Manager, North America Brand Operations

This role focuses on creating clarity, consistency, and continuity so that internal teams, issuing partners, and card manufacturers can operate successfully with less dependence on one-off guidance. We are seeking a contractor to help scale North America Brand Management by codifying workflows, enabling partners, and reducing manual friction across high-volume brand review operations.

Job Title: Manager, North America Brand Operations
Location: San Francisco, CA
Duration: 6 months

Role Summary
We are seeking a contractor to help scale North America Brand Management by codifying workflows, enabling partners, and reducing manual friction across high-volume brand review operations. This role focuses on creating clarity, consistency, and continuity so that internal teams, issuing partners, and card manufacturers can operate successfully with less dependence on one-off guidance.

Key Responsibilities
Card Manufacturer Enablement
" Support team with reviews for high-volume card designs and identify opportunities to reimagine our workflows and tooling to improve SLAs.
" Design and operationalize a manufacturer enablement plan for ~20 U.S.-based card manufacturers supporting ~25K card designs annually across hundreds of issuers.
" Develop scalable enablement mechanisms (newsletters, webinars, etc.)
" Reduce preventable rework by reinforcing brand requirements through clear education.
Business Artifacts & Process Streamlining
" Develop durable process documentation and guides for Brand-related workflows and tools.
" Translate institutional knowledge into repeatable, self-serve resources that support onboarding, execution, and business continuity.
" Identify and document automation and AI opportunities that reduce manual effort and rework.
" Partner with Brand SMEs to ensure artifacts reflect real operating conditions and edge cases.
Mailbox & Communications Management
" Support evolution of shared mailbox and intake models into structured workflows with routing, prioritization, and response templates.
" Build on automation to improve response quality, speed, and consistency.
" Ensure internal and external stakeholders receive guidance, decision criteria, and next steps.
Client Management & Guardrails
" Help establish guardrails and operating models for managing volume (waivers, rush requests, and exceptions).
" Define criteria and workflows to reduce ad hoc decision-making.
" Support pricing, prioritization, or policy mechanisms where applicable.

Ideal Profile
" Strong operations or process-design background in complex, high-volume environments.
" Fluent in AI and automation concepts, with the ability to translate ideas into practical improvements.
" A true process builder who thrives in ambiguity and simplification.
" Clear communicator with strong documentation instincts.
" Comfortable partnering with internal and external stakeholders.

What Success Looks Like:
" Card design reviews are being handled consistently with SLAs met across all manufacturers.
" End-to-end workflows are clearly documented and enable partners to self-serve.
" Operational knowledge no longer lives with individuals, supporting business continuity.
" Reduction in repeat questions, manual triage, and unnecessary escalations.
" Manufacturer enablement is live and improving submission quality and predictability.
" Leadership has visibility into volume drivers, pressure points, guardrails, and efficiency opportunities.