A leading financial services organisation is seeking a Product Operations Lead to oversee the operational performance and vendor ecosystem supporting its cards and payments products.

The role will act as a critical link between internal teams, payment schemes, and external vendors to ensure seamless day-to-day operations, compliance with scheme requirements, and continuity of card product services.

The successful consultant will bring deep expertise in card schemes, payment processing, and vendor management, ensuring operational excellence across a complex payments landscape.

This is a 12-month engagement, with the client based in Melbourne.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the primary point of contact for day-to-day operations across payment schemes and partners.
• Manage relationships with key stakeholders including Mastercard, BPAY, Fiserv, and other payment vendors.
• Ensure ongoing compliance with scheme rules, regulatory requirements, and payment system standards, avoiding penalties and breaches.
• Oversee card issuing, manufacturing, and operational processes to ensure smooth product delivery in market.
• Provide oversight of payment processing systems and interfaces, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.
• Support incident management, issue resolution, and business continuity activities across payment operations.
• Lead vendor management activities, including SLA monitoring, performance reviews, and contract support.
• Support projects and initiatives relating to payment systems, schemes, and operational improvements.
• Deliver training and knowledge sharing on payment schemes and processing where required.
• Manage billing, invoicing, and financial oversight for product-related vendors.

Your Background

• Strong experience in cards and payments operations, with deep knowledge of scheme processing and payment systems
• Experience working with payment schemes and processing platforms (eg. VisionPLUS)
• Proven capability in vendor management, including SLA oversight and stakeholder engagement
• Strong understanding of scheme rules, compliance requirements, and payment regulations
• Experience supporting operational delivery within complex financial services environments
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills
• Experience with scheme messaging formats
• Demonstrated experience in project or program support within payments environments
• Leadership or team management experience