Title: Program Manager, Issuing Bank Programs

Location: Bay Area, CA, United States of America

Req ID: R0006400

Job Description:

It all started with an idea at Block in 2013. Initially built to take the pain out of peer-to-peer payments, Cash App has gone from a simple product with a single purpose to a dynamic ecosystem, developing unique financial products, including Afterpay/Clearpay, to provide a better way to send, spend, invest, borrow and save to our 50+ million monthly active customers. We want to redefine the world's relationship with money to make it more relatable, instantly available, and universally accessible.

Today, Cash App has thousands of employees working globally across office and remote locations, with a culture geared toward innovation, collaboration and impact. We've been a distributed team since day one, and many of our roles can be done remotely from the countries where Cash App operates. No matter the location, we tailor our experience to ensure our employees are creative, productive, and happy.

The Role

We're seeking a senior program manager to lead the sponsor bank partnership and program for Cash App Card and Square Banking products. Reporting to the head of Issuing Bank Program Management/Partnerships, you will own the sponsor bank partnership and be accountable for the outcomes of the bank program. You will hold internal and external stakeholders accountable to SLAs and obligations, and collaborate with internal owners for networks, processors, servicing/Reg E, fraud/risk, compliance and product to deliver secure, compliant, and scalable results. This is a senior level role where you'll be expected to be the voice of the bank partnership, both internally and externally. You will own the bank partnership end-to-end, including gaining approvals for new products and services. Expect to standardize, templatize, and streamline how we work, while continuously improving with a builder's mindset.

You Will

• Own the bank program and outcomes: Serve as the single-threaded leader for the sponsor bank relationship and program; define and run the engagement model (governance, SLAs, decision rights, change control), ensure obligations are met, and be accountable for program performance, partner satisfaction, and partnership health. Proactively identify opportunities to strengthen the relationship, increase partner value, and create efficiencies and improvements, both internally and externally.
• Program governance & accountability: Design and implement clear RACI, intake processes, and cadenced forums (steercos, weekly ops, and QBRs with scorecards). Hold internal and external stakeholders to commitments and timelines. Establish decision-making frameworks that enable speed while maintaining rigor.
• Program execution: Own the end-to-end program delivery lifecycle. Ensure timely bank notifications and approvals for incidents and program changes, including new products and services; coordinate remediation, approvals, and evidence capture across all workstreams. Maintain a comprehensive requirements & obligations tracker—you own the process, timeline, and results.
• Requirements management & templatization: Build and maintain a centralized requirements management system; create reusable templates and playbooks for obtaining and fulfilling bank requirements (e.g., partner requests, network mandates, collateral/communications submissions, decision logs, approval evidence). Work with internal stakeholders to ensure consistent execution. Continuously refine these tools based on lessons learned and partner feedback.
• Program KPI/KRI ownership: Develop and own program-critical KRIs/KPIs (e.g., SLA adherence, approval cycle time, audit/exam finding closure rate, incident notification timeliness, partner satisfaction, change request lead time, partnership value delivery, program milestone completion rate, rework/escalation rates). Continuously monitor and report weekly/monthly/quarterly. Use data to identify improvement levers, track progress against program goals, and communicate program health to leadership.
• Program optimization & continuous improvement: Identify systemic issues, failure modes, and inefficiencies in program execution; run pilots; implement workflow/tooling/process changes; measure and scale impact. Drive a culture of continuous improvement across all program workstreams. Standardize best practices and eliminate redundancy.
• Program roadmap & strategic planning: Develop and maintain a multi-quarter program roadmap aligned with business priorities by partnering with Product teams throughout the company. Identify strategic initiatives that improve operational efficiency, reduce risk, and strengthen the partnership. Manage dependencies, sequencing, and resource allocation across the program.
• Stakeholder & workstream coordination: Coordinate across networks, processors, servicing/Reg E, fraud/risk, compliance, and product teams. Ensure clear communication, aligned priorities, and timely delivery. Escalate blockers and drive resolution. Serve as the connective tissue that keeps the program moving.
• AI-enabled program efficiencies: Apply AI-assisted routing, documentation, policy checks, knowledge retrieval, and program tracking with human-in-the-loop guardrails to improve program operations, decision-making, and efficiency.
• Independent decision-making: Make timely decisions in ambiguous environments; escalate with clear options and recommendations; own outcomes.
• Executive communication & presence: Provide crisp, data-informed program updates, status reports, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership. Serve as the trusted voice on program health, risks, and direction.

You Have

• 8+ Years experience in issuing payment cards
• Experience with credit card, prepaid & debit cards within the Banking as a Service (BaaS) exosystem
• Background and/or experience with consumer compliance, BSA, and/or risk management within the Banking as a Service (BaaS) ecosystem strongly preferred
• Strong bias toward action, evaluation, and pivoting- must be able to independently and proactively identify gaps and solutions
• Must have experience in, and comfort with, working in Slack and GSuite; Airtable experience also is an advantage
• AI and automation first solutioning ethos required
• Proven experience in account management in the fintech ecosystem
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and presentation skills with strong executive presence
• Ability to build rapport and trust with Product, Compliance, Legal, First Line Risk and external partners
• Strategic and analytical thinking abilities
• Capability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks effectively
• Strong data analysis skills, with the ability to identify trends, diagnose issues, and recommend data-driven solutions
• Experience leading complex, cross-functional projects from initiation to completion, with a track record of delivering results on time and within scope

Block takes a market-based approach to pay, and pay may vary depending on your location. U.S. locations are categorized into one of four zones based on a cost of labor index for that geographic area. The successful candidate’s starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future.

To find a location’s zone designation, please refer to this resource. If a location of interest is not listed, please speak with a recruiter for additional information.

Zone A:

$198,000—$297,000 USD

Zone B:

$184,200—$276,200 USD

Zone C:

$174,200—$261,400 USD

Zone D:

$164,300—$246,500 USD

Application Guidelines

Candidates may submit up to 9 active applications within a 60-day period. Reapplications to the same role are accepted 90 days after a previous application has been reviewed.

Use of AI in Our Hiring Process

We may use automated AI tools to evaluate job applications for efficiency and consistency. These tools comply with local regulations, including bias audits, and we handle all personal data in accordance with state and local privacy laws.

Contact us here with hiring practice or data usage questions.

Every benefit we offer is designed with one goal: empowering you to do the best work of your career while building the life you want. Remote work, medical insurance, flexible time off, retirement savings plans, and modern family planning are just some of our offering. Check out our other benefits at Block.

Block, Inc. (NYSE: XYZ) builds technology to increase access to the global economy. Each of our brands unlocks different aspects of the economy for more people. Square makes commerce and financial services accessible to sellers. Cash App is the easy way to spend, send, and store money. Afterpay is transforming the way customers manage their spending over time. TIDAL is a music platform that empowers artists to thrive as entrepreneurs. Bitkey is a simple self-custody wallet built for bitcoin. Proto is a suite of bitcoin mining products and services. Together, we’re helping build a financial system that is open to everyone.