Senior Payments Manager

Location: Belgrade; Lisbon Workplace: OnSite Aghanim is an integrated commerce, liveops automation, community engagement, and payments platform for video games.   Mobile games have traditionally depended on app stores for distribution, payments, and player relationships. We believe there is a better way. Aghanim helps game studios build direct relationships with players, sell directly, and build their future on their own terms. Today, more than 100 games worldwide are already building this future with Aghanim.   Our team brings together people across Los Angeles, New York, Seoul, Beijing, London, Lisbon, Belgrade and other locations around the globe, with deep expertise in gaming, fintech and technology. We move quickly, keep communication direct, and focus on getting things done. We believe the best people thrive when they have autonomy, ownership, and a stake in the company's success. [https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/4f457f07-466b-477b-b552-fbbabd850111/2de3a7cd-8843-41a9-8bbe-ceb897a42c4a/Logo%20(horizontal).svg] We are looking for a Senior Payments Manager to expand and optimize Aghanim's global payment capabilities. You will own the complete lifecycle of payment system provider relationships – from researching markets and identifying the right payment methods and partners to negotiating commercial terms, coordinating integrations and launches and managing provider performance after go-live. Key Responsibilities - Conduct market analysis to identify the most relevant payment methods, consumer preferences, regulatory considerations and market practices across different countries and regions - Develop country-level payment strategies based on customer demand, conversion potential, cost, risk and operational complexity - Research, evaluate, and select payment service providers, acquirers, alternative payment method providers, banks and other payment partners - Lead commercial negotiations covering pricing, processing fees, settlement terms, foreign exchange and service levels - Own payment-provider relationships from the initial conversation through due diligence, contracting, integration and production launch - Coordinate closely with Product, Engineering, Finance, Legal, Compliance and Operations teams to deliver successful integrations - Manage payment partners after launch, including regular business reviews, issue escalation, roadmap coordination and commercial optimization - Monitor and improve authorization rates, payment conversion, processing costs, fraud, chargebacks and overall provider performance - Stay current on developments across the global payments ecosystem, including new payment methods, regulations, provider capabilities and market trends - Maintain accurate documentation of provider coverage, commercial terms, integration status, dependencies and performance - Configure and maintain pricing, payment fees, currencies and market-specific commercial rules in internal billing system Required Qualifications - 5+ years of experience in payments - Proven experience working directly with payment service providers, acquirers, payment gateways, banks or alternative payment method providers - Experience sourcing, evaluating, negotiating with and onboarding payment partners - Strong understanding of the payment ecosystem, including acquiring, processing, card networks, payment gateways, alternative payment methods, settlement, foreign exchange, fraud and chargebacks - Strong commercial and negotiation skills, with the ability to evaluate both financial and operational tradeoffs - Analytical mindset and experience using data to assess markets, prioritize opportunities and improve payment performance - Excellent written and spoken English - High level of ownership and the ability to drive payment initiatives from start to finish Preferred Qualifications - Understanding of local payment regulations, compliance requirements and tax considerations across different markets - Experience using AI and automation tools to accelerate research, partner evaluation, documentation and analysis - Experience in the video game industry WHY JOIN US - World-class team – work alongside experienced professionals from around the globe who have built products used by millions of players - High growth, high impact – be part of a fast-growing company where ideas turn into products and reach customers in days, not months - Autonomy and ownership – we trust people to make decisions, take initiative, and drive results - Modern tools and technology – use AI, automation, and modern tools as part of your everyday work - Equity – participate in the company's growth and long-term success