Director, Product Operations – Wallets and Card Issuance

Western Union; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Parental Leave

Family First Programs

Medical, Dental, and Life Insurance

Tuition Repayment Assistance Program

Job summary

The Western Union Company is searching for a Director of Product Operations – Wallets and Card Issuance to lead the product operations strategy for our digital wallet, payment systems, and core account platforms.

This leader will establish robust risk controls, manage fraud prevention, and drive scalable, compliant operating excellence across embedded financial services, partnering with product, engineering, compliance, risk, and external partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s preferred.
• 10+ years in banking ops/payments, with 5+ in leadership.
• Deep knowledge of US card issuing & digital wallets.
• Strong regulatory, risk, and compliance experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end product operations for core account services and wallets.
• Serve as product ops SME for cards, origination, settlement, reconciliation.
• Drive product requirements and regulatory-aligned improvements.
• Champion automation and digital transformation of workflows.
• Lead risk management, incident response, and audits.
• Coordinate with partner banks, fintechs, and vendors.
• Ensure regulatory compliance (BSA/AML, Reg E, Reg Z, NACHA, PCI DSS).
• Lead investigations and risk assessments with legal/compliance.

Skills

Leadership experience

Banking operations

Payments knowledge

Regulatory compliance

Data-driven decisions

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business/Operations/Finance/IS

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Core Banking Systems

APIs & Digital Wallets

Job description

Role Responsibilities

The Director of Product Operations – Wallets and Card Issuance will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing the product operations strategy for our account-based products. This leader will be responsible for driving the product strategy and operational excellence of our digital wallet, payment systems and core account platforms. The position will ensure robust risk controls, fraud management, seamless daily execution, and forward-looking enhancements for a wide array of embedded financial services.

• Oversee end-to-end product operations for core account services, payment wallet and embedded finance products driving operational efficiency, scalability, and reliability.
• Act as a product operational subject matter expert for cards, account origination, account maintenance, settlement, clearing, and reconciliation.
• Develop and implement product requirements and directions that influence internal policies and procedures. Drive product improvements that ensure compliance with regulatory standards and best practices with the KPI to remain safe and secure for our customers.
• Champion product automation and digital transformation initiatives to enhance the speed and accuracy of operational workflows.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, proactively anticipating operational risks and ensuring solutions are scalable and future‑proof.
• Manage internal and external product operations, ensuring seamless integration and performance across multiple platforms and channels.
• Serve as the US Wallet primary product operations liaison between other product team, engineering, compliance, risk, customer operations and external partners to align operational goals and deliverables.
• Oversee product operational readiness for products and services for the US Wallet team, managing launches, upgrades, migrations, and sunsetting, ensuring minimal business disruption.
• Monitor and report on key product operational metrics, drive root cause analysis for issues, and execute rapid response plans to uphold service excellence.
• Own the operational delivery of key features across digital and retail channels, including card processing, wallet integrations and API‑based offerings.
• Work with partner banks, fintechs, and third‑party vendors to ensure operational standards and SLAs are met consistently.
• Define and create the requirements for comprehensive fraud prevention and risk management strategies tailored to our payments and core account services, including limit management and working in collaboration with our internal partners and teams to implement those requirements.
• Collaborate with data analytics and engineering teams to build real‑time monitoring tools and incident response frameworks.
• Ensure all products and operations are compliant with relevant regulations (e.g., BSA/AML, Reg E, Reg Z, NACHA, PCI DSS) and industry standards.
• Lead investigations of suspicious activities, partner with legal and compliance teams to execute periodic risk assessments.

Role Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Operations, Finance, Information Systems, or a related field; Master’s degree or equivalent experience preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in banking operations, payments, core account services, or financial services product operations, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Deep knowledge of US based card issuing and digital wallets
• Deep knowledge of US payment systems (ACH, wires, RTP, card networks), banking regulations, and compliance requirements.
• Proven experience managing operational risk, fraud prevention, incident response, and regulatory audits.
• Strong technical acumen, with a solid understanding of core banking platforms, APIs, digital wallets, and embedded finance ecosystems.
• Track record of leading large‑scale operational improvement projects and successful product launches.
• Exceptional analytical, problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills, with experience using data to drive operational outcomes.
• Outstanding communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to build and lead high‑performing teams in a fast‑paced, dynamic environment.

Work Shift - HYBRID

Benefits

You will also have access to short‑term incentives, multiple health insurance options, accident and life insurance, and access to best‑in‑class development platforms, to name a few. Please see the benefits below specific to your country. If applicable, additional role‑specific benefits will be mentioned during your interview process or in an offer of employment.

Your United States specific benefits include:

• Parental Leave
• Family First Programs
• Medical, Dental, and Life Insurance
• Tuition Repayment Assistance Program

For residents of Colorado, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania: Please do not respond to any questions on this initial application that may seek age‑identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You may also redact this information from any materials you submit during the application process. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Salary

The base salary range is $200,000 - $215,000 USD per year, total on target compensation includes a base salary plus a variable target incentive that aligns with individual and company performance.

Other Details

We are passionate about honoring our employee's identity and fostering a feeling of belonging. Our commitment is to provide an inclusive culture that celebrates the unique backgrounds and perspectives of our global teams while reflecting the communities we serve. We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, political affiliation, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, or veteran status. The company will provide accommodation to applicants, including those with disabilities, during the recruitment process, following applicable laws.