Head of Card Operations

About This Role

1. Role Title

Head of Card Operations

2. Reporting Line

Reports to the Chief Operating Officer (COO)

3. 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. Key Responsibilities

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

4.8 Team Leadership

• 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

7. Key Interfaces

• Chief Operating Officer
• Cards Operations Officer(s)
• Risk
• Compliance
• Information Technology
• External Sponsor & Processor
• Card Schemes (Visa/Mastercard)
• Reconciliation Officer
• Contact Center CX & Governance 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. Experience & 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