Senior Product Manager - Core Issuing Infrastructure

Lithic is the modern card issuing and processing platform empowering ambitious financial companies to build the future of payments. Our infrastructure powers card programs for 100+ innovative clients, from fintechs reimagining credit and digital banking to platforms transforming disbursements and spend management. Companies like Mercury, Flex, and Novo rely on Lithic's developer-friendly APIs, direct network connections, and flawless reconciliation to launch and scale card programs in weeks, not years. We're building a future where access to better financial products materially improves people's lives, free from the constraints of 30-year-old mainframes and legacy processors. We're proud to be backed by world‑class investors who share that vision, including Bessemer Venture Partners, Index Ventures, Spark Capital, Stripes, and Mastercard, along with many others. We're a team of 160+ across 26 states and 7 countries, headquartered in New York City. We're looking for an experienced Senior Product Manager to lead our Issuing platform — the suite of foundational capabilities that determine how cards get issued, how account hierarchies are structured, how credentials are tokenized for digital wallets, and how end‑users are onboarded through KYC and KYB flows. This role sits at the heart of Lithic’s value proposition, defining the primitives that everything else is built on. You will own the product vision and execution for critical issuing infrastructure including card lifecycle management, virtual and physical card provisioning, network token orchestration (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Mastercard MDES, Visa VTS), flexible account hierarchy modeling for complex program structures, and compliant KYC/KYB onboarding flows. This person will focus on building the developer‑facing APIs and internal tooling that enable customers to run sophisticated card programs while maintaining compliance and scalability. What You'll Do Own the Issuing Platform End‑to‑End Define and execute product vision for Lithic's core issuing infrastructure: physical and virtual card issuance and lifecycle, tokenization, account hierarchy, and KYC/KYB onboarding Build and evolve the APIs, webhooks, and developer tooling that serve as the primary interface for customers managing card programs Lead Tokenization and Digital Wallet Strategy Drive Lithic's network token strategy across Visa VTS, Mastercard MDES, Apple Pay, and Google Pay Define how tokenization integrates with authorization flows, improving approval rates and reducing fraud exposure Partner with card networks and OEM wallet providers to stay ahead of evolving token lifecycle APIs and provisioning requirements Build Flexible Account Hierarchy and Program Modeling Evolve Lithic's account hierarchy model to support diverse program structures — corporate hierarchies, spend controls by entity, multi‑level card programs Enable customers to model complex issuing relationships: parent/child accounts, cost centers, team‑level card programs, and cardholder‑level controls Ensure the API surface is composable and expressive enough to handle both simple and sophisticated program architectures Define KYC/KYB Onboarding as a Product Own the cardholder and business onboarding experience — from API‑driven identity verification to manual review workflows Partner with Compliance and Risk to ensure onboarding flows meet BSA/AML, OFAC, and sponsor bank requirements without creating unnecessary friction Evaluate and manage third‑party KYC/KYB vendor integrations, defining when to use Lithic‑native decisioning vs. partner solutions Drive improvement in onboarding conversion rates while maintaining compliance standards Champion the Developer and Operator Develop deep understanding of the needs of both technical integrators (developers building on the Lithic API) and program operators managing live card programs Conduct customer research, shadow onboarding calls, analyze API usage patterns, and review support escalations to inform design decisions Balance product simplicity for new integrations with the expressiveness required by sophisticated enterprise customers What You Bring Must Have 7+ years of product management experience: In fintech or financial services, with a strong track record of shipping operational tooling or B2B infrastructure products Issuing or payments infrastructure experience : Proven track record building card issuing, payment processing, or adjacent financial infrastructure products Technical fluency : Strong understanding of APIs, data flows, and system integration. Comfortable partnering with engineering teams on complex implementations involving rule engines, workflow automation, and third‑party integrations Metrics‑driven mindset : Track record of defining and improving issuing metrics like activation rates, tokenization success, onboarding conversion, and API uptime Cross‑functional collaboration : Experience working effectively with operations, compliance, risk, and engineering teams in complex, matrixed organizations Nice to Have Experience working for fintech or payment platforms Experience through education or work as an engineer Experience with Visa or Mastercard issuing rules, BIN sponsorship, and principal membership programs Working familiarity with network token lifecycle (provisioning, replenishment, suspension), digital wallet integrations, and how tokenization intersects with authorization Experience owning or contributing to identity verification flows, understanding compliance requirements, and working with vendors like Alloy, Persona, or Socure SQL proficiency or data analysis experience Salary Range The annual US salary range for this role is $148,000 - $190,000 plus equity. This salary range may be inclusive of several career levels at Lithic and will be narrowed during the interview process based on the candidate’s experience and qualifications. Candidates must be located in the United States, Canada, Netherlands, Poland, or Czech Republic. We do not offer visa sponsorship or assistance. Benefits for Full‑Time US Employees: Unlimited PTO 12‑weeks fully paid parental leave 4‑Week Fully Paid Sabbatical (earned at your 5‑year anniversary) Work From Anywhere: work from anywhere in the world 4‑weeks each year 3% cashback on card purchases with your complimentary Privacy.com employee account Health, vision, and dental insurance; HSA Contribution Match 401(k) match Voluntary Life Insurance and STD/LTD NYC‑based employees work from our SoHo office three days a week. Tuesdays and Thursdays are our core days, and you'll choose a third day that works for your schedule and team needs. In‑office employees receive: Commuter benefit Catered lunch every Tuesday and Thursday #J-18808-Ljbffr