Head of Merchant Payments Project Management Office

At U.S. Bank, we’re on a journey to do our best. Helping the customers and businesses we serve to make better and smarter financial decisions, enabling the communities we support to grow and succeed in the right ways, all more confidently and more often—that’s what we call the courage to thrive. We believe it takes all of us to bring our shared ambition to life, and each person is unique in their potential. A career with U.S. Bank gives you a wide, ever-growing range of opportunities to discover what makes you thrive. Try new things, learn new skills and discover what you excel at—all from Day One.

As a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S. Bank, Elavon is committed to building the platforms and ecosystems that help over 1.5 million customers around the world to achieve their financial goals—no matter what they need. From transaction processing to customer service, to driving innovation and launching new products, we’re building a range of tailored payment solutions powered by the latest technology. As part of our team, you can explore what motivates and energizes your career goals: partnering with our customers, our communities, and each other.

Job Description

The Head of Merchant Payments Project Management Office leads the portfolio management office, product operations, Chief of Staff and strategic projects functions for Merchant Payment Services (MPS). The leader sets the operating model for how product work is planned, funded and delivered across the Small Business (SMB), Enterprise, Enterprise Healthcare, Elavon Payment Gateway (EPG) and Platform product areas, runs the leadership team's operating rhythm, and leads enterprise-critical strategic initiatives from definition through delivery. The role partners closely with Product, Technology, Technology Finance, Sales, Marketing, Risk and the MPS Senior Leadership Team, and represents the portfolio in executive forums and steering committees.

Key Responsibilities

Portfolio/Project Management Office

• •Lead the MPS Project Management Office (PMO), including program managers aligned to the SMB, EPG, Enterprise, Enterprise Healthcare and Platform product areas, to manage cross-team dependencies, portfolio reviews and execution.
• •Direct delivery of complex, cross-functional programs such as acquisitions, platform migrations and gateway consolidation, with clear milestones, risk and issue management, and escalation paths.
• •Set PMO standards, tooling and governance so delivery status, dependencies and risks are visible and comparable across the portfolio.
• •Drive measurable improvement in product technical delivery predictability.

Product Operations and Investment Governance

• •Own the annual product planning lifecycle and the yearly budget planning cycle in partnership with Technology Finance.
• •Run ongoing intake management and prioritization so investment aligns to MPS strategy and expected return.
• •Produce monthly reporting on roadmap progress and spend, and lead product council forums and portfolio reviews.
• •Track realized value against business cases and recommend reallocation of investment when outcomes lag.

Chief of Staff and Executive Governance

• •Serve as Chief of Staff to the Head of MPS, managing the leadership agenda, priorities and decision tracking for the MPS Senior Leadership Team (SLT).
• •Run the business operating rhythm, including SLT staff meetings, business reviews, steering committees and monthly program readouts.
• •Prepare executive materials, senior leadership updates and communications that convey direction and progress across MPS.
• •Coordinate cross-functional priorities, escalations and follow-through across Product, Technology, Sales, Finance, Human Resources and Risk partners.
• •Act as a trusted advisor to the Head of MPS and represent the business in enterprise forums when needed.

Strategic Projects and Transformation

• •Lead enterprise-critical strategic projects for MPS, such as transformation workstreams, acquisitions and integrations, platform consolidation, and organizational design and operating model changes.
• •Run the MPS transformation program office, translating strategy into outcome-based plans with owners, milestones and KPIs, and holding workstreams accountable for results.
• •Provide senior leaders with concise, decision-ready insight on delivery, investment and strategic project performance.

People Leadership

• •Lead, develop and retain a high-performing team of portfolio, program, product operations and strategy professionals, including people leaders.
• •Build succession and capability depth across the function and model U.S. Bank's core values and risk culture.
• •Manage the function's budget and vendor resources responsibly.

Basic Qualifications

• •Bachelor's degree, or equivalent work experience.
• •Typically 15 or more years of experience in portfolio or program management, product operations, strategy or chief of staff roles, including significant people leadership.

Preferred Skills/Experience

• •Deep knowledge of merchant acquiring and payments products, platforms and distribution channels.
• •Track record of leading an enterprise PMO or product operations function in a complex, matrixed financial services or fintech organization.
• •Experience serving as chief of staff or business manager to a senior executive and running a leadership team's operating rhythm.
• •Strong financial acumen, including investment planning, business cases and spend management with Finance partners.
• •Executive presence and communication skills, with experience presenting to senior leadership and steering committees.
• •Experience leading organizational change, transformation programs and integration or migration work.
• •Working knowledge of Agile and hybrid delivery methods and portfolio management tools; PMP, PgMP or SAFe certification is a plus.

Location Expectations

This role requires working from a U.S. Bank location three (3) or more days per week, as well as business travel based on business needs.

If there’s anything we can do to accommodate a disability during any portion of the application or hiring process, please refer to our disability accommodations for applicants .

Benefits:

Our approach to benefits and total rewards considers our team members’ whole selves and what may be needed to thrive in and outside work. That's why our benefits are designed to help you and your family boost your health, protect your financial security and give you peace of mind. Our benefits include the following:

Healthcare (medical, dental, vision)

Basic term and optional term life insurance

Short-term and long-term disability

Pregnancy disability and parental leave

401(k) and employer-funded retirement plan

Paid vacation (from two to five weeks depending on salary grade and tenure)

Up to 11 paid holiday opportunities

Adoption assistance

Sick and Safe Leave accruals of one hour for every 30 worked, up to 80 hours per calendar year unless otherwise provided by law

Review our full benefits available by employment status here .

U.S. Bank is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or veteran status, and other factors protected under applicable law.

E-Verify

U.S. Bank participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security E-Verify program in all facilities located in the United States and certain U.S. territories. The E-Verify program is an Internet-based employment eligibility verification system operated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Learn more about the E-Verify program .

The salary range reflects figures based on the primary location, which is listed first. The actual range for the role may differ based on the location of the role. In addition to salary, U.S. Bank offers a comprehensive benefits package, including incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase 401(k) co