Operations Lead

At Cardless, we’re building a credit card and loyalty platform that consumer businesses use to engage their customers. We’ve launched 14 credit cards, including for Alibaba and Qatar Airways. We help businesses bring imaginative card programs to life, and have pioneered technology to embed credit card features natively into their products.We value curiosity, humility, and intensity — we move fast and take ownership. This is a place where a motivated, resourceful individual can have an enormous impact on our trajectory. We're headquartered in San Francisco, and have raised about $90M in equity funding from top venture capital firms and angels.———The Job We're looking for an Operations Lead to join our team and help scale the systems and processes that keep Cardless running every day. Reporting to our Head of Payment Operations, this role is part chief of staff, part product manager — you'll handle today's operations while building tomorrow's scalable solutions.This is the perfect opportunity for someone who wants exposure to every corner of a fast-growing fintech company. You'll work with external partners like banks and card networks while partnering internally with engineering, product, compliance, and risk teams. If you're insatiably curious, love getting your hands dirty with the day-to-day work, and want to build the infrastructure that powers the next generation of credit cards, this role is for you.This is not a role for someone who says "that's not my responsibility." We need someone who sees problems as opportunities, jumps in wherever needed, and thrives on doing the work today while making it better for tomorrow. You'll touch everything that happens at Cardless — and we need someone who finds that energizing, not overwhelming.What you'll doAutomate Everything That Shouldn't Be Manual• Like when a process requires checking multiple systems to get one answer — you'll build the tool that brings it all together• For example, if partner onboarding involves 20 different touchpoints — you'll handle each one yourself while streamlining it into a repeatable playbook• When teams are copying data between systems or manually tracking things in spreadsheets — you'll work with engineering to build the right solution• You'll identify every process where we're using spreadsheets and humans instead of systems and codeBuild for 10x Growth• Today's manual process that takes 30 minutes will break when we have 10x the volume — you'll rebuild it before it breaks• You'll design systems that can handle millions of transactions, not thousands• When we launch with a new bank partner, you'll make sure our operations can scale without adding headcount• You'll constantly ask "what breaks when we're 10x bigger?" and fix it nowBe the Connective Tissue• Engineering needs to understand what our bank partners require — you'll translate• Our card manufacturer has a weird file format requirement — you'll figure out how to make it work• Compliance needs reports that don't exist yet — you'll build themOwn Whatever Needs Owning• One day you're building the process for a new card program launch• Next day you're in a pricing negotiation with Mastercard• Day after that you're creating dashboards to track operational metrics• If it affects our ability to operate and scale, it's your problem to solve

Important Traits

• You're at a point in your career where you want to work super hard and build things. This role requires intense dedication and long hours. You're excited by that challenge, not deterred by it.
• Attention to detail. In payments and operations, the details matter immensely. You catch the small things others miss and understand that accuracy isn't good enough when processing millions of transactions.
• Effective in high-stakes rooms. You're comfortable interfacing with senior leaders, external partners, and technical teams. You can context-switch seamlessly and adapt your communication style to your audience.
• Interdisciplinary curiosity. You genuinely want to understand everything — from how card networks operate to why our fraud models flag certain transactions. You ask "why" constantly and won't rest until you understand the full picture.

Requirements

• 3-5 years of experience in operations, product management, consulting, or a similar cross-functional role
• Payment industry experience is important — you understand how card networks operate, what authorization and settlement mean, and how money moves through the ecosystem
• Track record of building scalable processes in fast-paced environments while doing the manual work in the meantime
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to dig into data and derive insights
• Exceptional project management capabilities — you can juggle multiple complex initiatives
• Technical aptitude — you don't need to code, but you should be comfortable working with engineers and understanding systems
• Insatiable curiosity about how things work and why they break
• Bias toward action — you'd rather try something and iterate than wait for perfection
• Excellent communication skills — you can explain complex concepts to diverse audiences
• Experience in fintech, payments, or financial services is a plus but not required

$150,000 - $190,000 a yearThis role has an annual starting salary range of $150,000 - $190,000 + equity + benefits (see below). Actual compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors, including but not limited to skills, experience, and specific work location.BenefitsWe're headquartered in San Francisco, CA, with a beautiful office in the Mission District. We're proud to offer our team excellent benefits:💸 Meaningful Start-up equity🏥 100% health, vision & dental primary coverage ➕ 75% health, vision & dental dependent coverage🍱 Catered lunches🚎 $250/month Commuter benefit👶 Parental leave✈️ Team building events & happy hours🌴 Flexible PTO with a minimum of 15 days off per year🖥️ Apple equipment💸 401k plan———Cardless employees are required to be fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19, and to provide proof of vaccination prior to their first day. Cardless is an equal opportunity employer, and we value a diverse and inclusive workplace. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or any other applicable legally protected characteristics.