Payments Tech Program Lead: Auth & Fraud Delivery

Kunai Co.; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Kunai Co. is seeking a capable Program Delivery Manager to steer end-to-end payments authorization and fraud initiatives.

You will coordinate engineering, QA, risk, and business teams to keep dependencies visible and on track, while ensuring controls and audit evidence are current. You’ll lead governance and release readiness activities, translate technical constraints for stakeholders, and drive data-driven decisions to maintain program health.

Qualifications

• 5+ years managing technical programs in payments or financial services.
• Direct exposure to authorization switch systems (domestic or international).
• Familiarity with fraud detection systems and transaction flows.
• Experience in PCI DSS and SOX audit prep and evidence gathering.
• Experience running agile or hybrid delivery models across multiple teams.
• Strong stakeholder management with senior client leadership and auditors.
• Nice to have: payments modernization or platform replacement programs.
• Clear communicator, organized under pressure, asks good questions before assuming.

Responsibilities

• Own the end to end delivery roadmap for payments authorization and fraud initiatives, from planning through go live.
• Coordinate across engineering, QA, risk, and business teams to keep dependencies visible and on track.
• Manage RAID logs, escalate risks early, and drive resolution before blockers.
• Translate constraints around auth switch and fraud logic into actionable plans for stakeholders.
• Run governance ceremonies including status reviews, steering committee updates, and release readiness checks.
• Own audit readiness for the program, coordinating with compliance and internal auditors to keep documentation current.
• Track program health using data and adjust scope when numbers indicate.
• Partner with client stakeholders to manage expectations, priorities, and tradeoffs, including PCI/SOX controls.
• Identify process gaps across international and domestic auth workstreams and fix them.

Skills

Technical program mgmt

Authorization switch experience

Fraud detection systems

PCI DSS & SOX

Agile delivery

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

Kunai Co. is seeking a capable Program Delivery Manager to steer end-to-end payments authorization and fraud initiatives.

You will coordinate engineering, QA, risk, and business teams to keep dependencies visible and on track, while ensuring controls and audit evidence are current. You’ll lead governance and release readiness activities, translate technical constraints for stakeholders, and drive data-driven decisions to maintain program health.