Roberto Javier Aguirre Guardia

Strategy and Operations Manager — Fintech, Payments and Digital Economy
aguirrerjg@gmail.com +57 317 675 0419 Bogota, Colombia (open to relocate) linkedin.com/in/roberto-javier-aguirre-guadia
Professional Summary

Strategy and Operations professional with 15+ years of end-to-end ownership in fintech, digital payments and fast-scaling technology environments across LATAM. Deep understanding of the payments ecosystem — card payments, acquiring, APMs, settlement, FX and cross-border flows — and proven ability to translate strategic initiatives into measurable operational outcomes. Experienced driving ambiguous, zero-to-one programs across multicultural organizations: defining KPIs, aligning stakeholders from engineering to C-suite, managing vendors and tracking performance against targets. Systems Engineer with MBA; comfortable with SQL and data-driven decision-making. Thrives in high-velocity, high-accountability environments where ownership and speed of execution matter.

Professional Experience
DIGITALHUBASSIST LLC Oct 2024 to Present
Head of Strategy, Product and AI Operations
Built and operated a GenAI/SaaS platform for healthcare professionals across Latin America from the ground up. Owned full program lifecycle: strategy, roadmap, vendor selection, launch and post-launch optimization. Designed operational frameworks to track activation, retention and unit economics. Coordinated cross-functional squads (engineering, commercial, content) under ambiguous conditions with no prior playbook. Established partnerships with third-party AI providers and managed contracts end-to-end.
NTTDATA COLOMBIA Apr 2021 to Oct 2024
Delivery and Strategy Manager — Banking (Grupo AVAL)
Led strategy and operations for the firm's largest engagement in Colombia, serving Grupo AVAL — a banking conglomerate with 40M+ clients. Oversaw simultaneous delivery tracks, owned P and L, and maintained the lowest staff turnover in the practice through team culture and leadership. Recovered financial viability of a critical utility client project (Promigas) through operational restructuring. Built C-level relationships and acted as strategic counterpart to banking and fintech stakeholders.
VASS COLOMBIA Apr 2018 to Apr 2021
Digital Operations and Product Manager — Financial Services
Directed digital channel operations for Porvenir, Colombia's largest private pension fund. Led discovery, design and delivery of payment and self-service solutions for millions of users. Coordinated integration with payment processors and local APMs; defined operational KPIs to reduce transaction friction and improve settlement rates. Won the LATAMDIGITAL 2019 award for digital transformation impact. Managed migration of transactional portals to Azure without service interruption.
GLOBALHITSS Nov 2015 to Apr 2018
Digital Operations Lead — Payments and Financial Platforms
Led operational delivery of digital commerce and banking engagement platforms for financial and insurance clients, including CARDIF and COLSANITAS. Coordinated integration with payment processors and third-party financial APIs; tracked performance against SLAs, conversion targets and operational budgets. Worked across technology, legal, operations and marketing to ensure compliant and high-performance payment flows.
TECNOCOM COLOMBIA Aug 2012 to Nov 2015
Digital Transformation Program Lead
Directed digitalization programs for Colombia's Judicial Branch across multiple public entities. Defined scope, built business cases, managed stakeholder alignment and led cross-institutional delivery. Applied structured methodology to complex programs with no existing operational infrastructure, delivering on time and within budget.
Core Skills
Payments and Fintech: Card payments, acquiring, APMs, PSPs, settlement and reconciliation, FX and cross-border flows, open banking, digital wallets, LATAM regulatory frameworks (Peru, Colombia)
Strategy and Operations: OKR and KPI definition, operational performance tracking, vendor management, P and L ownership, business case development, go-to-market execution, post-launch iteration cycles
Data and Tools: SQL for operational analytics, Python (scripting and automation), AI-augmented workflows, Jira, Confluence, Agile and Scrum, PMP methodology, data-driven decision-making
Cross-functional Leadership: Stakeholder alignment (engineering, finance, legal, commercial), C-level communication, multicultural global team coordination, ambiguity management in fast-paced environments
Education
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico
2004
Bachelor of Science, Systems Engineering
Universidad de Lima, Peru — Top Third of Graduating Class
1999
Certifications and Recognition