Director of Merchant Services

Finance, Planning, and Budgeting (FPB) has an outstanding opportunity for a Director of Merchant Services to join their Office of Merchant Services (OMS) team.    

Reporting to the Vice President of University Business Services (UBS), the Director of Merchant Services provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the University of Washington's enterprise merchant services program. This position is responsible for establishing, directing, and executing the University's payment acceptance, merchant services operations, payment technology governance, and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance program. 

The Director serves as the University's primary authority on merchant services and payment acceptance activities, ensuring the secure, efficient, and compliant processing of payment card transactions across academic, healthcare, administrative, research, and auxiliary operations. The position directs the development, implementation, and oversight  of institutional policies, standards, operational procedures, and risk management practices governing payment acceptance activities. 

Working collaboratively with University leadership, Information Technology, Finance, Treasury, Procurement, Internal Audit, and business stakeholders, the Director develops and advances innovative payment solutions that support evolving business needs while protecting the University's financial interests, safeguarding payment card data, and ensuring ongoing regulatory compliance. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Strategy Development (30%) 

• Leadership / Program Management (60%) 

• Administration (10%) 

Position Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Security, Finance, Accounting, Information Systems, or a related field and five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in merchant services, financial operations, payment processing, compliance, business operations, or related fields, to include at least three (3) years of management experience leading professional staff and enterprise-wide programs or complex operational programs, and two (2) or more years of experience leading a Level 1 or Level 2 organization's PCI-DSS compliance effort. Equivalent education and experience may substitute for minimum qualifications. 

• Professional certifications such as Certified Treasury Professional (CTP), PCI Professional (PCIP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Project Management Professional (PMP), or similar credentials. 

• Management of third party services that are required by PCI-DSS, such as overseeing ISA and QSA work. 

• Operational experience with payment processing, merchant acquiring, financial services, vendor management, and operational governance, including development and management of bank/credit card awareness & training for merchant account holders development and implementation of technical PCI compliance solutions and controls.  

• Ability to interpret complex operational, financial, compliance, and performance data and communicate findings through verbal and written reports. Working knowledge of network security, system architecture, and technical controls relevant to PCI-DSS compliance and payment security. 

• Strong leadership, organizational development, project management, and stakeholder engagement skills, including customer-facing experience in an IT, audit, or compliance environment. 

• Excellent ability to communicate both verbally and in writing with all levels of an organization, including both business and technical audiences.  

• Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to pull cross-functional teams together to determine short-term and long-term objectives and set priorities. Demonstrated experience in working with diverse groups and teams; create a culture of inclusion and equity throughout the team while supporting the overall culture of FPB. 

• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects/tasks simultaneously; Ability to evaluate systems and be able to develop solutions for compliance issues.  

• Understanding of information security and risk management  concepts/practices. Ability to interpret and articulate PCI-DSS security requirements.  

• Proficient working knowledge of MS Office Suite (Word, Access, Excel, Power Point), html editing, etc.  

• The candidate must be analytical, detail oriented, possess strong data management and technical skills, as well as superior customer service and organizational skills. 

Desired: 

• Professional certification in information security, audit, or risk management, such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), or PCI Professional (PCIP). 

• Experience working with Salesforce or similar customer relationship management, workflow management, or inventory management systems. 

• Experience supporting web-based applications, e-commerce environments, or web development technologies 

About the Team  

Finance, Planning, and Budgeting (FPB) encompasses the major central financial, planning, analytical, and budgeting functions for the University of Washington, including:    

• Financial Stewardship & Operations    

• Institutional Analytics & Decision Support    

• Budget, Policy & Strategy    

• University Business Service 

• Real Estate