Head of Card Acquiring

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Job Summary

• Develop and execute the acquiring strategy in line with the bank's overall payments and transaction banking objectives.

• Drive growth in merchant acquiring, ATM acquiring, and digital payment acceptance revenues.

• Identify and capitalize on new market opportunities, customer segments, and payment trends to increase market share.

• Deliver agreed financial targets, including revenue, profitability, transaction volumes, and portfolio growth.

• Lead the acquisition, onboarding, retention, and growth of merchant relationships across key sectors.

• Expand the bank's acceptance footprint through POS, e-commerce, QR payments, Soft POS, Wallet on POS and payment gateway solutions.

• Drive merchant engagement and ensure delivery of superior customer service and support.

• Develop merchant value propositions and pricing strategies to enhance competitiveness.

• Design & implement business strategy to ensure profitability through portfolio enhancement.

• Drive growth in ATM acquiring volumes and revenues through increased usage of the bank's ATM network by domestic and international cardholders.

• Optimize ATM acquiring profitability through effective pricing, transaction routing, and network partnerships

• Establish and manage relationships with key external stakeholders including Card Schemes, local regulators, other banks, suppliers, and local industry bodies.

• Own the acquiring business P&L and deliver revenue and profitability targets.

• Develop pricing models, business cases, and investment plans for acquiring products and services.

• Monitor portfolio performance and implement initiatives to improve financial returns.

• Manage key projects to ensure delivery to agreement obligations and business programmes are delivered to meet business goals.

• Customer contact will involve discussions and negotiations on commercial, technical, operational marketing, and industry issues.

• Manage and respond to customer requirements.

• Negotiate, at board level, pricing, and contracts with strategically important customers. 

• Establish, build and maintain ongoing relationships with customers to develop and protect business income.

• Develop a deep understanding of the needs and requirements of customers’ businesses.

• Make sound commercial judgments to retain and fully develop customer base.

• Day-to-day coaching and co-ordination of staff to ensure delivery of objectives.

• Build strong relationships with the Branch network to ensure working together to realizing value from the agents linked to them.

• Share knowledge and experiences with network staff of all functions.

• Provide cover for other team members when required to.

• Agree annual performance objectives with the team leader.

• Pursue continued improvement in personal development by participating in development programmes and training.

• Monitor and manage leave uptake.

• Understand technical/regulatory matters affecting the business. Ultimate responsibility for the continuing compliance and use of such matters

• Assimilation of plans both strategic and annual covering the card business with responsibility for turning plans into reality

• Ensure Governance, Compliance, Risk and Control are implemented and adhered to meet Group Standards by Centre. Staff at all levels to be clear on what is expected of them. Any new regulatory or Group requirements are implemented and reviewed throughout Absa card in a timely fashion.

Any other duties that maybe assigned to you from time to time by the Bank.

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Commerce, Finance, Economics, Marketing, Information Technology, Banking, or a related field from a recognized university.

• Postgraduate qualifications in Payments, Digital Financial Services, Financial Technology (FinTech), or Transaction Banking is an added advantage.

• 5 years’ experience in the Financial Services sector which must include proven experience.

• 3 years’ experience on a management level in a large corporate

• 3 years Retail and Business Banking Experience

Education