Product Manager, Payments & Fintech

Papaya Global is a rapidly growing, award-winning B2B tech unicorn with an ambitious mission to revolutionize the payroll & payments industry. With over $400M raised from multiple tier-one investors, our innovative technology provides a comprehensive solution for managing global workforces, encompassing everything from hiring and onboarding to managing and paying employees in over 160 countries.

We are looking for a Product Manager, Payments & Fintech to help build and scale Papaya’s global payments infrastructure. This is a hands-on role at the core of our platform, focused on how money actually moves - routing, FX, execution, and integrations with banks and payment partners. You will work closely with engineering, operations, and external partners to improve reliability, cost efficiency, and global coverage.

Payments is at the core of Papaya’s platform. Improving how money moves - its reliability, cost, and global reach - has a direct impact on our customers, margins, and ability to scale. You will work as part of a team that owns end-to-end cross-border payments execution, as well as adjacent fintech capabilities such as wallets, cards, and future financial products.

This role is primarily focused on payments infrastructure (routing, FX, execution, and integrations), while operating as part of a unified team without strict domain silos.

This role is open to candidates coming from product, engineering, operations, solutions, or founder roles, ideally within fintech or payments, who have worked closely with technical systems and are looking to take on end-to-end product ownership.

We are looking for individuals with strong problem-solving abilities, clear structured thinking, and high ownership - people who can break down complex problems, work effectively with multiple stakeholders, and drive execution in ambiguous and ever-changing environments.

What You’ll Do

• Take ownership of key areas of Papaya’s payments infrastructure, including routing, execution, and banking integrations
• Drive improvements in payment success rates, cost efficiency, and system reliability
• Work closely with engineering and design to build scalable, API-first, and resilient systems
• Partner with banks, payment providers, and fintech partners to expand capabilities and improve performance
• Translate real-world client and operational needs into product direction and priorities
• Support key deals and enterprise conversations when needed
• Leverage AI to improve:
• Operational efficiency and reconciliation
• Payment success rates and routing decisions
• Cost optimization and margins
• Ensure products meet global regulatory, compliance, and risk requirements
• Define and track key metrics to drive decision-making and continuous improvement

Requirements:

• Ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and collaborate effectively with both technical and business teams
• Hands-on experience working with payments systems (e.g., operations, integrations, risk, partnerships, or engineering)
• Experience working with technical systems, APIs, and data
• Proven experience leading complex projects involving multiple stakeholders
• Ability to translate business or operational challenges into structured solutions
• Proactive, ownership-driven mindset with the ability to operate effectively in ambiguous environments
• Demonstrated success coordinating multiple stakeholders in a project-oriented environment

Nice to have:

• Proven track record of building API-first, scalable products (0→1 or 1→N)
• Founder experience or prior experience building products in early-stage environments
• Strong engineering acumen and technical understanding
• Solid understanding of global-scale payments operations
• Experience applying AI or automation to improve workflows, decision-making, or operational efficiency