Senior Banking & Payments Manager

About the Role

Join our Business Operations team as a Senior Banking & Payments Manager to lead global banking relationships, driving strategic partnerships that power Kraken's ecosystem and enable the launch of new products and country expansions. This is a pivotal role in making Kraken the most trusted, accessible, and innovative platform for digital and traditional assets worldwide.

About the Team

The Banking & Payments team is a critical part of Kraken’s Business Operations group, responsible for building and managing strategic partnerships with global banks and financial institutions. These partnerships provide the essential financial infrastructure that supports all Kraken products, from spot trading and staking to institutional custody and emerging services.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage relationships with global banks, financial institutions, and payment partners to support Kraken’s growth and operational needs.
• Shape and implement Kraken’s Global Hybrid Banking Strategy, identifying and executing high-impact opportunities to enhance platform capabilities.
• Negotiate and manage commercial terms and agreements to optimize partner performance, reduce costs, and increase service quality.
• Oversee end-to-end execution of banking operations, ensuring seamless liquidity, treasury management, and 24x7 client transaction processing.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Finance, Legal, Treasury, Compliance, Product, and Engineering teams to deliver integrated solutions across all business lines and geographies.
• Partner with Risk, Security, and Audit teams to assess and mitigate partner-related risks while maintaining regulatory compliance.
• Establish clear metrics, governance frameworks, and continuous improvement initiatives for all banking partnerships.
• Stay informed on banking, payments, and cryptocurrency trends to anticipate opportunities and challenges in an evolving regulatory and competitive landscape.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in banking, payments, or financial services, with a strong focus on partnership management, transaction banking, or financial infrastructure.
• Proven success in negotiating and managing complex, high-value partnerships across multiple regions (UK, EMEA, and APAC preferred).
• Strong understanding of banking systems, payments rails, liquidity management, and financial compliance frameworks (including BSA/AML/KYC).
• Demonstrated ability to lead strategic initiatives, influence senior stakeholders, and deliver measurable business outcomes.
• Exceptional commercial acumen, analytical thinking, and communication skills.
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic, high-growth environment with global reach.
• Passion for innovation in digital finance and cryptocurrency.
• Willingness to travel internationally (up to 25%).