
Represent the voice of Sony operating companies within Sony Engagement Platform planning, helping product, engineering and operations teams understand payment needs and prioritise platform improvements.
Collaborate with fraud, data science and platform teams where payment strategy intersects with risk decisioning, chargebacks, 3DS, refunds or payment feedback-loop data.
Operate independently and confidently with external parties across the payments ecosystem, including PSPs, card networks, acquirers, issuers and payment method providers.
Occasional domestic or international travel may be required for team collaboration, onboarding or partner meetings.
Flexibility to accommodate meetings with global colleagues and partners across time zones is expected.
Honesty, trustworthiness and ethical conduct are material requirements for the responsibilities outlined above

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage with coverage for spouses/domestic partners and child dependents, including access to a Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
Employee assistance plan and comprehensive behavioral health benefits
Fertility benefits, including, surrogacy, and adoption assistance programs
Basic and supplemental life insurance for employees as well as supplemental life insurance coverage for their spouses/domestic partners and children
Voluntary benefits such as group legal, identity theft protection, accident, and hospital indemnity insurance
Short-term & long-term disability plans
Up to 12 weeks of paid parental and caregiver leave
401(k) Plan with pre-tax, Roth, and after-tax options and company match with immediate vesting
Education assistance and student loan programs
Flexible Work Arrangements, including remote and hybrid work schedules
Time off to include vacation, paid holidays, sick leave, Summer Fridays (early release), and a winter break between Christmas and New Year’s Day (based on business needs)
Referral bonuses (subject to eligibility)
Matching gift program
A wide variety of employee business resource groups (EBRGs)
Special discounts on Sony products, offered exclusively to Sony employees
Employee stock purchase plan (Sony covers commissions and fees for your Sony stock purchases made through after-tax payroll deductions)