Royal Bank of Canada

Senior Director, Payments

Royal Bank of Canada$150K — $180K *
Finance & Insurance
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years in product management, payments, fintech, banking, or platform experience, including senior leadership roles
  • Proven track record in building, launching, and scaling payment or platform products in complex and high-growth environments
  • In-depth knowledge of the payments ecosystem, including payment rails, processors, networks, and risk considerations
  • Skilled in navigating enterprise governance with technology, design, operations, and finance teams
  • Experience leading teams and influencing senior stakeholders within a matrixed organization

Responsibilities

  • Set and evolve the payment platform strategy and roadmap across the portfolio
  • Translate specific business requirements into scalable platform capabilities
  • Support portfolio businesses by adapting engagement based on their maturity and needs
  • Develop business cases and executive recommendations for strategic platform investments
  • Drive innovation to enhance market position in payments and fintech solutions
  • Lead the discovery, design, and delivery of payments products throughout their lifecycle
  • Establish compliance standards while providing payments advisory support to stakeholders

Benefits

  • Ability to make a difference and create lasting impact
  • Work in a dynamic, collaborative, and high-performing team
  • Opportunities to undertake challenging and impactful work
Full Job Description
Job Description

Senior Director, Payments

The Senior Director, Payments provides horizontal product leadership across RBCx, helping portfolio businesses build, launch and scale foundational capabilities. This role combines portfolio strategy, hands-on product leadership and enterprise navigation, connecting the needs of portfolio businesses with enterprise capabilities, external partners and appropriate risk and control functions, while creating reusable solutions that accelerate growth across the portfolio.

What will you do?

Platform Strategy and Portfolio Enablement
  • Set and evolve the platform product strategy and roadmap across the portfolio, with a focus on payments, identity, and other shared capabilities
  • Translate venture-specific requirements into scalable platform capabilities, operating models and reusable patterns that reduce duplication and improve speed to market
  • Support a diverse set of portfolio businesses with payment capabilities while adapting the level of engagement to each business's maturity, operating model and needs
  • Develop clear business cases, roadmaps, success measures and executive recommendations for strategic platform investments
  • Drive innovation that creates real value by identifying opportunities that strengthen RBC's market position and challenging conventional approaches to payments and fintech solutions

Leadership Across the Full Payments Mandate
  • Define and drive the payments strategy across supported portfolio businesses, spanning money movement, funding, cards, acceptance, disbursements and related payment services
  • Lead payments product discovery, solution design and delivery from concept through launch, stabilization and ongoing optimization
  • Oversee the health, scalability and evolution of payment capabilities supporting meaningful transaction volume across the broader portfolio mandate
  • Establish portfolio-level priorities and standards while ensuring individual products meet customer, commercial, operational and regulatory needs
  • Provide payments advisory support to internal stakeholders and selected business clients, bringing practical expertise on product design, partners, economics, controls and scale
  • Lead with clear purpose to help clients thrive by ensuring payment solutions deliver lasting impact and remain relentlessly focused on what matters most for our clients and communities

Payments Risk, Governance and Operational Resilience
  • Own and continuously strengthen the payments risk and governance framework across supported products and initiatives
  • Partner with Legal, Compliance, Privacy, AML, Fraud, Operational Risk, Third-Party Risk, Technology and Finance to navigate approvals and embed controls from the outset
  • Maintain visibility into key payment risks, dependencies, incidents, regulatory obligations and remediation commitments; ensure clear ownership and timely escalation
  • Promote strong payment operations, reconciliation, settlement, reporting, issue management and business continuity practices in partnership with product and operations teams
  • Balance speed and innovation with the control expectations of a regulated financial institution
  • Build trust through integrity and responsible risk management, addressing issues directly, following through on commitments, and reinforcing a strong culture of compliance and ethical conduct

Payments Partnerships and Enterprise Connectivity
  • Lead strategic relationships with payment networks, processors, financial institutions, fintechs and technology partners, including commercial, product, delivery and performance discussions
  • Represent the portfolio with enterprise payments, technology and control teams to secure alignment, remove blockers and connect businesses to relevant enterprise capabilities
  • Shape partner strategy and selection, support commercial negotiations and ensure third-party performance, risk and roadmap alignment
  • Build trusted senior-level relationships across the organization and the external payments ecosystem
  • Win as OneRBC by making decisions that put RBC ahead of individual platforms or teams, working across boundaries and bringing the right people together to execute with excellence

Team and Product Leadership
  • Lead, coach and develop a small team of product professionals, establishing clear accountabilities, priorities and development plans
  • Create an inclusive, high-accountability culture that combines strategic thinking with strong execution and ownership
  • Influence through a matrixed model, aligning executives, product teams, technology partners and control functions without relying solely on direct authority
  • Communicate complex issues simply and provide transparent reporting on priorities, decisions, risks, outcomes and trade-offs
  • Grow great people by attracting world-class talent, coaching them to deliver and lead at the highest level, and removing barriers to performance while holding high expectations
  • Own it with a bias for action-manage resources with discipline, solve problems directly, and take responsibility for long-term performance and reputation while celebrating team wins


What do you need to succeed?

Must-have:
  • 10+ years of progressive product management, payments, fintech, banking or platform experience, including meaningful leadership at a senior level
  • Demonstrated success building, launching and scaling payment or platform products in a complex organization, high-growth environment or both
  • Deep knowledge of the payments ecosystem, including payment rails, cards, processors, networks, partner models, economics, operations, risk and regulatory considerations
  • Experience navigating enterprise governance and working effectively with technology, design, operations, finance and control partners
  • Experience leading teams and influencing senior stakeholders across a highly matrixed organization

Nice to have:
  • Experience working in a large matrixed organization with the ability to build relationships and grow influence
  • Exposure to digital identity, AI-enabled products or venture/platform operating models
  • Strong track record of building trusted senior-level relationships across the organization and external ecosystem
  • Background in regulated financial services environments
  • Experience managing competing priorities across multiple portfolio businesses


What's in it for you?

We thrive on the challenge to be our best, progressive thinking to keep growing, and working together to deliver trusted advice to help our clients thrive and communities prosper. We care about each other, reaching our potential, making a difference to our communities, and achieving success that is mutual.
  • Ability to make a difference and lasting impact
  • Work in a dynamic, collaborative, progressive, and high-performing team
  • Opportunities to do challenging work


Job Skills
Competitive Markets, Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Conceptual Thinking, Customer Service, Manufacturing Trends & Directions, Product Development Lifecycle, Product Development Methodology, Product Manufacturing, Product Testing, Prototype Manufacturing, Value Realization

Additional Job Details

Address:

20 KING ST W:TORONTO

City:

Toronto

Country:

Canada

Work hours/week:

37.5

Employment Type:

Full time

Platform:

PERSONAL & COMMERCIAL BANKING

Job Type:

Regular

Pay Type:

Salaried

Posted Date:

2026-09-11

Application Deadline:

2026-10-05
Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the application deadline date above

About Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada Careers

Join the dynamic team at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), a global leader in financial services and a company committed to excellence and innovation. At RBC, we offer a wide range of job opportunities that empower professionals to shape their career paths with leadership, diversity training, and continuous growth.

Work You’ll Do

At Royal Bank of Canada, we are not just hiring; we are building a culture of innovation and leadership. Our team members are at the forefront of the financial industry, driving transformation and delivering targeted solutions that meet the evolving needs of our clients and communities.

Explore Job Opportunities and Employment at RBC

Whether you are starting your career or looking to take it to the next level, RBC offers positions that challenge your skills and fuel your ambition. From entry-level positions to leadership roles, our job opportunities span across various functions and regions. Join us and be part of a team that values professional growth and diversity.

Internship and Professional Development

Kickstart your career with an internship at Royal Bank of Canada. Our internships provide invaluable hands-on experience, networking opportunities, and insights into the financial services industry. Interns at RBC gain the skills necessary to excel and are often considered for full-time positions within the company.

Benefits and Culture

At RBC, we prioritize the well-being and satisfaction of our employees. Our benefits package is designed to support our team members at every stage of their life and career. RBC’s culture is built on a foundation of respect, integrity, and responsibility, fostering an environment where everyone can thrive.

Career Growth and Innovation

We believe in nurturing the potential of our employees through continuous learning and career development programs. At RBC, you will find endless opportunities to grow professionally through on-the-job experiences, formal training programs, and leadership development initiatives. Our commitment to innovation means we are constantly seeking out new ideas and perspectives, making RBC a perfect place for those who aim to lead and innovate.

Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity is our strength. At Royal Bank of Canada, we are committed to building an inclusive workplace where every employee feels valued and respected. Our diversity training programs are designed to educate and inspire, creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace.

Join Our Team

Search open positions that match your skills and interests. We look for passionate, curious, creative, and solution-driven team players. Start your journey with RBC today and be part of a world-class team known for its commitment to client service, community involvement, and innovation.

Stay Connected

Keep up to date with career tips, insider perspectives, and industry-leading insights you can put to use today—all from the people who work here at Royal Bank of Canada.

Job Alert Emails

Personalize your subscription to receive job alerts, latest news, and insider tips tailored to your preferences. Discover the exciting and rewarding career opportunities awaiting you at RBC. Explore the possibilities with Royal Bank of Canada, where your future is filled with potential and the path to success is paved with countless opportunities for professional and personal growth. Join us and shape not just your career but the future of the financial industry.
Learn more about Royal Bank of Canada
Size
86,007 employees
Market Cap
$130.3 billion
Industry
5 Year Trend
+8.7%
NASDAQ

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Royal Bank of Canada

More Finance & Insurance Jobs

Find similar Senior Director, Payments jobs: