CRISSY WATKINS
Atascadero
Summary
Executive payments leader with a track record of scaling fintech inside vertical SaaS platforms. Known for building payments organizations, negotiating processor partnerships, and launching embedded finance products that drive revenue and retention.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
VP, Payments
Instinct Science
10.2025 - 03.2026
- Owned payments P&L and embedded finance strategy for PE‑backed vertical SaaS; reported to CEO
- Increased net margin on new sales from 35 bps to 60 bps, enhancing profitability
- Developed fintech roadmap for surcharging, BNPL, CareCredit, capital lending, and ACH to drive strategic growth
- Created financial model projecting $2M+ payments ARR with >60% attach target to support revenue goals
- Led processor transition and commercial renegotiation
- Built cross‑functional execution model across Product, Sales, CX, Finance and RevOps
Payments Director
Shopmonkey
08.2022 - 10.2025
- Scaled payments volume from $33M to $130M
- Implemented customer financing delivering $35M in loans
- Migrated 2,500 merchants to integrated payments platform, enhancing transactional efficiency
- Managed payments risk, led implementation, provided support, and enabled sales
- Expanded payments team by 40%, increasing dispute win rate by 12%
- Developed fintech strategy including surcharging, capital lending and BNPL
Senior Manager, Payments
Shopmonkey
05.2021 - 08.2022
- Integrated payments earlier into sales cycle to improve transaction attachment rates
- Established payments team operations and created documentation to streamline processes
- Designed risk education programs for merchants to enhance compliance and understanding
Senior Payments Account Manager
Mindbody
06.2018 - 05.2021
- Managed strategic accounts, preventing attrition through comprehensive rate reviews and proactive business planning
- Completed processor migrations ahead of schedule, ensuring seamless transitions for client operations
- Led franchise presentations on payments best practices, enhancing client awareness and adoption of effective payment strategies
Education
Communication Studies -
California Polytechnic University
Skills
- Payments Strategy
- Embedded Finance
- SaaS Monetization
- Pricing & Interchange Analysis
- Fintech Partnerships
- Risk Management
- Revenue optimization
- Strategic planning
- Cross-Functional Leadership
- Team leadership
- Negotiation skills
Professional Highlights
- Scaled payments volume from $13M to $130M+ across multiple SaaS platforms
- Expanded payments margin from 35 bps to 60 bps through pricing and processor negotiations
- Delivered $35M+ in small business financing through embedded lending programs
- Led migration of 2,500+ merchants to integrated payments platforms
- Built and scaled payments teams spanning sales enablement, risk, support and operations
- Negotiated processor contracts reducing costs by two-thirds
Timeline
VP, Payments
Instinct Science
10.2025 - 03.2026
Payments Director
Shopmonkey
08.2022 - 10.2025
Senior Manager, Payments
Shopmonkey
05.2021 - 08.2022
Senior Payments Account Manager
Mindbody
06.2018 - 05.2021
Communication Studies -
California Polytechnic University