Authorization Optimization Manager, Payments

It all started with an idea at Block in 2013. Initially built to take the pain out of peer-to-peer payments, Cash App has gone from a simple product with a single purpose to a dynamic ecosystem, developing unique financial products, including Afterpay/Clearpay, to provide a better way to send, spend, invest, borrow and save to our 50+ million monthly active customers. We want to redefine the world's relationship with money to make it more relatable, instantly available, and universally accessible.
Today, Cash App has thousands of employees working globally across office and remote locations, with a culture geared toward innovation, collaboration and impact. We've been a distributed team since day one, and many of our roles can be done remotely from the countries where Cash App operates. No matter the location, we tailor our experience to ensure our employees are creative, productive, and happy.
This Role:
At Block, we're building a more open, accessible financial system - and payments sit at the core of that mission. As part of the Cash App Card team, the Authorization Optimization - Payment Solutions role focuses on improving payment authorization performance at massive scale, where even small gains can unlock meaningful impact for millions of customers and the broader payments ecosystem.
You'll work at the intersection of issuers, merchants, processors, and networks to identify, design, and execute strategies that increase authorization rates while maintaining strong risk controls and a great customer experience.
You Will

• Own and drive authorization optimization initiatives for Cash App Card and other Issuing Products transactions across domestic and international payment flows
• Analyze end-to-end transaction flows to identify friction, declines, and optimization opportunities
• Develop and implement strategies to improve authorization outcomes from issuer, merchant, and network perspectives
• Partner closely with merchants to understand their payment setups and influence changes that improve approval rates
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Risk, Product, Engineering, Data, and Operations to execute improvements
• Work directly with processors and payment networks to align on network rules, optimization tools, and roadmap opportunities
• Monitor performance metrics and translate insights into scalable, repeatable improvements
• Advocate for customer-first payment experiences while balancing fraud, compliance, and network requirements

You Have

• 5-7 years of experience in payments, financial services, or a related field
• Strong understanding of card transaction flows, authorization decisioning, and decline reason codes
• Working knowledge of card network rules (e.g., Visa, Mastercard) and issuer/processor interactions
• Experience designing or executing authorization optimization strategies
• Comfort influencing outcomes without direct authority, across highly cross-functional teams
• Ability to work directly with external partners including merchants, processors, and networks
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to turn data into action

Nice to have

• Direct experience with issuer-side or merchant-side optimization strategies
• Experience working at scale with card products or consumer payments
• Familiarity with experimentation, A/B testing, or rule-based optimization frameworks

We're working to build a more inclusive economy where our customers have equal access to opportunity, and we strive to live by these same values in building our workplace. Block is an equal opportunity employer evaluating all employees and job applicants without regard to identity or any legally protected class. We will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and "fair chance" ordinances.
We believe in being fair, and are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to disabled applicants throughout the recruitment process. We encourage applicants to share any needed accommodations with their recruiter, who will treat these requests as confidentially as possible. Want to learn more about what we're doing to build a workplace that is fair and square? Check out our I+D page .
While there is no specific deadline to apply for this role, U.S. roles are typically open for an average of 55 days before being filled by a successful candidate. Please refer to the date listed at the top of this job page for when this role was first posted.
Block takes a market-based approach to pay, and pay may vary depending on your location. U.S. locations are categorized into one of four zones based on a cost of labor index for that geographic area. The successful candidate's starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future.
To find a location's zone designation, please refer to this resource . If a location of interest is not listed, please speak with a recruiter for additional information.
Zone A:
$148,700 - $223,100 USD
Zone B:
$141,300 - $211,900 USD
Zone C:
$133,800 - $200,800 USD
Zone D:
$126,400 - $189,600 USD
Application Guidelines
Candidates may submit up to 9 active applications within a 60-day period. Reapplications to the same role are accepted 90 days after a previous application has been reviewed.
Use of AI in Our Hiring Process
We may use automated AI tools to evaluate job applications for efficiency and consistency. These tools comply with local regulations, including bias audits, and we handle all personal data in accordance with state and local privacy laws.
Contact us here with hiring practice or data usage questions.
Every benefit we offer is designed with one goal: empowering you to do the best work of your career while building the life you want. Remote work, medical insurance, flexible time off, retirement savings plans, and modern family planning are just some of our offering. Check out our other benefits at Block.
Block, Inc. (NYSE: XYZ) builds technology to increase access to the global economy. Each of our brands unlocks different aspects of the economy for more people. Square makes commerce and financial services accessible to sellers. Cash App is the easy way to spend, send, and store money. Afterpay is transforming the way customers manage their spending over time. TIDAL is a music platform that empowers artists to thrive as entrepreneurs. Bitkey is a simple self-custody wallet built for bitcoin. Proto is a suite of bitcoin mining products and services. Together, we're helping build a financial system that is open to everyone.