Head of Payment Sponsorship

Our client is a leading sponsor bank providing banking infrastructure, compliance, and payment capabilities to financial technology companies. They are seeking a Head of Payment Sponsorship to lead the strategic direction, product roadmap, and growth of the bank's payments business.

This executive must bring direct, recent card experience and detailed subject matter expertise in card networks, issuing processors, BIN sponsorship and migrations, FBO accounts, and virtual ledgers. The role requires a confident payments leader who makes informed decisions, transfers knowledge to staff, and actively guides teams through product development and execution. BaaS oversight or project management experience alone does not meet the requirements.

The Head of Payment Sponsorship determines where the bank should expand its payment capabilities, guides new products from evaluation through launch, and represents the bank's payments offering with fintech companies and prospective partners. Card sponsorship and debit and credit programs are central to the role, with additional responsibility across RTP, FedNow, ACH, wires, and emerging payment capabilities.

This leader works with executive leadership to align payments strategy with the bank's fintech, lending, deposit, and commercial banking businesses.

What You Will Do

• Set the strategic direction and product roadmap for the bank's payments business, grounded in direct knowledge of card issuing and sponsor-bank operations.
• Identify and evaluate opportunities to expand card sponsorship, debit and credit programs, faster payments, merchant acquiring, and other payment products.
• Lead the development and implementation of new payment capabilities, making decisions on program structures, partner selection, and operational requirements.
• Serve as the bank's senior card and payments subject matter expert, providing clear recommendations and resolving complex product, processor, and network questions.
• Actively manage and guide staff, establish accountability, and build the team's subject matter expertise through coaching and knowledge transfer.
• Support business development through direct participation in prospect, fintech partner, and strategic relationship meetings.
• Explain the bank's payment capabilities, program requirements, and implementation considerations to prospective partners.
• Build and maintain direct relationships with card networks and issuing processors, including contacts who support program development, issue resolution, and escalation.
• Provide direction for BIN sponsorship, card issuing, BIN and program migrations, processor relationships, and card-network requirements.
• Apply direct virtual ledger experience to evaluate how partner programs record balances, track transactions, and reconcile activity across bank, processor, and fintech systems.
• Guide FBO account structures and related funds flows, reconciliation requirements, and operational controls in partnership with internal subject matter experts.
• Evaluate processors, platforms, program managers, and payment technologies against the bank's product strategy and operating requirements.
• Provide strategic guidance for RTP, FedNow, ACH, wires, push-to-card, and other instant-payment capabilities.
• Evaluate product economics, pricing, partnership structures, and competitive positioning.
• Translate market opportunities into initiatives aligned with the bank's infrastructure, risk appetite, compliance requirements, and regulatory responsibilities.
• Work directly with implementation, operations, technology, risk, compliance, legal, and commercial teams to resolve issues and move payment initiatives through launch.
• Present payment strategies, product roadmaps, and business performance to executive leadership and the Board.
• Monitor market, network, regulatory, and technology developments affecting sponsor banking and payments.

What You Bring

• Direct, recent experience leading card sponsorship, card issuing, or card processing programs, with personal responsibility for product and operational decisions.
• Detailed subject matter expertise in debit and credit card programs, card networks, issuing processors, BIN sponsorship and migrations, FBO accounts, and virtual ledgers.
• Direct experience working with virtual ledgers, including balance tracking, transaction posting, funds flows, and reconciliation across bank, processor, and partner systems.
• Established, direct relationships with issuing processors and card networks, with experience engaging those contacts to advance programs and resolve issues.
• Experience developing and launching payment products, with hands-on involvement in program design, processor evaluation, network requirements, and implementation decisions.
• Experience leading and developing staff, communicating clear expectations, and guiding teams through complex payments decisions.
• The confidence and subject matter depth to explain recommendations, challenge assumptions, and transfer practical knowledge to colleagues and partners.
• Experience working directly with fintech companies, program managers, and sponsor-bank partners.
• Experience supporting business development and strategic partnerships as a payments subject matter expert.
• Strong understanding of payment economics, pricing, partnership structures, risk, compliance, and operational requirements.
• Knowledge of RTP, FedNow, ACH, wires, push-to-card, and other payment rails.
• Ability to explain payment strategies and technical concepts to prospective partners, executive leadership, and the Board.
• Experience working across product, implementation, technology, operations, risk, compliance, and commercial teams.

Authorized to work in the United States and residing in the Eastern or Central time zone.