Project Management / Delivery Lead - Payments

Smart IMS Inc.; Mumbai; Hybrid; INR 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Smart IMS Inc. seeks an experienced Project Management / Delivery Lead to head end-to-end delivery of payment technology initiatives in Mumbai.

You will coordinate cross-functional teams across business, engineering, and operations to ensure on-time, on-budget project outcomes in a regulated, security-conscious payments environment. You will drive planning, risk management, and stakeholder communication while aligning with regulatory and organizational standards.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in project management, technology delivery, or program management.
• Strong domain knowledge of payment systems, payment processing, transaction banking, or digital payments.
• Experience delivering complex technology projects involving multiple teams, systems, and external stakeholders.
• Good understanding of payment processing workflows, payment gateways, APIs, payment integrations, and transaction lifecycle management.
• Experience working with payment schemes, banking partners, clearing and settlement systems, or domestic and cross-border payment platforms.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end project delivery for payment-related technology initiatives, from planning and requirements gathering through implementation and post-production support.
• Manage payment projects covering payment gateways, payment processing, domestic and cross-border payments, transaction processing, and payment integrations.
• Develop project plans, delivery roadmaps, milestones, resource plans, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams, including business, engineering, architecture, QA, operations, compliance, and external vendors.
• Engage with senior stakeholders to communicate project progress, risks, dependencies, issues, and delivery status.
• Manage project scope, timelines, budgets, resource allocation, and change requests.
• Ensure payment solutions comply with applicable regulatory requirements, security standards, and organizational policies.
• Drive integration and implementation activities across internal systems, payment networks, banking partners, and third-party service providers.
• Oversee testing activities, including SIT, UAT, integration testing, performance testing, and production readiness assessments.
• Manage dependencies across multiple projects and ensure alignment with business priorities and strategic objectives.
• Identify delivery risks, resolve project blockers, and implement appropriate mitigation plans.
• Facilitate Agile ceremonies, governance meetings, steering committee reviews, and project status reporting.
• Drive continuous improvement in delivery processes, operational efficiency, and stakeholder satisfaction.

Skills

Payments domain expertise

End-to-end delivery ownership

Stakeholder management

Agile delivery

Cross-functional team leadership

Risk & dependency management

Education

PMP

PRINCE2

CSM

SAFe

Tools

Jira

Confluence

MS Project

Job description

JD

We are looking for an experienced Project Management / Delivery Lead with strong expertise in the payments domain to lead end-to-end delivery of payment technology initiatives. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of managing complex projects, coordinating cross-functional teams, engaging with business and technology stakeholders, and ensuring successful delivery of payment solutions within agreed timelines, budgets, and quality standards.

Role & responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end project delivery for payment-related technology initiatives, from planning and requirements gathering through implementation and post-production support.
• Manage payment projects covering payment gateways, payment processing, domestic and cross-border payments, transaction processing, and payment integrations.
• Develop project plans, delivery roadmaps, milestones, resource plans, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams, including business, engineering, architecture, QA, operations, compliance, and external vendors.
• Engage with senior stakeholders to communicate project progress, risks, dependencies, issues, and delivery status.
• Manage project scope, timelines, budgets, resource allocation, and change requests.
• Ensure payment solutions comply with applicable regulatory requirements, security standards, and organizational policies.
• Drive integration and implementation activities across internal systems, payment networks, banking partners, and third-party service providers.
• Oversee testing activities, including SIT, UAT, integration testing, performance testing, and production readiness assessments.
• Manage dependencies across multiple projects and ensure alignment with business priorities and strategic objectives.
• Identify delivery risks, resolve project blockers, and implement appropriate mitigation plans.
• Facilitate Agile ceremonies, governance meetings, steering committee reviews, and project status reporting.
• Drive continuous improvement in delivery processes, operational efficiency, and stakeholder satisfaction.

Required Skills and Experience

• 510+ years of experience in project management, technology delivery, or program management, preferably within banking, financial services, or fintech.
• Strong domain knowledge of payment systems, payment processing, transaction banking, or digital payments.
• Experience delivering complex technology projects involving multiple teams, systems, and external stakeholders.
• Good understanding of payment processing workflows, payment gateways, APIs, payment integrations, and transaction lifecycle management.
• Experience working with payment schemes, banking partners, clearing and settlement systems, or domestic and cross-border payment platforms.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with project management methodologies, including Agile, Scrum, and Waterfall.
• Proficiency in project management tools such as Jira, Confluence, MS Project, or equivalent.
• Experience managing project budgets, delivery schedules, risks, issues, and dependencies.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced financial services environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• PMP, PRINCE2, CSM, SAFe, or equivalent project management certification.
• Experience with payment platforms, ISO 20022 messaging, SWIFT, SEPA, FAST, PayNow, UPI, or other payment networks.
• Exposure to cloud migration, API-led integrations, payment modernization, and digital transformation initiatives.
• Experience working with regional or global payment programs across multiple markets.
• Understanding of PCI DSS, payment security, regulatory compliance, and operational risk management.

Key Competencies

• End-to-end delivery ownership
• Payments domain expertise
• Stakeholder and vendor management
• Risk, issue, and dependency management
• Strategic planning and execution
• Cross-functional team leadership
• Governance and executive reporting
• Agile delivery and continuous improvement