Director, Payments and Fraud Operations

Who We Are

At Justworks, you’ll enjoy a welcoming and casual environment, great benefits, wellness program offerings, company retreats, and the ability to interact with and learn from leaders in the startup community. We work hard and care about our most prized asset - our people.

We’re helping businesses get off the ground by enabling them to focus on running their business. We solve HR issues. We’re data‑driven and never stop iterating. If you’d like to work in a supportive, entrepreneurial environment, are interested in building something meaningful and having fun while doing it, we’d love to hear from you.

We’re united by shared goals and shared motivations at Justworks. These are best summed up in our company values, which are reflected in our product and in our team.

Our Values

If this sounds like you, you’ll fit right in.

Who You Are

You’re an experienced operations leader with a proven ability to scale payments and fraud functions in high‑growth, regulated environments. You combine deep subject matter expertise with strong business acumen, balancing risk management with operational speed and customer experience. You lead with rigor and judgment, stay relentlessly focused on the customer, and build high‑performing teams and systems that scale with the business.

Your Success Profile

Lead and Develop the Payments and Fraud Operations Teams

• Build, develop, and retain a high‑performing team, setting a high bar for excellence and creating an environment where people take ownership and do their best work.
• Coach leaders and ICs to strengthen subject matter expertise and elevate the team’s capacity for higher‑value analysis and cross‑functional partnership.
• Set a clear vision and priorities, aligning the team around shared goals and fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Drive Operational Excellence in Payments

• Own the end‑to‑end payments lifecycle across Justworks’ product lines, ensuring customer payrolls are processed accurately and on time to protect customer trust, revenue recognition, and company cash flow.
• Strengthen risk management through improved visibility, proactive customer engagement, and continuous refinement of controls.
• Enable faster payment methods and expanded payroll timelines while maintaining a strong risk posture.
• Drive a culture of data‑driven decision‑making within the team, using operational insights to identify inefficiencies, prioritize improvements, and measure outcomes.

Protect Justworks Through Fraud and AML Operations

• Maintain full compliance with AML industry standards and fortify protection from fraudulent activity across all business lines.
• Oversee onboarding and ongoing screening processes, including fraud review, AML checks, and lifecycle monitoring.
• Stay ahead of the evolving fraud and financial crime landscape, ensuring Justworks’ approach, controls, and capabilities continuously adapt to emerging risks.

Advance Automation, Tooling, and AI Investments

• Partner with Product and Engineering to prioritize tooling investments and leverage AI/automation to reduce manual effort, expand throughput, and strengthen controls.

Lead Through Influence and Vision

• Serve as the senior voice on payments operations and fraud risk in executive decision‑making, translating operational realities into clear business impact and forward‑looking strategy.
• Partner closely with Product, Engineering, Accounting, Treasury, Customer Success, and Customer Support  to align on priorities and delivery.
• Partner with Operations leadership to define priorities for the broader Operations Division that directly align and support Justworks’ broader business strategy.

How You Will Do Your Work

• Strategic Vision and Planning – Set a long‑term vision for Payments and Fraud Operations that aligns with Justworks’ growth and anticipates future volume, product, and risk needs.
• Decisive, Data‑Driven Leadership – Use analytics and operational insights to prioritize risk, design efficient controls, and measure outcomes.
• Change Management and Transformation – Lead the shift from manual, reactive operations to scalable, preventative models embedded in product, automation, and systems.
• Cross‑Functional Influence – Build trust and alignment with senior leaders across Product, Engineering, Finance, and Customer‑facing teams to execute complex, multi‑stakeholder initiatives.
• Inclusive, Growth‑Oriented Leadership – Foster psychological safety, encourage diverse perspectives, and develop emerging leaders across your teams.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in payments operations, fraud operations, or related financial operations functions, with at least 5 years leading teams.
• Demonstrated success scaling operational functions in high‑growth, regulated environments.
• Strong knowledge of payment rails, reconciliation, and financial risk management practices.
• Strong understanding of AML compliance, fraud prevention, and customer due diligence frameworks.
• Track record of applying AI, automation, and influencing partners in Product & Engineering to scale operations and strengthen controls.
• Proven ability to lead organizational change and influence senior executives across complex, multi‑stakeholder initiatives.

The base wage range for this position is $212,000 - $274,000 annually.

#LI‑SD1 #LI‑Hybrid

Actual compensation is based on multiple factors that are unique to each candidate, including and not limited to skill set, level of relevant experience, and specific work location. Salary ranges for positions based in other locations may differ based on the cost of labor in that location.

For more information about Justworks’ Total Reward Philosophy, including all of the perks and benefits we are proud to offer our team members, please visit Total Rewards @ Justworks.

Diversity At Justworks

Justworks is committed to maintaining a workplace where diversity of identity, culture, and life experience is the norm and is celebrated authentically and respectfully. Diversity in our work, our people, and our product drives creativity and innovation, entrepreneurial leadership and integrity, competitiveness, and collaboration throughout our business and in the market. We depend on our differences to make our team stronger, our workplace more dynamic, and our product accessible to all of our customers.

We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer open to all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or familial status, disability, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status. Justworks is fully dedicated to providing necessary support to candidates with disabilities who may require reasonable accommodations. We also provide reasonable accommodations to employees based on their sincerely held religious beliefs, and other covered reasons consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws. If you’re in need of a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at accommodations@justworks.com. Your comfort and success matter to us, and we’re here to ensure an inclusive experience.

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