Manager, Merchant Operations

Manager, Merchant Operations

PayTrace - Remote

PayTrace by North - Payment and ACH processing, virtual terminals, and more. The B2B payments expert transforming financial and accounting processes to future-proof your business. With advanced payment automation solutions and a user-friendly API, we help B2B companies become more efficient, successful, and profitable.

Our Manager, Merchant Operations leads the teams responsible for end-to-end merchant onboarding, payment gateway configuration, and ongoing operational support at PayTrace. This role oversees Implementation Managers and Merchant Operations Specialists, ensuring both teams operate cohesively to deliver a seamless, 5-star merchant experience from signed agreement through go-live and beyond.

We are seeking a leader who sets the strategic direction for the team, drives continuous process improvement, manages departmental risk and compliance, and fosters a high-performance team culture. This individual serves as a key escalation point, cross-functional collaborator, and advocate for both internal teams and external merchant partners.

What you'll do:

Implementation Department Leadership

• Lead and guide Implementation Managers in overseeing end-to-end merchant onboarding from sales handover through go-live and Client Services transition.

• Coordinate internally with Sales, Underwriting, and Client Services, and externally with resellers and merchant partners, to ensure effective management and control processes for all payment processing implementations.

• Serve as the primary escalation point for complex or high-risk merchant implementations, resolving issues that cannot be addressed at the IM level.

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Implementation Managers and Merchant Operations Specialists.

• Conduct meetings, performance reviews, and coaching sessions to support employee growth and accountability, and oversee onboarding and training.

• Identify skills gaps and partner with HR and leadership to develop training plans and career growth pathways.

Strategic Planning and Operational Excellence

• Translate business requirements and strategic objectives into actionable implementation strategies and operational workflows, and oversee complex payment system integrations.

• Lead the  merchant screening and onboarding process at a strategic level.

• Monitor and analyze performance metrics across implementation timelines and conduct regular audits and risk assessments of merchant accounts and operational processes.

• Partner with underwriting and risk teams on periodic merchant reviews, pended applications, and escalated compliance issues, serving as a bridge between sales, resellers, and underwriting.

• Identify and execute process improvements and maintain departmental accountability for SLA adherence.

• Communicate proactively with internal stakeholders and external merchant partners.

• Support resellers and high-value clients with high-touch engagement, ensuring timely issue resolution and long-term relationship health.

What we need from you:

• High School Diploma or equivalent.

• Minimum 5 years experience in payment processing with proven experience managing end-to-end merchant onboarding or implementation workflows in a payment gateway or processing environment.

• Minimum 2 years experience in a people management or team lead capacity.

• Deep knowledge of payment processing ecosystems, including gateway platforms, ACH, credit card processing, and compliance requirements.

• Strong leadership and people management skills, with the ability to coach, develop, and hold team members accountable.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex operational concepts for diverse audiences.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving aptitude; ability to identify root causes and implement systemic solutions.

• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities in a fast-paced, remote environment.

• Proficiency with project management tools (e.g., Jira, Asana,