VP, Payment Operations & Risk

Job Title: VP, Payment Operations & Risk

Location: Dallas, Texas

Department: Operations

Reports To: Kristen Yarbou

Job Type: Full-time

Salary Range: $140,00-$175,000

Join Spire and help us change the way people pay.

Spire is on a mission to change in-store payments through our merchant-branded, pay-by-bank platform. We enable merchants to reduce transaction costs, drive loyalty, and deliver a seamless customer experience—without disrupting existing checkout systems.

The VP, Payment Operations & Risk is a high impact leader responsible for overseeing Spire’s Activations, Transactions Risk, Settlement, and Customer Service teams. This individual will ensure that the business processes, systems, and people on these teams are aligned to deliver on strategic goals — balancing efficiency, effectiveness, scalability, and internal and external customer satisfaction. The role sits at the intersection of strategy and execution, turning high-level plans into operational results.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Leadership of Team, Development & Process Management

• Develop and implement the services and objectives for the Activations, Transactions Risk, Settlement, and Customer Service teams in alignment with the company’s broader goals and vision, particularly those related to customer experience and Services growth.
• Build, lead, mentor, motivate, and develop high-performing team leaders and analysts  to oversee and/or perform the day to day operations of each team, setting clear expectations and fostering a culture of  grit/determination, collaboration, reliability, curiosity, accountability, professionalism, and continuous improvement, both within and across these teams.
• Design, optimize, and standardize each team’s business processes, skillsets workflows, and communications framework to ensure efficiency and quality, identify bottlenecks or gaps, and implement process improvements. Drive each team’s operational scalability within those frameworks to support business growth.
• Motivate and guide the teams through organizational change. As applicable, lead cross functional rollout strategies for new initiatives, systems and programs; defining governance, communications, and measurement standards.
• Own the development and delivery of communications related to operations updates, launches and procedural changes.

2. Performance Management

• Define, track, and report on operational KPIs (e.g., productivity, cost-to-serve, SLAs) for direct reporting teams. Monitor performance against goals, addressing underperformance proactively. Use the data to identify trends, pinpoint areas for improvement, and implement data driven strategies.
• Champion Consumer Customer Experience (CX) improvement. This involves developing and implementing best practices for customer interactions, handling escalated customer inquiries and complex issues, and actively seeking feedback to improve service quality and customer loyalty.
• Ensure the teams operate in compliance with company policies, legal requirements and standards. 

3. Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate with Product, Technology, Finance, HR, and Sales teams to align services operations with business priorities.
• Ensure smooth handoffs and coordination across departments.
• Serve as a key escalation point for Payment Services issues.
• Act as a liaison with key clients, vendors, and partners (as needed).

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, or related field (advanced degree preferred).
• 7 years of progressive experience in operations or services management,, preferably with direct experience in pay by bank, ACH or card payments, fintech or related industries
• At least 3 years in a hands-on leadership role, preferably in payment processing ecosystems, with familiarity with payments consumer acquisition, risk management, fraud, settlement and/or customer services, strongly preferred.
• Exceptional analytical, communication and relationship management skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic, fast paced environment
• Ability to operate as both an individual contributor, and to lead and supervise direct reports
• Ability to explain complex items in a clear and concise manner to those not familiar with the items, strong presentation skills a plus
• Proactive, innovative and collaborative mindset
• Proven ability to manage budgets, financials, and resource allocation.
• Proficiency with operational and reporting tools (e.g., ERP, CRM, data dashboards).

• Strategic thinker with a focus on execution.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams.
• Financial acumen and data-driven decision-making.
• Collaborative and adaptable leadership style.

Why Join Spire

At Spire, we’re building something that’s not only innovative, but meaningful. We’re creating a modern payments platform that delivers real value to both merchants and consumers—lowering costs, increasing loyalty and making everyday purchases more rewarding. Our team is small, nimble and driven by purpose. Everyone here has a seat at the table and the opportunity to shape the future of the company. We move fast, support each other and take pride in doing great work together. If you’re looking for a place where your ideas matter and your work has real impact, Spire is the place to be.

• Health/Dental/Vision insurance
• 401(k) or retirement benefits
• Unlimited (discretionary) PTO
• Team events