VP/Head of Payments Strategy

We are At Synechron, we believe in the power of digital to transform businesses for the better. Our global consulting firm combines creativity and innovative technology to deliver industry-leading digital solutions. Synechron’s progressive technologies and optimization strategies span end-to-end Artificial Intelligence, Consulting, Digital, Cloud & DevOps, Data, and Software Engineering, servicing an array of noteworthy financial services and technology firms. Through research and development initiatives in our FinLabs we develop solutions for modernization, from Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain to Data Science models, Digital Underwriting, mobile-first applications and more. Over the last 20+ years, our company has been honored with multiple employer awards, recognizing our commitment to our talented teams. With top clients to boast about, Synechron has a global workforce of 14,500+, and has 58 offices in 21 countries within key global markets.    Our challenge We are seeking a highly skilled and strategic Director – Payments Platform Strategy & Product Evaluation to lead our efforts in evaluating and building the next-generation payments platform. The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in ACH, payment messaging standards (e.g., ISO 20022), Real-Time Payments (RTP), and digital payment products, and have hands-on experience working with third-party product vendors. This role requires candidate will collaborate with vendors, assess their product offerings, analyze feature sets, and help drive recommendations for investment decisions. The candidate will also play a key role in determining the customization-to-product-fit ratio for platform implementations and shaping our long-term payments strategy. Additional Information*  The base salary for this position will vary based on geography and other factors.  In accordance with law, the base salary for this role if filled within Toronto, ON is CAD $130k – CAD $145k/year & benefits (see below). The Role Responsibilities:

• Lead the assessment of modern payment platforms with a focus on ACH, real-time payments (RTP), ISO 20022, and other emerging standards.
• Engage and build relationships with third-party product vendors, attend product demos, and evaluate product capabilities against business and regulatory needs.
• Create detailed comparative analysis reports outlining the strengths, limitations, and differentiators of each vendor/product.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product managers, solution architects, and finance stakeholders, to determine the percentage of platform implementation achievable through off-the-shelf product features vs. customization.
• Provide strategic recommendations on vendor/product selection and investment priorities based on business use cases and long-term scalability.
• Help shape and drive the roadmap for the next-gen payments platform to meet future-proof digital payment infrastructure goals.
• Ensure alignment of selected payment technologies with compliance, operational efficiency, and customer experience objectives.
• Represent the organization in vendor meetings, conferences, and industry forums related to digital payments innovation.

Requirements:

• 12+ years of experience in payments technology, with at least 5 years in a leadership or strategy role.
• Deep understanding of ACH, RTP, ISO 20022, SWIFT, and other payment messaging protocols.
• Proven experience in evaluating and implementing payment systems/platforms, including vendor management and feature assessment.
• Strong understanding of payment-related products, industry trends, and regulatory requirements.
• Experience working with product teams and enterprise architecture to design scalable, secure, and customer-centric payment solutions.
• Excellent analytical, presentation, and documentation skills; able to translate complex technical features into clear business impacts.
• Experience in creating customization vs. product-fit assessments to guide build-vs-buy decisions.
• Ability to communicate effectively with technical teams, business stakeholders, and C-level executives.

Preferred, but not required:

• Prior experience with top-tier payment platform vendors or consulting firms in the payment’s domain.
• Knowledge of cloud-native payment architectures and API-based integrations.
• PMP or similar project management certification is a plus.

We offer:

• A multinational organization with 58 offices in 21 countries and the possibility to work abroad.
• 15 days (3 weeks) of paid annual leave plus an additional 10 days of personal leave (floating days and sick days).
• A comprehensive insurance plan including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and long-term disability.
• Flexible hybrid policy.
• RRSP with employer’s contribution up to 4%.
• A higher education certification policy.
• On-demand Udemy for Business for all Synechron employees with free access to more than 5000 curated courses.
• Coaching opportunities with experienced colleagues from our Financial Innovation Labs (FinLabs) and Center of Excellences (CoE) groups.
• Cutting edge projects at the world’s leading tier-one banks, financial institutions and insurance firms.
• A truly diverse, fun-loving and global work culture.

S​YNECHRON’S DIVERSITY & INCLUSION STATEMENT
  Diversity & Inclusion are fundamental to our culture, and Synechron is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative ‘Same Difference’ is committed to fostering an inclusive culture – promoting equality, diversity and an environment that is respectful to all. We strongly believe that a diverse workforce helps build stronger, successful businesses as a global company. We encourage applicants from across diverse backgrounds, race, ethnicities, religion, age, marital status, gender, sexual orientations, or disabilities to apply. We empower our global workforce by offering flexible workplace arrangements, mentoring, internal mobility, learning and development programs, and more.
All employment decisions at Synechron are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to the applicant’s gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disabled or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.