Network Contracts and Strategic Support Manager - Payments

At U.S. Bank, we’re on a journey to do our best. Helping the customers and businesses we serve to make better and smarter financial decisions and enabling the communities we support to grow and succeed.  We believe it takes all of us to bring our shared ambition to life, and each person is unique in their potential. A career with U.S. Bank gives you a wide, ever-growing range of opportunities to discover what makes you thrive at every stage of your career. Try new things, learn new skills and discover what you excel at—all from Day One.

Job Description

The Network Strategy & Governance Manager is accountable for the enterprise strategy, governance, and optimization of the Bank’s payment network relationships, including Visa, Mastercard, and other strategic network partners. The role serves as the primary owner of network governance and contractual value realization, ensuring alignment between network relationships, business strategy, financial objectives, risk management, and regulatory requirements.

This individual contributor role leads enterprise-wide initiatives impacting network economics, contractual performance, interchange strategy, and strategic partnerships. The role provides executive leadership with actionable insights and recommendations on network investments, business opportunities, financial performance, legal developments, and emerging industry trends that influence the Bank’s competitive position and long-term growth strategy.

Key Responsibilities:

Network Contract Management & Governance

• Own the development and execution of the PCS network contract governance.
• Advise executive leadership on network-related opportunities, risks, investments, and strategic priorities.
• Evaluate emerging industry developments and recommend strategies to enhance growth, profitability, customer value, and competitive positioning.
• Lead strategic assessments of network partnerships and support enterprise decision-making related to payment network relationships.
• Establish long-term strategic roadmaps aligned with business objectives and enterprise priorities.

Legal & Regulatory Monitoring

• Monitor, analyze, and synthesize relevant legal, regulatory, and policy developments affecting the payments ecosystem, including any laws or regulations impacting interchange and state or federal legislation.
• Partner with Legal, Compliance, and Government Relations to assess business impact, risks, and required responses.
• Translate regulatory developments into clear implications for contracts, strategy, operations, and financial performance.

Executive Communications & Strategic Materials

• Develop clear, concise, and decision‑ready executive decks, briefs, and presentations for senior management.
• Frame complex contractual, regulatory, and strategic topics into structured narratives with key insights, risks, options, and recommendations.
• Lead highly complex, enterprise-wide initiatives requiring cross-functional coordination and executive sponsorship.
• Establish operating models, governance structures, and decision frameworks supporting strategic objectives.
• Lead through influence across Finance, Product, Legal, Compliance, Risk, Operations, Technology, and executive leadership teams.
• Create organizational alignment on strategic priorities where competing objectives, ambiguity, and significant business risk exist.
• Operate with a high degree of autonomy and independent judgment while influencing outcomes across multiple business lines.

Basic Qualifications

• Master’s degree, or equivalent work experience
• 10 or more years of experience in project management activities
• Two or more years of managerial experience

Preferred Skills/Experience

• Expert knowledge of assigned business line or functional area
• Demonstrated management and leadership skills
• Strong organizational and analytical skills
• Advanced knowledge of project management
• Ability to identify and resolve exceptions and to analyze data
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

If there’s anything we can do to accommodate a disability during any portion of the application or hiring process, please refer to our disability accommodations for applicants.

Benefits:

Our approach to benefits and total rewards considers our team members’ whole selves and what may be needed to thrive in and outside work. That’s why our benefits are de…