Senior Manager - Merchant Operations-Pre Live - Noida

About the Role We are looking for an experienced and commercially minded Senior Manager to lead the merchant operations function. This is a leadership role with end-to-end ownership of the merchant lifecycle — from acquisition and onboarding to KYC compliance, merchant activation, and ongoing account operations. The ideal candidate is a seasoned payments professional who understands the nuances of merchant onboarding at scale (from tea stalls to large corporates), brings strong regulatory and compliance awareness, and has a proven track record of building and developing high-performance operational teams. You will serve as the operational backbone of the merchant operations, partnering closely with Sales, Product, Compliance, and Banking teams ensuring merchant's journey as seamless, compliant, and commercially impactful. Key Responsibilities Merchant Lifecycle & Operational Compliance Own the full merchant lifecycle at Paytm scale— from merchant application, KYC Due diligence, and KYC/KYB processing through to activation, configuration, ongoing account management Ensure accuracy, completeness, and timeliness across all merchant onboarding stages, maintaining the highest standards of compliance and quality control. Design and govern onboarding workflows across merchant tiers and channels, adapting processes to accommodate varying risk profiles, business models, and payment corridors. Act as the senior escalation point for complex merchant cases, disputes, and onboarding exceptions requiring cross-functional resolution. Ensure all merchant onboarding and lifecycle operations are conducted in strict alignment with KYC/KYB frameworks, RBI guidelines, FEMA regulations, and applicable laws of land. Oversee periodic merchant reviews, risk-triggered reassessments, and self-initiated documentation audits to maintain a clean and compliant merchant portfolio. Oversee operational workflows supporting domestic and International acquiring and payment flows, including settlement, reconciliation, and exceptions. Partner with Banking and Product teams to ensure operational readiness for new corridors, payment products, and acquiring partnerships. Monitor gateway and acquiring performance metrics, flagging issues and driving resolution in coordination with technology and banking partners. Process Excellence & Operational Governance Design, document, and own SOPs across the end-to-end merchant lifecycle covering all use cases (from tea stall to large enterprise across India and abroad), ensuring they are consistently followed and regularly reviewed. Lead root-cause analysis (RCA) on onboarding failures, escalations, and SLA breaches; implement robust corrective actions and track resolution effectiveness. Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement across all levels of the team. Build and maintain operational dashboards tracking merchant onboarding health, TAT, exception rates, and SLA performance Serve as the primary operational interface between Merchant Operations and internal teams including Sales, MHD, Product, Compliance, Finance, and Tech Manage banking partner and third-party vendor relationships relevant to merchant onboarding, ensuring quality, compliance, and cost-effectiveness. Oversee operational budgets and forecasts for the merchant operations function; identify and implement cost efficiency opportunities. Experience & Qualifications 10+ years of progressive experience in payments operations or fintech, with at least 5 years in a leadership role managing multi-functional operations teams. Demonstrated, hands-on experience owning merchant onboarding, KYC/KYB operations, and merchant lifecycle management at scale. Strong working knowledge of payment acquiring, cross-border payment corridors, and associated compliance frameworks (RBI, FEMA, SWIFT). Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, or a related field; MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification strongly preferred. Skills & Competencies Deep domain expertise in merchant operations — Onboarding workflows, KYC/KYB regulatory compliance, Risk tiering, AML KYC framework and lifecycle governance. Strong analytical capability with the ability to interpret operational data, identify trends, and translate insights into actionable decisions. Excellent leadership, coaching, and people development skills — experienced in managing large, diverse operational teams. Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with confidence engaging across senior leadership, banking partners, and regulatory interfaces. Proficiency in Excel / Google Sheets and Data Visualization tools, Intelligence tools (Tableau, Power BI, or equivalent); SQL is an advantage. Six Sigma / Lean certification or equivalent process excellence credentials preferred.