Head of Card Operations

2. Reporting Line

Role Purpose

• The Head of Card Operations is responsible for the end-to-end operational ownership, processing oversight, and governance of all card services within the Bank.
• The role operates within an outsourced sponsor and processing model, where an external sponsor and processor act as the affiliate sponsor and provide card transaction processing and back-office services.
• Within this model, the Head of Cards Operations retains full operational accountability for the Bank by actively owning and approving:
• Operational processing of card processor outputs
• Card settlement handling and reconciliation oversight
• Disputes and chargebacks lifecycle management
• Processor, scheme, and regulatory compliance
• Operational controls, risk mitigation, and audit readiness
• While card transaction switching and scheme-level posting are executed by outsourced parties, this role is responsible for processing, validating, reconciling, investigating, approving, and evidencing all card-related operational outputs.
• This is a senior operational ownership and approval role, not a passive oversight position.
• 4.

4.1 Card Lifecycle Operational Ownership

• Own operational handling and governance of the full card lifecycle, including:
• Card issuance and activation support
• Card replacement, renewal, suspension, and closure
• Card limits, blocks, and status changes
• Ensure card servicing actions are:
• Executed by sponsor and processor where applicable
• Operationally processed, validated, and approved by the Bank
• Maintain clear separation between:
• Customer self-service actions
• Bank operational approvals
• Processor-executed activities

4.2 Processor & Sponsor Oversight

• Act as the Bank’s operational owner of the sponsor and processor relationship
• Govern sponsor and processor performance across:
• Processing accuracy
• Incident handling and remediation
• SLA adherence and operational reporting
• Review and challenge operational reports, settlement outputs, and root-cause analyses
• Ensure operational readiness for processor and scheme releases, changes, and upgrades

4.3 Disputes & Chargebacks Operational Ownership

• Own the end-to-end operational lifecycle of:
• Card transaction disputes
• Chargebacks, representment, and pre-arbitration cases
• Approve dispute and chargeback outcomes within delegated authority
• Ensure full compliance with Visa/Mastercard rules and timelines
• Escalate complex, high-value, or sensitive cases to the COO

4.4 Settlement Processing & Reconciliation Ownership

• Own operational processing of settlement and clearing outputs received from the sponsor/processor and card schemes, including:
• Receipt and review of daily settlement and clearing files
• Validation of settlement completeness, values, and movements
• Review of reversals, chargebacks, interchange, and fee movements
• Oversee and approve reconciliation of settlement reports against expected movements
• Investigate settlement discrepancies, including:
• Missing or duplicate transactions
• Timing differences
• Processor or scheme-related issues
• Coordinate with:
• Cards Operations Officer for first-level processing and investigation
• Reconciliation Officer and Finance for GL impact and financial validation
• Escalate aged, high-value, or systemic issues to the COO and Finance

4.5 Exceptions, Overrides & Operational Approvals

• Approve card-related operational exceptions within delegated authority
• Review and approve non-standard cases escalated by Operations Officers
• Ensure all overrides are:
• Properly justified
• Documented
• Evidenced for audit and regulatory review
• Escalate recurring or material issues to the COO

4.6 Controls, Risk & Compliance Coordination

• Ensure maker–checker controls and segregation of duties across all card operations
• Act as Checker for all card operational activities executed by Officer(s)
• Coordinate with Risk and Compliance on:
• Fraud-related operational actions (blocks, reissues, monitoring support)
• AML or sanctions-driven card actions
• Ensure accurate and auditable execution of Risk/Compliance decisions

4.7 Regulatory, Scheme & Audit Readiness

• Ensure operational compliance with:
• Outsourcing and operational governance expectations
• Visa/Mastercard scheme requirements
• Support regulatory inspections, audits, and scheme reviews
• Maintain complete operational documentation and evidence repositories

• Supervise Cards Operations Officer(s)

• Ensure training, coverage, and operational readiness
• Promote a strong control-focused and customer-centric culture

5. Decision Authority

• Authorized to:
• Approve standard card servicing actions
• Approve dispute and chargeback outcomes within limits
• Approve card-related operational exceptions
• Temporarily suspend card services in case of operational or control risk
• Escalate material matters to the COO

6. Maker–Checker Role

• Acts as Checker for all card operational activities executed by Officer(s)
• Acts as Maker only in exceptional circumstances requiring senior intervention
• COO acts as Checker only where required for officer-level dual control

• Cards Operations Officer(s)

• Risk
• Compliance
• Information Technology

• Card Schemes (Visa/Mastercard)

• Reconciliation Officer

8. Key KPIs

• Dispute and chargeback turnaround time
• Chargeback ratio
• Settlement and reconciliation break aging
• Sponsor/processor SLA adherence and incident frequency
• Card-related customer complaints
• 9.

& Qualifications

• 7–10 years’ experience in card operations within a regulated bank
• Strong hands-on experience in:
• Card servicing
• Disputes and chargebacks
• Settlement handling and reconciliation
• Working with external card processors
• Experience in digital and outsourced card models preferred
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Banking, or related field
• Visa/Mastercard certifications preferred

10. Regulatory Accountability

• Accountable for the operational soundness of all card activities
• Supports regulatory expectations for outsourcing governance, scheme compliance, and customer protection