Our client a Global Payments Firm is currently engaged in a project for a leading financial institution in the middle east. To support with this, our client is looking to onboard a professional to lead the strategic setup and operational launch of a new, independent credit card business. The role will define the product vision, build and lead the team, ensure regulatory compliance, and drive market penetration and profitability.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership: Shape the credit card business model, aligning with the bank’s broader retail strategy and segment-specific goals (mass, affluent, SME). 
• Product Development: Design and launch a suite of credit card products with differentiated value propositions, including digital-first and premium offerings.
• Risk & Compliance: Establish robust credit risk frameworks, underwriting policies, and ensure adherence to local and international regulations. 
• P&L Ownership: Manage the full P&L of the credit card business, including revenue, cost, and profitability levers. 
• Team Building: Recruit, structure, and mentor a high-performing team across product, analytics, operations, and sales. 
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders including regulators, fintechs, payment networks, and loyalty partners.
• Innovation & Digitalisation: Leverage AI/ML tools for credit scoring, fraud detection, and personalised offers. Drive digital onboarding and omnichannel customer experiences. 
• Regional Coordination: Align with regional hubs and support regional product innovation and compliance.
• Vendor & Partner Management: Oversee selection and integration of processing platforms, loyalty engines, and collections partners etc

KPI:

• Time-to-market for product launch 
• Customer acquisition and activation rates
• Portfolio profitability (NIM, fee income, cost of risk)
• Credit loss ratios and delinquency metrics
• Digital origination and usage rates 
• Customer satisfaction and NPS 

Knowledge and Experience:

• 15years + in Cards Management with 8years + in a Head Of/EVP level
• Education: Bachelor's degree in finance, Economics, Business, or related field. A Master’s degree (e.g., MBA or MSc in Finance) is highly preferred
• End-to-End Cards Expertise: Proven experience managing the full lifecycle of card products—credit, and virtual—including issuing and acquiring businesses. 
• Strategic Market Insight: Deep understanding of regional and global cards market trends, including competitor analysis, pricing strategies, and product positioning
• Digital Channel Integration: Demonstrated ability to leverage digital platforms (e.g. mobile banking, internet banking, e-wallets) to drive card acquisition, activation, and usage  
• E-commerce & Omni-Channel Fluency: Strong grasp of e-commerce ecosystems and omni-channel strategies to enhance customer experience and card penetration 
• Product Innovation & Development: Track record of launching differentiated card products and value propositions tailored to mass, affluent, and SME segments.
• Risk & Compliance Acumen: Familiarity with credit risk frameworks, fraud prevention, and regulatory compliance across GCC jurisdictions.
• P&L Ownership: Experience managing the cards business P&L, including budgeting, forecasting, and profitability optimisation. 
• Customer Lifecycle Management: Expertise in designing and executing activation, usage, rewards, and retention programmes to boost engagement and reduce churn.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Ability to collaborate with IT, operations, marketing, and third-party vendors to deliver seamless card experiences.

Mandatory Skills:

• Strategic planning and execution
• Product innovation and lifecycle management 
• Credit risk and portfolio analytics
• Regulatory compliance and governance 
• Cross-functional leadership and communication
• Agile project delivery and digital transformation
• Deep expertise in credit card product lifecycle management 
• Experience launching standalone or co branded card programmes 
• Familiarity with GCC regulatory frameworks (e.g. UAE Central Bank) 
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills
• Fluent in English; Arabic is a plus

This is a contractual role and will be on a duration of 12 months. This role is based in Dubai, UAE.