Card Operations Manager

Role Purpose

Lead end-to-end issuer operations for consumer and business/corporate card programs, delivering secure, reliable and compliant card lifecycle services, issuer processing, clearing and settlement, reconciliation, cardholder support coordination and scheme dispute management.

Card Issuing & Lifecycle Operations

•   Manage the full card lifecycle: issuance, production and personalization, activation, PIN processes, controls, limits, suspension, blocking, replacement, renewal and closure.
•   Oversee operational service delivery for Consumer Cards and Business / Corporate Cards, including corporate program administration, employer/payroll services and cardholder requests.
•   Manage relationships and operational performance with issuer processors, personalization bureaus, card manufacturers and other scheme-related service providers.
•   Own operational policies, standard operating procedures, service-level targets, maker-checker controls and operational escalation paths.

Card Processing, Settlement & Disputes

•   Oversee card authorization, processing, switching and issuer host/processor integration, including transaction routing, reversals, declines and exception handling.
•   Coordinate clearing, settlement, funding and daily reconciliation across scheme, processor, ledger and safeguarding/account balances with Finance and Treasury.
•   Monitor settlement exceptions, reconciliation breaks, unmatched items, suspense balances and correction workflows through documented controls.
•   Own operational oversight of cardholder disputes, chargebacks, retrieval requests, representments, arbitration and relevant scheme deadlines.
•   Coordinate card blocking, fraud-case operational actions and incident management with Fraud, Risk and Compliance without compromising control-function independence.

Visa, Mastercard & Technical Operations

•   Maintain direct operational and technical relationships with BOTH Visa and Mastercard regarding issuer processing, scheme rules, mandates, certifications, incidents and issue resolution.
•   Manage scheme operating requirements, BIN administration, product parameters, scheme releases, system upgrades, transaction configurations and operational readiness.
•   Coordinate required scheme testing and certifications with issuer processors, platform teams, payment schemes and authorized external providers.
•   Coordinate periodic Visa / Mastercard operational submissions, scheme notices, exception handling and relevant performance reporting with the accountable functions.
•   Work with Technology and Security on issuer platform resilience, integration monitoring, incident response, access controls and PCI DSS-related operational obligations.

Operational Risk, Service Quality & Management

•   Monitor transaction approval/success rates, card processing availability, operational incidents, card delivery performance and turnaround times.
•   Manage major incident response, root-cause analysis, corrective actions, business continuity and crisis escalation, including scheme/regulatory notifications through authorized channels.
•   Coordinate consumer and corporate customer support, card-stopping arrangements, complaint handoffs and complex case escalations.
•   Plan operational staffing, training, handovers, coverage and segregation of duties to meet required service hours and response standards.
•   Support new product launches by reviewing operational requirements, performing readiness assessments and accepting handover into production.
•   Prepare monthly and quarterly operations reporting, capacity planning, operational budgets, vendor performance reviews and control-improvement plans.

Mandatory Qualifications & Experience

•   Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience in card issuing, banking card businesses, or issuer-side payment services. This is a non-negotiable requirement.
•   Documented, direct, hands-on working experience with BOTH Visa and Mastercard, with demonstrable engagement with their respective scheme teams (not solely through third-party providers).
•   Proven experience across BOTH Consumer Cards and Business / Corporate Cards, with an understanding of the distinct product, operational, servicing, and commercial needs of each segment.
•   Previous hands-on experience at an issuing bank, licensed issuer, or directly responsible issuer-side payment institution.
•   Extensive practical responsibility for issuer operations, authorization and processing, clearing and settlement, scheme disputes/chargebacks, platform management and operational risk across consumer and corporate card programs.
•   Bachelors degree in Business, Finance, Banking, Technology, or a relevant discipline (aligned to the role).

Candidates whose experience is limited to merchant acquiring, POS, or payment gateways, without issuer-side card experience, do not meet the minimum criteria.

Preferred Experience & Skills

•   Hands-on issuer processor or card management system experience; scheme certification, BIN management and implementation/project delivery exposure.
•   Strong command of Visa and Mastercard operating rules, chargebacks, issuer disputes, transaction monitoring dependencies and PCI DSS controls.
•   Experience in GCC issuer operations, prepaid/payroll products, crisis handling and third-party service-provider management.

Key Performance Indicators

•   Card/platform service availability and transaction authorization performance.
•   Timely and accurate settlement, reconciliation and exception resolution.
•   Scheme compliance, dispute quality and chargeback deadlines met.
•   Incident recovery, operational risk reduction and customer-service SLA attainment.
•   Cost efficiency, controls effectiveness and vendor performance.

Role Boundaries & Governance

Accountable for card operations and execution, while preserving independent AML/KYC, fraud investigation, risk and compliance decisions and appropriate Finance/Treasury settlement approvals.