Senior Director, Head of Strategy, Issuing Solutions

Jobtailor; California (MO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor is seeking an accomplished strategist to develop and execute the long-term strategy for Issuing Solutions, lead key initiatives, and coordinate with executives across geographies. You will structure complex problems, organize critical information, and build data-driven recommendations for decision makers.

You will prepare materials for Board meetings, coach a team, and travel 5–10% of the time as needed, while aligning financial objectives with market trends.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in Payments and Financial Services.
• Ability to connect business strategy with financial objectives.
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision making.
• Executive-facing communication skills and ability to influence.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams in a global matrix organization.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute long-term strategy for Issuing Solutions.
• Lead special projects and initiatives; coordinate with executives.
• Prepare materials for Board meetings and executive forums.
• Collaborate with global teams to drive strategy and reporting.
• Respond to matters requiring executive attention.
• Coach and train team members; indirect management.

Skills

Payments exp

Financial services

Executive acumen

AI capabilities

AI integration

Visual design

Data analysis

Strategic development

Financial analysis

Leadership

Executive comms

Influence skills

Cross-functional leadership

Team management

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Advanced degree (MBA/JD/MD)

PhD

Job description

• Develop and execute the long‑term strategy of Issuing Solutions
• Lead special projects and initiatives
• Respond to matters requiring executive attention
• Lead projects related to long-range strategy development and assessments of significant opportunities, including potential acquisitions, and threats
• Structure and solve business problems with internal stakeholders
• Organize and prioritize critical information, issues, and data to facilitate decision‑making
• Build creative, impactful recommendations
• Design and manage major planning activities, including annual strategy development, OKR formulation, performance and resource allocation checkpoints, and reporting
• Coordinate with functional partners to design and manage key reports
• Review reports and updates to flag areas requiring executive attention
• Lead creation of materials for Board meetings, executive forums, and external client councils/forums
• Indirectly manage team members and provide continuous coaching and training
• Collaborate regularly with executives across geographies and functional areas
• Report to the VP, Operations and Strategy for Issuing Solutions, with a dual reporting line to the VP of Strategy for Value-Added Services

Requirements

• 12 or more years of work experience with a bachelor’s degree, or at least 10 years of work experience with an Advanced degree (e.g. Masters/MBA/JD/MD), or a minimum of 5 years of work experience with a PhD
• Extensive experience in Payments and Financial Services
• Executive-level Business Acumen
• Ability to connect business strategy, financial objectives, customer priorities, and market trends
• Ability to grasp and distill complex issues
• Commercially astute with experience working in a fast-paced and evolving global matrix organization
• Structured thinker with robust decision‑making and deep analytical skills
• Keen eye for detail and ability to support recommendations grounded on data and facts
• Ability to engage, influence, and inspire teammates
• Ability to build relationships at senior levels and navigate complex structures
• Tremendous executive‑facing communication skills
• Ability to craft compelling communications in short time frames with editorial prowess
• Advanced visual design skills
• Experience managing a team of individual contributors on major cross‑functional projects at a global matrix organization
• Ability to adjust to multiple tasks, demands, and shifting priorities under time constraints
• Strong understanding of emerging AI capabilities and technology trends
• Demonstrated ability to identify opportunities to embed AI into products and experiences
• Demonstrated ability to leverage AI to improve strategic analysis and accelerate insight generation
• Ability to travel 5–10% of the time

Core Competencies

Demonstrates extensive experience in Payments and Financial Services, with a strong ability to connect business strategy to financial objectives and market trends. Exhibits advanced analytical skills and executive‑facing communication capabilities, essential for leading strategic initiatives and managing cross‑functional projects.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Payments And Financial Services Experience
• Executive-Level Business Acumen
• Advanced Visual Design Skills
• Team Management On Cross-Functional Projects
• AI Capabilities And Technology Trends

Hard Skills

• Strategic Development
• Data Analysis
• Decision‑Making
• OKR Formulation
• Performance Allocation
• Report Creation
• Project Management
• Complex Problem Solving
• Financial Analysis
• Emerging AI Integration

Soft Skills

• Influencing Skills
• Relationship Building
• Executive Communication
• Coaching And Training
• Adaptability Under Pressure

Industry Keywords

• Global Matrix Organization
• Commercial Acumen
• Market Trends
• Customer Priorities
• Executive Attention