Lead Payments Operations, Incident Management

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.About Airbnb Capability Center: Airbnb Capability Centre was set up in 2017 in Gurgaon. We provide specialized operational services which enable Airbnb's business and functions across the world. These include Finance Technology, Finance Shared Services, Analytics, Engineering, amongst other verticals.Our offices are home to multi-skilled teams with an insightful and deep understanding of our business and community. We're hospitable, fun and we welcome all with open arms.The Community You Will JoinOur small and extremely capable team of Gurgaon-based colleagues strive to make the impossible happen for our inbound and outbound travellers within this big and diverse market. ACC is providing varied services under Community Support thereby providing world-class customer experience to our customers. Besides this, ACC is also building deep capabilities for different verticals like Homes, Finance Technology Group, Finance Shared Services, Payments, Analytics, etc.The Difference You Will MakeAs a Payments Operations Lead focused on Incident Management, you will establish and manage a Payments-specific incident management framework that complements Airbnb’s existing company-wide incident management and escalation processes. This role will ensure Payments incidents, issues, and escalations are captured, coordinated, and resolved with the speed, rigor, and regulatory nuance they require.You will act as the primary point of contact for Payments Operations incidents, issues, and escalations, working across global and regional teams to monitor performance, drive urgent remediation, and ensure compliance with regulated payment entity requirements. By coordinating escalations and embedding institutional learnings, you will play a critical role in strengthening the resiliency and reliability of Airbnb Payments.A Typical DayPayments Incident ManagementAct as the single point of contact for Payments Operations incidents, issues, and escalations (excluding Tech Foundation incidents).Partner cross-functionally to develop and maintain a Payments Incident, Issues, and Escalation Management framework—defining how incidents, issues, and escalations are tracked, tiered, sized, escalated, and reported. Partner closely with Airbnb’s company-wide incident and escalation processes, ensuring Payments-specific obligations and nuances are integrated.Monitoring & EscalationContinuously monitor daily Payments dashboards at the global and market level (transaction success, payout timeliness, third-party partner performance).Escalate material variances to Product, Engineering, Analytics, CS, or external providers as needed.Drive cross-functional resolution of incidents, issues, and escalations affecting hosts, guests, or partners.Regional & Regulatory NuancesCollaborate with Regional Managers to remediate localized incidents, issues, and escalations (e.g., regulatory triggers, sanctions, or payout issues).Incorporate requirements of regulated payment entities into incident, issues, and escalation handling, ensuring compliance with SLA and reporting obligations. Continuous ImprovementCapture learnings from incidents, issues, and escalations to propose updates to our global payment standards and operating procedures, SLAs, or SOPs that reduce recurrence.Use incident, issue, and escalation and performance data to highlight systemic issues and recommend improvements in resiliency, cost efficiency, and customer experience.Support adoption of new processes, ensuring cross-functional alignment.Success in this Role Looks Like.Payments Operations incidents are resolved faster, with clearer accountability and reduced escalations to senior leadership.High visibility dashboards and reporting exist for incidents, enabling proactive issue detection and rapid mobilization.Regulatory and entity-specific SLA obligations are consistently met, reducing compliance risk.Clear institutional learning loops exist, with incidents driving concrete improvements to policies, SLAs, and product capabilities.Payments Operations is regarded as a trusted escalation partner by Product, Engineering, Support, Legal, and Regional teams.Your Expertise8+ years of experience in payments operations, financial services, or incident / issue management.5+ years in incident, issue, escalation management for operationsStrong understanding of payments systems, payout flows, and partner dependencies.Demonstrated ability to manage complex, high-stakes escalations with urgency and precision.Experience working with regulated financial entities or in environments with strict SLA requirements.Strong analytical skills with the ability to turn performance data into insights and actions.Excellent cross-functional communication and collaboration skills.Our Commitment To Inclusion & BelongingAirbnb is committed to working with the broadest talent pool possible. We believe diverse ideas foster innovation and engagement, and allow us to attract creatively-led people, and to develop the best products, services and solutions. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.How We'll Take Care Of YouOur job titles may span more than one career level. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs and market demands. The base pay range shown below is annualized, is inclusive of allowances and is subject to change and may be modified in the future. This role may also be eligible for bonus or incentives, one or more equity programs, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits.India Pay Range₹2,380,000—₹3,400,000 INR