What do the career path and the day-in-the-life look like for a Sr. Director, Global Payments at Flywire?
We connected with Kate Moran to find out!
Interested in learning more about Flywire? Make sure to check out their company page!
Where did you grow up? What did your parents do for work?
I grew up in Buffalo, NY (home of the chicken wing and some really loyal sports fans!). My mom worked in IT at the University of Buffalo and my dad worked as a reference Librarian, also at the University of Buffalo. They taught me the invaluable lesson of how to balance working hard while being a fully present parent.
Where did you go to college? What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?
I went to the University of Buffalo and dual majored in International Relations and Communication with a minor in Spanish. At the time, I was unsure of what I wanted my career to look like so I started taking internships to help gain insight into what I thought was interesting. I worked in pharmaceutical telesales and quickly learned that wasn’t for me! I also had the opportunity to intern for an advertising agency and was assigned to their client, Paramount pictures, and was able to do promotional work for upcoming movie releases, as well as a job doing marketing for the Princeton Review and a Consumer Credit Counseling Bureau. In my senior year of college, I interned for the American Red Cross and this is ultimately what led to my first role post graduation.
What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now?
I feel very fortunate that I joined Flywire when I did. There was a lot of uncertainty about what the future would hold in the early days, as is typical at any startup, but it’s allowed me to see the various stages involved in the scaling of a company and opened opportunities for me to figure out where I felt I fit best. Besides timing, I would say grit and a lot of hard work, being surrounded by people supportive of my growth, and a few folks who gave me the opportunity to recognize my own potential.
Can you share the high-level responsibilities of your current position as a Sr. Director, Global Payments at Flywire?
At Flywire, I’m responsible for our Global Markets team who drives both the building and optimization of the payment infrastructure comprising our network. Fundamentally, we enable our payers to feel like they’re making a local payment, regardless of where the end destination of their transaction is. It’s our responsibility to connect payers to the payment methods most appropriate for the type and size of their payment. A working knowledge of the regulatory landscape of a market is essential in order to understand how to meet the needs of our payers in this market. We work with financial institutions, payment service providers, and many internal stakeholders as we enable new currencies and payment methods in Flywire’s platform.
Any tips for someone considering a career in your field or someone who would want to join the Global Payments team at Flywire?
Having a passion to uncover and solve complex problems with a focus on delivering value for our clients and payers.
Day in the Life
Coffee, tea, or nothing?
Plenty of both, please!
What time do you start working?
Depends on the day, but usually at 8:30AM
What are three things that motivate you in your role?
- Finding new ways to help our payers in traditionally hard-to-solve markets
- Working with some truly incredible, smart, authentic people who keep me striving to do my best
- Being part of a team making a meaningful impact at Flywire
Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you?
A typical day is mixed with both internal meetings with cross-functional teams at Flywire, as well as external meetings with financial institutions and providers in our network. In-between, I’m usually focusing on how to support the team so they can best drive forward their initiatives or working on building a solution to grow or optimize a part of our payment network.
What time do you stop working?
I unplug between 5:30PM - 8:30PM every night to enjoy the evening with my husband and 2 young daughters. I try to give myself 5-10 minutes of mobility work or listen to a podcast to allow myself to transition from work mode to mom mode.
Do you log back in at night or do you shut it down completely?
Most nights after kiddo bedtime I log back in for a bit to be available for APAC working hours or for some time to work uninterrupted by meetings!
Any productivity hacks?
When possible, I try to do as many of the action items immediately following a meeting before the context shifting to a new topic drains your momentum. I also spend designated amounts of time logged out of slack so I have uninterrupted time to think!
What are the 3 apps that you can’t live without?
Slack, Google Keep, and Spotify
What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?
I’m proudest of making the leap from Relationship Management, where I started my career at Flywire, to Global Payments. It took me far outside of my comfort zone, but that’s where the greatest growth happens.
Who do you admire or call upon for professional advice?
There are a few trusted colleagues at Flywire who have seen the various stages of growth in my career who I depend on when making important decisions. I also have an external coach that I find invaluable for totally unbiased advice and to help navigate the unique juggling act that is being a working parent.
