Director, Strategic Customer Relations

In the U.S., co-branded cards alone account for over $300 billion in annual spend, and most still run on decades-old legacy bank systems. Imprint is the modern alternative: flexible, embeddable, and built for how people actually pay today. Backed by Kleiner Perkins, Thrive Capital, Ribbit, and Khosla Ventures, we're...

As Director, Strategic Customer Relations, you will own the strategy, operations, and outcomes of Imprint's customer escalations and back office functions. This is a senior leadership role with direct accountability for building and scaling a best-in-class escalations operation.

You will serve as the vision-setting, execution-driving leader across four core function areas: escalations, back office operations, credit reporting, and social media support — translating reactive, ad hoc processes into a structured, metrics-driven function with a clear roadmap for what great looks like.

Own strategy, operations, and outcomes across escalations (organic, executive, and partner), back office functions, credit reporting, and social media support
Build the operating infrastructure for the escalations function: processes, metrics, tooling, and backlog management — from the ground up
Define and articulate a clear vision for what "great" looks like in 1–2 years, and drive stakeholder alignment and buy-in on the path to get there
Lead and scale a hybrid team model, including internal staff and an outsourced partner, to meet growing demand without proportional headcount growth
Identify, evaluate, and implement technology solutions — including AI-powered tools — to improve agent support, reduce escalation volume, and increase resolution quality
Partner with Risk, Compliance, Legal, Tech, and General Managers to resolve complex escalations and ensure regulatory adherence
Feed escalation themes back to Product and Engineering with actionable recommendations to address root causes and prevent recurrence
Establish data infrastructure that connects ticketing systems (e.g., Linear) with broader analytics platforms (e.g., Sigma) for unified reporting and insight
Oversee back office operations including trailing statements, SCRA, bankruptcy notices, and deceased notices
Provide strategic oversight of social media support channels with a plan to expand coverage

Demonstrated experience building and scaling customer escalations, back office, or customer relations functions from an early, unstructured state — not just running a mature operation
Strong analytical mindset with a track record of implementing metrics, operational structure, and process discipline in ambiguous environments
Experience managing outsourced or BPO teams as a core part of the delivery model
Practical experience leveraging AI in operations — e.g., agent assist tools, Slack bots, or automated resolution workflows
Proficiency with ticketing systems and experience integrating them with data and analytics platforms for unified reporting
Ability to set a clear vision, communicate it compellingly, and drive alignment across senior stakeholders
Deep ownership mentality — identifies problems, drives solutions, and holds outcomes without being directed
Background in fintech, payments, or regulated financial services
Experience at a high-growth startup navigating rapid scaling and operational volatility
Exposure to a mature, well-run escalations or customer operations function, providing a clear benchmark for "what great looks like"
Familiarity with social media support operations and community management at scale