Merchant Operations Manager

Responsible for leading Merchant Services operations and overseeing the end-to-end merchant experience, from onboarding through ongoing support. This role is focused on delivering exceptional member service, optimizing operational processes, and ensuring a seamless merchant journey. Requires deep knowledge of merchant services, payment processing, merchant technology solutions, team leadership, and customer relationship management.

The good-faith compensation range for this role is expected to be $85,000 to $105,000, based on the role, market, internal equity, and candidate qualifications.

• Leads and manages the day-to-day operations of the Merchant Services Support team.
• Provides leadership, coaching, and performance management for Merchant Service Representatives and Merchant Implementation Representatives across in-office and remote environments to include technical support, pricing, onboarding, client activation, retention, and service delivery.
• Provides support and subject matter expertise to bank partners and merchant members, acting as the escalation point of contact for both.
• Assists Director of Merchant Services in generating revenue, managing expenses, reconciling general ledger accounts, processing monthly reports and meeting income margin goals set by Senior Leadership.
• Supports merchant members across small business, middle market, and third-party sales channels, including Value-Added Resellers (VARs) and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs).
• Maintains and continuously develops customer support roadmap aligned with Merchant Services strategy and organizational growth objectives.
• Monitors, analyzes, and reports on key performance metrics to ensure service levels, customer activations, and support functions meet established Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
• Partners with Product Management, Sales, and Marketing to identify and define current and future customer support requirements.
• Maintains expertise in payment processing technologies, including point-of-sale hardware and software, payment gateways, connectivity solutions, and third-party applications.
• Continuously evaluates team performance, customer experience trends, and operational processes to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Partners with Product Team to manage vendor relationships, including oversight of Statements of Work (SOWs), performance expectations, SOC reports and SLA compliance.
• Supports product launches by ensuring required training, documentation, communication materials, and support resources are in place.
• Oversees support tools and technologies utilized by the Merchant Services team.
• Identifies, prioritizes, and drives resolution of operational issues, process gaps, and customer service challenges.
• Maintains working knowledge of payment network rules, industry regulations, and compliance requirements.
• Manages equipment inventory and operational workflows.
• Acts as a liaison between merchant members and vendor partners to facilitate the resolution of complex technical and operational issues.
• Supports vendor management, audit activities, and compliance reviews.
• Serves as a subject matter expert on merchant services products, operations, and industry best practices.
• Ensures compliance with all applicable policies, regulations, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements, and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) obligations.

• Bachelor's degree preferred or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Five (5) or more years of experience in Merchant Services, banking, financial services, or payment processing.
• Three (3) or more years of leadership experience managing customer support, operations, or merchant services teams.
• Demonstrated success in customer relationship management and client satisfaction.
• Strong analytical, reporting, and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate data into actionable insights.
• Excellent verbal, written, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and build collaborative relationships.
• Strong operational, technical, and systems knowledge within the payments industry.
• Ability to prioritize competing demands and perform effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous learning and industry knowledge.

• Knowledge of Visa and Mastercard interchange programs.
• Knowledge of Visa and Mastercard network rules and operating regulations.
• Experience supporting integrated…