The Company

PayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy.

We operate a global, two-sided network at scale that connects hundreds of millions of merchants and consumers. We help merchants and consumers connect, transact, and complete payments, whether they are online or in person. PayPal is more than a connection to third-party payment networks. We provide proprietary payment solutions accepted by merchants that enable the completion of payments on our platform on behalf of our customers.

We offer our customers the flexibility to use their accounts to purchase and receive payments for goods and services, as well as the ability to transfer and withdraw funds. We enable consumers to exchange funds more safely with merchants using a variety of funding sources, which may include a bank account, a PayPal or Venmo account balance, PayPal and Venmo branded credit products, a credit card, a debit card, certain cryptocurrencies, or other stored value products such as gift cards, and eligible credit card rewards. Our PayPal, Venmo, and Xoom products also make it safer and simpler for friends and family to transfer funds to each other. We offer merchants an end-to-end payments solution that provides authorization and settlement capabilities, as well as instant access to funds and payouts. We also help merchants connect with their customers, process exchanges and returns, and manage risk. We enable consumers to engage in cross-border shopping and merchants to extend their global reach while reducing the complexity and friction involved in enabling cross-border trade.

Our beliefs are the foundation for how we conduct business every day. We live each day guided by our core values of Inclusion, Innovation, Collaboration, and Wellness. Together, our values ensure that we work together as one global team with our customers at the center of everything we do – and they push us to ensure we take care of ourselves, each other, and our communities.

Job Summary:

This senior director position is a newly created, high-impact role within the Global Ecosystem Risk & Solutions team. This leader will serve as the primary EU ecosystem risk thought partner, bringing deep expertise in European Union market dynamics to influence strategy and execution across Global Risk Management (GRM).

This role requires a seasoned risk executive with extensive experience in Payments or Consumer Financial Services and demonstrated success leading and executing complex risk strategies across consumer or SMB credit risk, merchant acquiring risk, and/or deposit risk.

Job Description:

Essential Responsibilities:

Develop and articulate a clear vision and strategy for risk management aligned with PayPal's overall strategy.
Collaborate with stakeholders to assess and mitigate risks impacting operations and assets.
Inspire and lead teams to implement long-term sustainability and financial stability strategies.
Monitor and evaluate risk exposure to ensure compliance and safeguard the organization’s reputation.
Provide key inputs and guidance as an industry leader to influence decision-making at the executive level.

Minimum Qualifications:

12+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor’s degree OR Any equivalent combination of education and experience.

Additional Responsibilities & Preferred Qualifications:

Role Overview
The Senior Director will shape and strengthen ecosystem risk management across the EU by driving localization strategies, enhancing cross-functional coordination, and influencing centralized decision-making to reflect regional nuances. The role requires both strategic vision, operational execution, and analytics discipline with the ability to align diverse stakeholders around common objectives.

Strategic Leadership:

Serve as the EU Ecosystem Risk thought leader by identifying and coordinating localization opportunities across first line teams within Global Risk Management, proactively assessing gaps and developing actionable roadmaps to address them.
Be part of PayPal Germany Executives Leadership team shaping local risk strategies to balance growth and risk.
Design and drive an effective regional operating model across EU 1st line GRM teams to enhance ecosystem oversight and strengthen execution of core risk initiatives.
Influence centralized decision-making to ensure risk strategies appropriately reflect regional nuances, regulatory requirements, and market dynamics across the European Union.

Solutions Identification and Product Enhancement:

Partner with various 1st line GRM teams to identify potential in-house or 3rd party solutions to strengthen GRM programs in fraud, credit, compliance, and back-office automation in fraud operations and investigations.
Engage with both internal and external stakeholders to drive alignment and consensus to execute on roadmaps and leverage data to measure success. Cross-Functional Collaboration:
Partner with various Global Risk Management teams and Business units to identify and execute opportunities to strengthen GRM programs in EU.
Act as the primary SME advisor for EU regional executives, providing data-driven insights and recommendations. Be the voice for opportunities to enable change that drive better decisions across different EU marketplaces to enable business growth while taking calculated risks. Qualifications:

Experience:

15+ years in one or multiple areas of the Global Risk Strip with analytics experience in Credit, Fraud Prevention, or Decision Science.
Proven experience influencing C-level executives in a fast-growing Fintech or a Large financial institution.
Experience in working and driving results in a matrix organization.
Organizational Leadership: An innovative though leader with successful track record of leading teams or influencing teams in delivering results.
Domain Expertise: Deep knowledge and expertise in first line risk management in the following disciplines: fraud, credit, risk infrastructure, or risk products.
Executive Presence: Exceptional ability to influence and engage with C-level leaders, articulating complex strategies and their business impacts.
Collaboration Skills: Proven success in working cross-functionally with engineering, product, and regional teams to deliver impactful solutions.
European Union Perspective: Experience managing risk programs across multiple European Union geographies, accounting for regional nuances and regulatory variations.
Change agent: Adept at dealing with ambiguity, working at pace, and prioritizing changing requirements.

Subsidiary:

PayPal

Travel Percent:

PayPal does not charge candidates any fees for courses, applications, resume reviews, interviews, background checks, or onboarding. When making an application directly, we will never ask you to share passwords, one-time passcodes (OTP), or verification codes. Any such request is a red flag and likely part of a scam. All communication regarding your application will come from official PayPal email domains. If you suspect fraudulent activity, please report it immediately. To learn more about how to identify and avoid recruitment fraud please visit https://careers.pypl.com/contact-us.

For the majority of employees, PayPal's balanced hybrid work model offers 3 days in the office for effective in-person collaboration and 2 days at your choice of either the PayPal office or your home workspace, ensuring that you equally have the benefits and conveniences of both locations.

Our Benefits:

At PayPal, we’re committed to building an equitable and inclusive global economy. And we can’t do this without our most important asset-you. That’s why we offer comprehensive, choice-based programs, to support all aspects of personal wellbeing—physical, emotional, and financial—delivering meaningful value where it matters most. We strive to create a flexible, balanced work culture with a holistic approach to benefits, including generous paid time off, healthcare coverage for you and your family, and resources to create financial security and support your mental health.

Who We Are:

Click Here to learn more about our culture and community.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

PayPal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. In addition, PayPal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at paypalglobaltalentacquisition@paypal.com.

Belonging at PayPal:

Our employees are central to advancing our mission, and we strive to create an environment where everyone can do their best work with a sense of purpose and belonging. Belonging at PayPal means creating a workplace with a sense of acceptance and security where all employees feel included and valued. We are proud to have a diverse workforce reflective of the merchants, consumers, and communities that we serve, and we continue to take tangible actions to cultivate inclusivity and belonging at PayPal.

Any general requests for consideration of your skills, please Join our Talent Community.

We know the confidence gap and imposter syndrome can get in the way of meeting spectacular candidates. Please don’t hesitate to apply.

Sr Director, Ecosystem Risk Mgmt Lead (Europe)