Director, Product - Payments Analytics & Data Decisioning - New York, NY, Or Sandy Springs, GA
Are you customer obsessed and passionate about building products and experiences that support the financial needs of a global population? How about offering up your technical skills in a business that is committed to moving money for better? If you are interested in joining a globally diverse organization where our high impact contributions are recognized and celebrated both by our customers and our leadership, allowing each of us to thrive, then it is time to join our Payments Product Team at Western Union.
Western Union powers your pursuit
We are seeking a strategic and technically strong Director, Payments Analytics & Decisioning to lead the development of advanced data capabilities that power smarter, faster, and more reliable payment decisions across our global remittance platform.
This role is central to shaping how we use data to optimize payment performance—maximizing approval rates, reducing costs, and improving user experience. You will lead a team that builds predictive models, analyzes transaction-level data, and enables data-informed product decisions at scale.
Role Responsibilities:
Analytics & Optimization
Own analytics strategy and insights for global payments performance, including success rates, cost per transaction, partner performance, and operational efficiency.
Lead data-driven experimentation and optimization efforts related to payment method selection, routing, retry strategies, and settlement flows.
Develop dashboards and frameworks to track KPIs, support product and finance decisions, and monitor trends across markets.
Decision Science & Modeling
Build and deploy models that inform routing, retry logic, and payment prioritization based on factors such as cost, speed, method availability, and past performance.
Design decisioning frameworks that use transaction-level intelligence to optimize throughput and customer outcomes.
Partner with Product and Engineering (and Chief Data Officer function) to integrate models and business rules into real-time decisioning infrastructure.
Data Foundations & Infrastructure
Define the data architecture and requirements to enable comprehensive, accurate, and scalable payments data pipelines.
Work with Data Engineering to ensure high-quality structured datasets that power both real-time and offline analytics.
Establish a unified data model across payment types (cards, bank transfers, wallets, etc.) and regions.
Cross-Functional Leadership
Act as the primary data science partner to the Payments Product team, contributing to roadmap planning and product strategy.
Collaborate with Engineering, Operations, Finance, and Partner Management to align insights with business goals.
Build, manage, and mentor a team of data scientists and analysts focused on payment analytics.
Role Requirements:
Required:
8+ years of experience in data science or advanced analytics, with at least 3 years in a leadership capacity.
Deep knowledge of the payments ecosystem—cards, bank transfers, real-time payments, wallets, and alternative payment methods.
Strong SQL and Python skills, with hands-on experience in predictive modeling, experimentation, and A/B testing.
Demonstrated ability to deliver measurable impact through data in large-scale, global product or platform environments.
Exceptional communication skills and comfort working across technical and non-technical audiences.
Preferred:
Experience with remittances, cross-border payments, or multi-region payment platforms.
Familiarity with the economics and mechanics of payment processing (authorization flows, success rate drivers, cost levers).
Experience with modern data tooling (e.g., Snowflake, dbt, Bedrock/ Dataiku/ other ML Platforms, Airflow, Looker, Mode).
Advanced degree (MS/PhD) in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Economics, or related quantitative field.
We make financial services accessible to humans everywhere. Join us for what’s next.
Western Union is positioned to become the world’s most accessible financial services company —transforming lives and communities. We’re a diverse and passionate customer-centric team of over 8,000 employees serving 200 countries and territories, reaching customers and receivers around the globe. More than moving money, we design easy-to-use products and services for our digital and physical financial ecosystem that help our customers move forward.
Just as we help our global customers prosper, we support our employees in achieving their professional aspirations. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to learn new skills and build a career, as well as receive a great compensation package. If you’re ready to help drive the future of financial services, it’s time for Western Union. Learn more about our purpose and people at https://careers.westernunion.com/
Salary
The base salary range is $160,000 - $250,000 per year, total on target compensation includes a base salary plus short-term and long-term incentives that align with individual and company performance.
Benefits
You will also have access to short-term incentives, multiple health insurance options, accident and life insurance, and access to best-in-class development platforms, to name a few (https://careers.westernunion.com/global-benefits/).
Please see the location-specific benefits below and note that your Recruiter may share additional role-specific benefits during your interview process or in an offer of employment.
Your United States – Specific Benefits Include
Flexible Time off
Medical, Dental and Life Insurance
Tuition Assistance Program
Parental Leave
One day volunteer time off
$0 Money Transfer Fee Discount Code – Quarterly
Recognition Program “Game Changers”
Employee Discount Program
Global Adoption Assistance
Global Scholarship Awards Program
4% Western Union Contribution to 401K
Western Union values in-person collaboration, learning, and ideation whenever possible. We believe this creates value through common ways of working and supports the execution of enterprise objectives which will ultimately help us achieve our strategic goals. By connecting face-to-face, we are better able to learn from our peers, problem-solve together, and innovate.
Our Hybrid Work Model categorizes each role into one of three categories. Western Union has determined the category of this role to be Hybrid. This is defined as a flexible working arrangement that enables employees to divide their time between working from home and working from an office location. The expectation is to work from the office a minimum of three days a week.
For residents of Colorado, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania: Please do not respond to any questions on this initial application that may seek age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You may also redact this information from any materials you submit during the application process. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.
We are passionate about diversity. Our commitment is to provide an inclusive culture that celebrates the unique backgrounds and perspectives of our global teams while reflecting the communities we serve. We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, political affiliation, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, or veteran status. The company will provide accommodation to applicants, including those with disabilities, during the recruitment process, following applicable laws.
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Estimated Job Posting End Date:
03-09-2026This application window is a good-faith estimate of the time that this posting will remain open. This posting will be promptly updated if the deadline is extended or the role is filled.
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What We Do
Western Union is here for what's next. Each day, our diverse global teams invent and build new ways to send, save, and spend money. Wherever our customers are in the world, whatever currency they prefer, we're evolving to meet the demands of tomorrow. When we help make financial services more accessible to people everywhere, we transform lives and communities, positioning us to become the world's most accessible financial services company. That's our vision, and we need talented, forward-thinkers like you to help make it a reality. Our global workforce tackles complex issues every day, making them the backbone of our innovative spirit since 1851. If you're ready to be part of our evolution, apply now.
Why Work With Us
Diversity is a core strength at Western Union, providing the foundation for our corporate values – purpose-driven, globally-minded, and trustworthy and respectful. With a presence in 200+ countries, we are committed to providing a rich and inclusive work environment that reflects each employee’s unique culture, background, and perspectives.
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