Product Lead

We believe that the way people interact with their finances will drastically improve in the next few years. We're dedicated to empowering this transformation by building the tools and experiences that thousands of developers use to create their own products. Plaid powers the tools millions of people rely on to live a healthier financial life. We work with thousands of companies like Venmo, SoFi, several of the Fortune 500, and many of the largest banks to make it easy for people to connect their financial accounts to the apps and services they want to use. Plaid's network covers 12,000 financial institutions across the US, Canada, UK and Europe. Founded in 2013, the company is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in New York, Washington D.C., London and Amsterdam.
Plaid's Transfer team is building the infrastructure that powers how money moves in the modern economy. We enable fintechs and enterprises to move funds instantly, securely, and at scale,  whether paying in, paying out, or managing recurring flows. The team sits at the center of Plaid's payments ecosystem, operating across ACH, RTP, FedNow, and beyond to make bank payments as intuitive and dependable as cards. We're shaping the future of real-time payments in the U.S. and moving Billions of dollars in the process.
As the Product Lead for Transfer, you'll own how real-time money movement works across the Plaid network and the broader financial ecosystem. You'll guide the roadmap for our payments platform and oversee the systems, operations, and partnerships that keep money moving safely and reliably every day. This role combines deep product and operational leadership, defining how Plaid scales its payments capabilities across ACH, RTP, FedNow, Wires, and Request for Payment (RfP).
You'll work cross-functionally with engineering, operations, risk, and go-to-market to build the most trusted and resilient payments platform in the market. You'll drive the evolution of Plaid's real-time payments operations, ensuring world-class reliability, compliance, and customer success. If you're motivated by building systems that redefine how money moves—at scale, in real time, and with impact—this is your opportunity to lead one of the most important transformations in modern finance. Responsibilities

• Own the money movement strategy. Define the long-term vision and roadmap for Plaid's Transfer products across ACH, RTP, FedNow, Wires, and RfP.
• Scale real-time payments. Lead the evolution of Plaid's payments operations, setting the standard for reliability, reconciliation, and network performance.
• Balance growth and risk. Oversee ACH operations and customer oversight, driving both compliance and scale across Plaid's payments ecosystem.
• Build trusted infrastructure. Partner with Engineering and Operations to deliver systems that are resilient, transparent, and insight-driven.
• Represent Plaid externally. Act as a thought leader in the future of open, real-time payments and modern financial infrastructure.
• Lead with ownership. Operate with urgency, creativity, and accountability, modeling Plaid's ownership mindset across product and operations.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience, including 8+ in product management or equivalent founder/operator roles
• Proven success building and scaling payments or financial infrastructure products with complex regulatory or operational components
• Experience leading payments operations and balancing speed, compliance, and reliability at scale
• Strong understanding of payment risk, reconciliation, and network performance in financial systems
• Exceptional mix of strategic vision and executional depth; able to set direction while managing day-to-day operational realities
• Track record of influencing cross-functional teams across engineering, operations, risk, and go-to-market
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across technical and executive audiences
• Familiarity with real-time payment systems (RTP, FedNow), open banking, or developer-focused APIs is a plus

$241,200 - $400,000 a year The target base salary for this position ranges from $241,200/year to $400,000/year in Zone 1. The target base salary will vary based on the job's location. 
Our geographic zones are as follows: Zone 1 - New York City and San Francisco Bay Area  Zone 2 - Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington D.C. Zone 3 - Austin, Boston, Denver, Houston, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego Zone 4 - Raleigh-Durham and all other US cities
Additional compensation in the form(s) of equity and/or commission are dependent on the position offered. Plaid provides a comprehensive benefit plan, including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k). Pay is based on factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience and skillset, and location. Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation or benefit plans. Our mission at Plaid is to unlock financial freedom for everyone. To support that mission, we seek to build a diverse team of driven individuals who care deeply about making the financial ecosystem more equitable. We recognize that strong qualifications can come from both prior work experiences and lived experiences. We encourage you to apply to a role even if your experience doesn't fully match the job description. We are always looking for team members that will bring something unique to Plaid
Plaid is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion or religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, military or veteran status, disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Plaid is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance with your application or interviews due to a disability, please let us know at [email protected].
Please review our Candidate Privacy Notice here.

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