About this opportunity
Monstarlab lists this Solutions Architect Lead - Payments opportunity in santa clara, California. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
Salary Range : $170,000-$200,000
Company Description:
Monstarlab builds digital solutions that start with people and scale with purpose—crafting platforms that deliver real, measurable impact.
We are a tight‑knit crew of strategists, product managers, designers, and engineers united by a single passion: crafting user‑centric experiences and digital products for our clients. Monstarlab's operational model lets us blend boutique, hands-on service with true global scale—so you benefit from round‑the‑clock momentum, deep domain expertise, and solutions tailored to your market.
Who You Are:
Level: Payments Solutions Architect (IC contributor with mentorship responsibilities)
Role DNA: This position blends elements of:
Solution Architect (50%) - Technical design and PSP solution guidance
Technical Product Manager (50%) - Requirements creation and product definition
Job Description:
Overview We're seeking an experienced payments expert to bridge the gap between business requirements and technical implementation in client engagements. This role combines deep payment service provider (PSP) knowledge — with particular depth in Stripe Connect — and technical acumen to drive successful payment integration projects. You will help clients navigate complex payment ecosystems, define integration requirements, and deliver seamless solutions that drive business growth.
The right candidate will:
Operate at the intersection of technical product management and solutions architecture
Shape product requirements
Be comfortable presenting technical solutions to non-technical clients; particularly complex payment ecosystems built on Stripe Connect
Guide technical design and integrations
Be pragmatic and commercially savvy, but able to dive into technical detail when needed
Be adept at context-switching between high-level strategy and low-level payment integration patterns
Natural teacher who can simplify complexity for clients while pushing engineering teams toward scalable designs
Core Responsibilities
Overall Payments Strategy & Advisory
Stay current on payment industry trends, emerging technologies, and regulatory changes, including tracking and evaluating emerging trends in the payments ecosystem (embedded finance, open banking, digital wallets, BNPL, etc.)
Translate complex payment concepts — particularly Stripe Connect account structures and fund flows — into clear business value for non-technical stakeholders
Technical Design & Requirements
Contribute to technical architecture discussions and design reviews
Architect and scope payment integrations including marketplace-style platforms and payment facilitators, payment migrations, and multi-party fund flows, with particular depth in Stripe Connect (Custom, Express, and Standard account types; destination charges; application fees; separate charges and transfers)
Participate in technical input sessions and exploratory calls with enterprise clients to assess payment processing needs and technical readiness
Design comprehensive payment solutions leveraging Stripe Connect and Square capabilities, with working knowledge of Adyen and other providers as needed
Develop technical specifications and integration approaches for complex use cases involving payments and fund routing, especially Stripe Connect-based marketplace and platform models
Draft and refine product requirements, user stories, and acceptance criteria for payment integrations
Develop wireframes and visual mockups to communicate payment flows and user experiences
PSP Specific Advisory and Implementation Support
Provide hands-on guidance and act as a SME for Stripe Connect (Custom, Express, and Standard accounts; destination charges and application fees; Connect Onboarding and embedded components; Treasury and Issuing where applicable), with working proficiency in Square APIs and Adyen integrations
Evaluate and recommend platform strategies around risk management, monetization, reporting, and onboarding — with particular focus on Stripe Connect's account and capability model
Navigate PSP dashboards and administrative tools (Stripe Dashboard, Square Dashboard, Adyen Customer Area) to troubleshoot and optimize configurations
Document integration patterns, best practices, and technical specifications
Translate provider features into clear business value propositions for client stakeholders
Stakeholder & Team Collaboration
Partner with commercial leads to shape client proposals and scoping
Collaborate with distributed engineering teams to ensure successful implementation of payment solutions
Work closely with client engineering teams to translate requirements into implementation plans
Explain technical implementation details to non-technical stakeholders in plain language
Facilitate workshops and knowledge transfer sessions with client stakeholders
Partner closely with commercial leads, engineers, and program managers to align solution design with business goals
Facilitate client workshops to uncover requirements and educate clients on payment provider capabilities
Serve as a trusted advisor who can balance business outcomes, technical feasibility, and user experience
Nice-to-Haves
Create detailed product requirements documents for payment integrations
Perform vibe coding/prototyping to validate technical approaches
Collaborate with engineers on wireframes, solution design, and minimal technical architecture reviews
Support and occasionally guide hands-on API/SDK integrations at a conceptual level
Required Qualifications
Technical Skills
Evaluate client payment needs and recommend optimal PSP solutions using best-in-class, API-driven providers (Stripe, Square, Adyen, others)
7–10+ years in payments, fintech, or software consulting, with a focus on payment service providers
Hands-on experience with major payment platforms, particularly deep, hands-on expertise with Stripe Connect (Custom/Express/Standard accounts, destination charges, application fees, multi-party fund flows), plus working experience with Square and Adyen
Deep understanding of payment ecosystem including acquirer relationships, payment facilitation, and card network operations
Proficiency with PSP APIs, webhooks, and integration patterns, with particular fluency in the Stripe Connect API surface (Accounts, Transfers, Payouts, Application Fees)
Understanding of technical architecture concepts (APIs, microservices, data flows)
Familiarity with payment compliance requirements (PCI-DSS, PSD2, etc.)
Strong grasp of regulatory considerations including PCI compliance, KYC/KYB requirements, and handling tokenized payments
Experience leading complex technical implementations with enterprise clients in regulated industries
Ability to translate complex payment concepts for both technical and business stakeholders
Professional Skills
Proven ability to create clear product requirements and technical documentation
Strong communication skills with ability to explain technical concepts to varied audiences
Excellent problem-solving and analytical capabilities
Comfortable with lightweight technical validation (e.g., reviewing API documentation, testing flows)
Preferred Experience
Exposure to marketplace, multi-party payment models, or embedded finance, particularly Stripe Connect-based marketplace and platform architectures
Understanding of fraud prevention and risk management in payments
Experience with payment platform migrations and merchant account transitions
Understanding of global payment methods, currency handling, and cross-border transaction complexities
Background in SaaS, marketplace, or multi-sided platform business models
Familiarity with modern development practices and API-first integration approaches
Benefits
As a full-time employee you will be eligible to participate in health care plans, fringe benefits, and/or retirement programs provided by Monstarlab.
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.