Director, Payment Operations

Overview:

Our Culture and Impact Cvent is a leading meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider with more than 5,500+ employees and ~30,000 customers worldwide, including 60% of the Fortune 500. Founded in 1999, Cvent delivers a comprehensive event marketing and management platform for marketers and event professionals and offers software solutions to hotels, special event venues and destinations to help them grow their group/MICE and corporate travel business. Our technology brings millions of people together at events around the world. In short, we’re transforming the meetings and events industry through innovative technology that powers the human connection. Cvent's strength lies in its people, fostering a culture where everyone is encouraged to think like entrepreneurs, taking risks and making decisions confidently. We value diverse perspectives and celebrate differences, working together with colleagues and clients to build strong connections. AI at Cvent: Leading the Future Are you ready to shape the future of work at the intersection of human expertise and AI innovation? At Cvent, we’re committed to continuous learning and adaptation—AI isn’t just a tool for us, it’s part of our DNA. We’re looking for candidates who are eager to evolve alongside technology. If you love to experiment boldly, share your discoveries, and help define best practices for AI-augmented work, you’ll thrive here. Our team values professionals who thoughtfully integrate AI into their daily work, delivering exceptional results while relying on the human judgment and creativity that drive real innovation. Cvent is hiring a Director, Payment Operations to own the strategy, systems, and vendor ecosystem behind Cvent Payments - the PCI Level 1, Stripe Connect-powered payment processing capability embedded across Cvent's event platform. Cvent Payments handles event registration payments, automated payouts and remittances, onsite payment processing via Cvent OnArrival, and multi-currency transactions (130+ currencies, major card types, Apple Pay and Google Pay) for organizers globally. This is a strategic, cross-functional leadership role: you will own the Stripe relationship and payments roadmap, and partner closely with Product, Engineering, Sales, and Accounting to scale a payments capability that supports Cvent's global growth. You will also lead the team responsible for day-to-day payment operations, compliance, and risk management.

In This Role, You Will:

Payments Strategy & Vendor Management

• Own the end-to-end relationship with Stripe (Cvent Payments' processing partner via Stripe Connect) and any additional acquiring/banking partners; lead contract negotiations, pricing structure, and SLA management.
• Develop and maintain a multi-year payments roadmap aligned to Cvent's product and international growth strategy, including new payment methods, currencies, and markets.
• Evaluate and select new payment partners and technologies as the business scales; build the business case and lead vendor RFPs where needed.
• Own total cost of payment acceptance and identify opportunities to improve margin through routing, reserves management, and fee structure optimization.
• Optimize pricing, margins, and reporting by analyzing processing costs, interchange, and fee structures to improve profitability.

Systems, Process & Performance

• Partner with Product and Engineering on the Cvent Payments platform roadmap, including self-service merchant onboarding, automated payouts/remittances, tax collection, and onsite payment processing.
• Drive automation and continuous improvement across transaction processing, reconciliation, chargebacks, and exception management.
• Define and report on payment operations KPIs — authorization rates, cost of acceptance, days-to-settle, dispute/chargeback rates, failed payout rates — to executive leadership.

Risk & Compliance

• Maintain Cvent Payments' PCI Level 1 Service Provider status and data security standards across all payment flows and integrations.
• Oversee fraud prevention, dispute management, and adherence to card network rules; partner with Legal and Compliance on regulatory requirements across the geographies Cvent operates in.
• Maintain and strengthen financial controls and compliance by supporting internal and external audits; maintain strong documentation and control frameworks and ensure adherence to card network rules, PCI requirements, KYC/AML expectations, and internal policies.

Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing payment operations team.
• Partner with Accounting/Controllership on reconciliation and revenue recognition implications of payment flows.
• Partner with Sales and GTM teams on payment-related contract terms and the merchant/organizer payment experience.
• Serve as the executive-level subject matter expert on payments for internal stakeholders and leadership.

Here's What You Need:

• 10+ years of experience in payments, treasury, fintech, or payment operations, including people leadership experience.
• Direct experience managing a processor relationship, ideally with Stripe/Stripe Connect, and familiarity with merchant acquiring.
• Deep knowledge of PCI-DSS (Level 1 Service Provider experience a plus), card network rules, and payments compliance/regulatory frameworks.
• Proven track record negotiating vendor contracts and managing multi-million-dollar payments spend.
• Experience partnering cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Legal, Sales, and Accounting/Finance.
• Excellent executive communication and presentation skills; comfortable presenting to senior leadership.
• Experience using AI and other automation tools for process improvements and to drive efficiencies.
• Bachelor's degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in SaaS, marketplace, or platform businesses with embedded payments (e.g., Stripe Connect platform model).
• Experience in event technology, hospitality, or B2B SaaS with multi-currency/international payment flows.
• Familiarity with digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay) and onsite/in-person payment processing.
• Process improvement background (e.g., Six Sigma, Lean).

This job posting is intended to comply with all applicable laws. If we learn during the course of our recruitment process that, due to an applicant’s location, further information about the position is required, including certain salary information, this information in this posting will be supplemented accordingly.