Director of Operations

About Tensec

Founded in 2023, Tensec is a global fintech that enables small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to enter global trade and thrive by giving them access to global transaction banking solutions that are user-friendly, efficient, and secure.

Tensec founders have driven startups from foundation to exit, built decacorns, and led global teams at companies such as PayPal, Credit Karma, Facebook, Goldman Sachs, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. We're putting together a world-class team to disrupt the $50 trillion cross-border b2b financial services industry by providing SMBs the financial strength to participate and win in the global economy.

We believe that successful companies and teams are directly correlated to a company's cultural DNA. At Tensec, we make a deliberate effort to create values and foster a culture able to unleash both human and organizational potential. We strongly believe that the best business results derive from teams that have a strong identification with a mission, push themselves to the edge, and love what they do.

The Tensec team is diverse and global, with members in San Francisco, New York, Miami, Monterrey, and Sao Paulo. We are funded by top venture capital firms such as Quiet Capital, Costanoa Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Clocktower, WillowTree, and prolific angels such as Jason Pate (Chief Strategy Officer, Plaid), Bora Chung (ex-Chief Experience Officer, Bill.com and Board Member, Remitly).

How We Work

We move fast, debrief quickly, and expect you to own your output. This is a dynamic company, we value speed and decisiveness over process. You'll have the context you need to make good decisions, and the autonomy to make them.

About the Role

Tensec is moving from three markets to many, and the operational backbone that holds this together needs to be built now - by someone who understands all of the moving parts at once. As Director of Operations, you will own the infrastructure that lets Tensec scale without breaking: the treasury backend that powers real-time money movement, the AI-assisted compliance and onboarding flows, the US market buildout, and the cross-functional operational machine that keeps every corridor running on time and on spec.

This is not a process-management or project-coordination role. You will be the first point of contact for day-to-day operational, legal, and cross-functional questions from the COO, CPO, and senior managers. You own the operational capability - not just the reporting layer above it.

What You'll Do

• Operational Leadership: Serve as the first point of contact for day-to-day operational and cross-functional questions from the COO, CPO, and senior management teams; own the COO-level operational machine.
• Advise the product team on operational and legal requirements for the client onboarding experience; coordinate legal review of onboarding flows and ensure the backend operations organization can deliver what the frontend promises
• Ensure the operations organization provides the support the PMO function requires to execute cross-functional initiatives
• As Tensec's operations become increasingly AI-assisted, ensure the operational tools your teams rely on are deployed responsibly and that AI-generated outputs are used appropriately across client-facing and internal workflows
• Treasury Backend Infrastructure: Build the proprietary orchestration layer that sits above Tensec's existing vendor infrastructure, giving Tensec the flexibility to operate across any rail and in any market on its own terms
• Manage and expand the vendor network, including existing infrastructure partners powering Asia and EU corridors; evaluate, negotiate, and onboard new partners as Tensec enters additional markets
• Work with engineering and product to develop and continuously improve the orchestration technology that makes Tensec's treasury function intelligent, automated, and scalable across all corridors
• Advise on the requirements for the risk framework governing treasury operations, ensuring the infrastructure you build is designed to support risk program ownership rather than replace it
• US Market Buildout: Own the operational and legal groundwork for existing licenses and partnerships, and US market entry, targeted for H2 2026; identify and manage the regulatory, banking, and operational dependencies that make a US launch clean and defensible
• Monitor and advise on the AI governance requirements that will apply to Tensec's US operations and ensure US market entry accounts for emerging AI transparency and accountability obligations
• Build and maintain operational dashboards, playbooks, and escalation paths that give leadership real-time visibility into cross-market operational health
• Serve as the internal resource for People & HR matters across all three jurisdictions in coordination with the COO

What We're Looking For

• 8+ years in operations, treasury operations, or financial infrastructure roles - preferably in fintech, payments, or a regulated financial services company operating across multiple jurisdictions
• A builder mindset: you think about what the function looks like at ten times the current complexity before you design it for today
• Intellectually honest and relentlessly curious; comfortable becoming the expert fastest and bringing others along with you
• High agency - you take ownership of outcomes, not just tasks; when something is unclear, you clarify it; when something is broken, you fix it
• Comfortable with multi-jurisdictional operations: trade finance structures, AI-governed treasury systems, and cross-border regulatory complexity are familiar territory
• Fluent in English; Spanish or Portuguese a meaningful plus given our Brazil and Mexico operations
• Based in New York, NY or Miami, FL; ability to travel
• Experience at a cross-border payments company, FX platform, or trade finance firm with operations in Latin America
• Familiarity with AI compliance review tools, treasury automation platforms, or orchestration infrastructure in financial services
• Exposure to US financial licensing, MSB registration, or state-level money transmitter requirements
• To Thrive in This Role, You Have:
• Genuine fluency in how cross-border trade, treasury, and FX infrastructure actually work - not just what the pitch deck says
• High agency - when something is unclear or broken across operations, you fix it without waiting for a playbook; you own outcomes, not job descriptions
• A systems thinker who designs for scale: you think about what the operational machine looks like at ten times complexity before building it for today

What You'll Learn

• How to build a cross-border FX and treasury infrastructure that runs across multiple jurisdictions, rails, and regulatory environments simultaneously
• How AI is reshaping treasury automation, compliance review, and operational decision-making in regulated financial services - from the inside of a company building it
• What it looks like to build a company's operational backbone from the ground up - across the US, Brazil, and Mexico - with real ownership and real stakes

Benefits and Perks

The expected salary range for this role is $170,000-$190,000 for candidates based in Miami, and $190,000-$215,000 for candidates based in the Bay Area. Actual compensation will depend on experience, skills, qualifications, and location.

• Equity
• Medical, dental and vision
• 15 days paid time off
• Learning and development budget

Additional Disclaimers

Tensec is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Tensec is a diverse and inclusive company committed to growing a diverse and inclusive team. We invite people of all backgrounds and identities to apply. Additionally, we encourage everyone to share which pronouns you wish for us to use when addressing you (i.e., she/her, he/him, they/them).

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you require an accommodation during the application or interview process.