Associate Director Payments (Strategy & Operations) in England

About The Company

Founders today are building global companies from day one — but the systems that manage their money were built for a different era. Aspire exists to change that! We’re building the financial operating system for global founders, bringing banking, software, and automation into a single platform so businesses can move faster across borders and stay focused on building. Aspire is built by people who think from first principles, care deeply about solving hard problems, and take real ownership of their work. Our team brings global experience from leading fintech and technology companies, and many of us are former founders and operators who understand what it takes to build thoughtfully, make trade-offs, and deliver at scale in a global environment. Backed by leading global investors including Y Combinator, Peak XV, and Lightspeed, Aspire has been trusted by more than 50,000 startups and growing businesses worldwide to manage their finances since 2018. Together with partners like J.P. Morgan, Visa, and Wise, we’re building for the next generation of global companies.

About The Role

At Aspire, we recognize that the foundation of our success lies in the seamless integration of cutting-edge payment solutions into our Finance Operating System. The Network/Infrastructure Partnership Team plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of Aspire by establishing and nurturing strategic payment infrastructure alliances. Our team serves as the enabler, unlocking payment products, payment rails, paymodes, as well as building and expanding a robust payment network that aligns with the evolving needs of our clients and the overarching vision of the company.

Responsibilities

• Own, and manage, and be a primary contact of Aspire strategic payment partnerships including with banks, payment service providers and other financial institutions that underpin Aspire’s payment infrastructure.
• Lead end-to-end ownership of Aspire’s payments portfolio, including programme structure, commercial models, pricing strategy, and partner economics across domestic and international payment flows.
• Lead the launch and expansion of payment partners and/or payments capabilities into new markets, navigating local regulations, licensing constraints, and partner negotiation.
• Monitor portfolio performance and partner effectiveness using data and analytics; convert insights into actionable growth, cost optimisation, and reliability improvements.
• Continuously assess new payment rails, partners, and market opportunities (e.g., local rails, real-time payments, alternative cross-border routes) to strengthen Aspire’s global payments proposition.
• Partner closely with Product and Engineering teams to translate customer use cases, market needs, and partner capabilities into scalable payments products and workflows.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Risk, legal, Compliance, and Finance to ensure payments programmes meet regulatory, operational, and financial requirements across markets.

Minimum Qualifications

• 8–12 years of experience in payments, with prior roles at fintechs, banks, PSPs, or payment infrastructure providers.
• Strong understanding of local and cross-border payment fundamentals, including clearing and settlement models, FX pricing, correspondent banking, scheme and network fees, and regulatory considerations.
• Proven track record of building and managing high-value bank and PSP partnerships, with strong negotiation and commercial structuring skills.
• Demonstrated experience owning or materially influencing payments portfolio strategy, growth, and unit economics in a B2B or platform-led context.
• Strong analytical capability, with experience using data to monitor payment performance, identify growth levers, and optimise commercial outcomes.
• Proven ability to manage complex multi-partner payment infrastructures while aligning internal stakeholders across Product, Engineering, Risk, and Compliance.
• Strong communication and relationship building skills.
• Strong grasp of artificial intelligence concepts and the ability to apply AI tools and frameworks to solve real-world problems at Aspire.

Preferred Qualifications

• Has led payments strategy and growth for a multi-country payments platform, with direct accountability for scaling volumes, revenue, and margins across local, FX, and cross-border flows, including ownership of corridor prioritisation, partner and rail selection, pricing frameworks, and structural cost optimisation.
• Experience operating within API-led, embedded finance, or finance operating system environments, with the ability to translate platform capabilities into scalable, customer-facing payment use cases and partner-integrated workflows.
• Exposure to treasury and liquidity operations, working closely with banking partners to optimise FX management, settlement structures, and funding efficiency to support overall corporate and payments strategy.