--- title: 'Staff/Senior Product Manager, Payments at Playground' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-senior-product-manager-payments-playground-new-york-7crt08t1wdz0' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-06' --- # Staff/Senior Product Manager, Payments at Playground - **Company:** Playground - **Location:** New York, NY - **Compensation:** $175k–$220k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-08-26 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-06 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/playground/7f4157b8-49dd-41bc-b172-223708328724/application **Skills:** B2B SaaS, Fintech, Software engineering, Product management, Billing systems, Payments systems, Education technology systems > Playground seeks a Senior Technical Product Manager to own core product areas end-to-end, bridging engineering, product, and sales teams. The role requires deep technical understanding, strong prioritization skills, and experience in B2B SaaS or fintech to drive product strategy and delivery. ## Job description ## About Playground Playground is working to make excellent child care accessible to all. Playground has built best in class software to manage all aspects of running a child care business. Playground has raised millions of dollars in funding, has several Statewide contracts, and is working with thousands of schools across the country. Our founders were recently recognized by Forbes as 30 under 30, and our work has been recognized across the country. Playground is at an inflection point, growing at a quick pace, and we are looking to expand our Product team as quickly as possible. Playground is a team of owners who are not afraid to dive into large, complex projects. Job Description We're looking for someone who came up through engineering, understands how systems are built, and has the scar tissue from owning a product end-to-end at a fast-moving company. You'll be the connective tissue between Engineering, Product, CS, Onboarding, and Sales cutting through the noise of competing priorities to identify what actually matters for our users and drive it to completion. ## Responsibilities - Own core product areas end-to-end, from discovery through delivery and iteration - Deeply understand the childcare industry, our users (childcare providers and parents/guardians), and the problems they face - Communicate directly with users through calls, chats, research, and feedback loops - Synthesize feedback from customer-facing teams (CS, Onboarding, Sales) into a clear, prioritized roadmap that reflects what matters most across our customer base and business - Partner closely with Engineering to translate customer and business needs into well-scoped, technically grounded specs - Operate as the connective tissue across teams — you'll be the person who keeps everyone aligned and moving - Make hard prioritization calls and defend them with data and customer insight - Proactively identify gaps in product experience and drive improvements without waiting to be asked - Own the payments roadmap end-to-end: transaction flows, billing, payouts, reconciliation, and compliance - Partner with Engineering on payment infrastructure decisions (processors, rails, ledger design, fraud/risk tradeoffs) ## Requirements - 6-10+ years of PM experience, with 3+ years specifically owning payments products in B2B SaaS or FinTech - Deep working knowledge of payment processing, transaction lifecycles, and reconciliation - Experience working with payment processors/PSPs (Stripe, Adyen, etc.) and understanding of interchange, chargebacks, and settlement - Technical background — prior software engineering experience or a degree in a technical discipline (CS, engineering, or similar) - Proven ability to deeply understand engineering systems, architecture decisions, and technical tradeoffs without needing to write the code - Experience owning a significant product or function at a startup, with real accountability for outcomes - Strong prioritization instincts — you've managed a flood of inbound requests and know how to say no clearly and credibly - Excellent communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences ## Nice To Have - B2B SaaS or FinTech experience - Former founder or a long history of launched side projects - Background in childcare, education, or a related vertical ## Compensation - The annual salary range for this position is $175,000–$220,000 base, subject to standard withholding and applicable taxes. - Job level and actual compensation will be decided on factors including, but not limited to, individual qualifications objectively assessed during the interview process (including skills and prior relevant experience, potential impact, and scope of role), market demands, and specific work location. The listed range is a guideline, and the range for this role may be modified. ## WHY JOIN PLAYGROUND - Competitive salary + equity - 3 weeks of PTO - Health, vision, and dental benefits - $1200/year education stipend - Free lunch daily - New MacBook - Collaborative and supportive work culture with a high level of autonomy and room for growth - Help accelerate our mission to make excellent child care accessible to all! How to Apply If you're excited to join a mission-driven, early-stage company where ownership, craftsmanship, and empathy are at the center of what we do, apply now. The Playground Team is fully in-office in Union Square, NYC. Please ensure you are open to a fully in-person role before applying. Check out our journey https://www.tryplayground.com/about to learn more about our co-founders Dan, Josh, and Sasha. ## About Playground ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Playground provides an all-in-one child care management platform that streamlines operations—including billing, attendance, registration, communication, payroll, and AI-powered assistance—for early education providers. - **Entity Type**: Private (early-stage startup; funding details not fully disclosed) - **Headquarters**: New York City, New York, USA (with a second office in Denver, Colorado) - **Founded**: 2021 - **Founders**: Daniel Andrews, Josh Andrews, and Sasha Reiss ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Child care management software / Early education technology - **Target customers**: B2B – child care programs of all sizes (home-based, centers, multi-site, and government) - **Mission/purpose**: To make excellent child care accessible to all by giving providers the tools to focus on teaching and caring, not administration. ## Products & Services - **Playground Platform (Core)**: SaaS platform handling attendance tracking, billing, registration, communication, paperwork, payroll, and expense management. Includes predictive enrollment forecasting and free data migration. - **Camber (AI Employee)**: An AI agent that answers phone calls, qualifies leads, handles admin tasks, drafts messages, processes refunds, reconciles subsidies, and answers staff/family questions using the program’s handbook and state licensing rules. - **Payroll (Built-in)**: Full-service payroll with tax filing and time tracking tailored for child care. - **Learning Module**: Tools for activity planning, milestone tracking, and family sharing. ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not publicly available - **Key Metric**: Estimated annual revenue between $5 M and $25 M (LinkedIn estimate). Serves 5,000+ child care programs and 500,000+ families across all 50 U.S. states. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not disclosed publicly (careers page mentions “amazing investors” but no names listed) - **Growth Signals**: LinkedIn follower base grew 98.9% year over year; strong brand presence with 300,000+ users on the platform; continuously expanding AI capabilities (Camber launch); hiring across engineering, sales, customer success, and marketing for both NYC and Denver offices. ## Competitive Advantages - **AI-first solution** – Camber acts as a virtual part-time hire, handling inquiries and admin tasks that previously required separate tools or staff. - **All-in-one integration** – Replaces multiple legacy tools (separate billing, attendance, payroll, communication) with a single platform designed specifically for child care. - **Predictive analytics** – Forecasting tools help centers anticipate enrollment openings and optimize capacity. - **Free data migration** – Low switching friction for new customers. - **Deeply rooted in the industry** – Founders grew up in a child care family and built the product to solve real pain points they experienced firsthand. ## Strategic Focus - **AI expansion** – Deepening the Camber assistant’s capabilities (inquiry handling, staff support, reporting) and integrating it more tightly with core operations. - **Scaling across segments** – Serving programs of all sizes, from home-based daycares to large multi-site and government-run centers. - **Product unification** – Continuing to consolidate previously fragmented workflows (payroll, billing, learning) into a single, intuitive platform. - **Geographic coverage** – Already active in all 50 states; likely targeting deeper penetration and perhaps eventual international expansion. ## Why Work Here - **Transparent culture** – Leadership holds twice-monthly founder-led all‑hands, sends weekly CEO updates, and runs open “Ask Me Anything” office hours. Biannual anonymous employee surveys are shared with action plans. - **Ownership and autonomy** – The company values “high agency people” who act like owners; employees are encouraged to act independently and intelligently. - **Hybrid/in‑office model** – Teams work from offices in New York City (downtown) and Denver (downtown). On‑site days are the norm, and the interview process includes a paid half‑day onsite. - **Perks & benefits**: - Equity for all full-time employees - Comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans - Free daily lunch ($4,800/year value) - $1,200 annual education stipend - Generous paid time off - MacBook + desk setup stipend - Discounts on child care supplies (diapers, wipes, etc.) - **Meaningful mission** – Employees build tools that directly free up child care providers’ time, enabling them to focus on children and families. ## Sources 1. [tryplayground.com – Homepage](https://www.tryplayground.com/) 2. [Playground Careers page](https://www.tryplayground.com/careers) 3. [Playground About page](https://www.tryplayground.com/about) 4. [LinkedIn Company Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/company/tryplayground) 5. [Built In Colorado – Workplace Perception](https://www.builtincolorado.com/company/playground-tryplaygroundcom/faq/workplace-perception) ## Other roles at Playground - [Senior/Staff Full Stack Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-full-stack-engineer-playground-new-york-ape7ak3safrs) — New York, NY - [Staff Product Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-product-designer-playground-new-york-syhzwxzegg85) — New York, NY - [Senior Product Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-product-designer-playground-new-york-8f7w0tfn6krx) — New York, NY - [Staff Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-software-engineer-playground-new-york-csp4swxec1v7) — New York, NY - [Growth and Demand Gen Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/growth-and-demand-gen-lead-playground-new-york-v4ew3byvb9pq) — New York, NY - [SaaS Account Executive](https://feeny.ai/job/saas-account-executive-playground-denver-0tqpmc8x7wr7) — Denver, CO - [VP of SMB Sales](https://feeny.ai/job/vp-of-smb-sales-playground-denver-ma7v9atzgr0d) — Denver, CO