Senior Card Operations Specialist

About the Role

The Payment Operations team plays a key role in the organisation's transformation journey-modernising processes, driving automation, and building a scalable, best-in-class payments operation. The team manages critical global relationships with payment networks, card schemes, acquirers, processors, and associated service providers, overseeing operational performance, issue resolution, compliance activities, and escalation management.

The function works closely with teams across the business to deliver operational excellence, improve efficiency, and support evolving customer and regulatory requirements.

The Team

The Payment Operations team ensures payments operate smoothly today while improving future operational capabilities. The team supports card schemes, payment networks, acquirers, processors, and service providers globally, managing projects, operational controls, issue resolution, and escalations across multiple payment rails.

Collaboration across Technology, Compliance, Finance, and Operations is central to delivering resilient and efficient payment services.

The Role

The Senior Payment Operations Specialist supports operational continuity across card and payment schemes, with a primary focus on Visa and Mastercard activity. The role is responsible for managing scheme controls, including bulletins, registrations, validations, monthly checks, investigations, and supporting BAU coverage across payment rails such as Faster Payments when required.

Acting as a subject matter expert for card scheme changes, the role supports transformation initiatives and client implementations, including BIN configuration, programme set-up, certifications, validations, and mandatory scheme-driven updates. This involves working closely with processors, networks, and internal stakeholders to translate requirements into operational actions and confirm successful delivery.

The role also contributes to operational change impacting payment schemes by advising on controls, readiness, operational impacts, and implementation best practices to ensure changes are introduced safely and effectively.

Key Responsibilities Card Scheme Operations

• Monitor and implement card scheme bulletins and required updates (e.g. Visa, Mastercard, regulatory changes).
• Manage ICA/BIN registrations and programme configuration activities, including certifications and validations.
• Perform monthly compliance checks and investigations relating to card scheme adherence.
• Liaise with card networks and processors to resolve operational issues and maintain compliance.

Relationship Management

• Build and maintain effective relationships with schemes, acquirers, processors, and internal stakeholders.
• Coordinate operational escalations and incident resolution activities.
• Partner with Finance, Compliance, and Technology teams to support readiness, evidence gathering, and BAU handover for scheme implementations and changes.

Payment Scheme Operations

• Provide operational coverage across payment rails, including monitoring and issue triage.
• Support timely processing of inbound and outbound payments and associated requests.
• Assist with reconciliation issues and resolution of operational discrepancies with Finance and service providers.
• Maintain awareness of scheme rules and translate changes into operational controls and actions.

Operational Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Support and mentor junior team members, sharing payments and scheme knowledge.
• Prepare operational reporting and identify recurring risks, trends, and issues.
• Drive practical process improvements to reduce manual effort, improve resilience, and enhance customer outcomes.

Skills & Experience Essential

• Experience delivering card scheme implementations and mandatory change activities (e.g. scheme updates, configurations, validations, certifications).
• Strong understanding of scheme rules, operational controls, and BAU readiness planning.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify trends and operational improvements.
• Experience with planning, governance, RAID/action tracking, and stakeholder management.
• High attention to detail and ability to manage complex operational processes.
• Strong communication skills with confidence presenting updates to stakeholders and senior audiences.

Desirable

• Experience within an issuer, fintech, or programme management environment supporting card scheme operations or implementations.
• Knowledge of UK payment schemes including Faster Payments, Direct Debit, Confirmation of Payee, Bacs, and SEPA.
• Exposure to UAT support, operational cutovers, and BAU handover activities.
• Familiarity with operational resilience frameworks and risk management practices.
• Experience working within a global or follow-the-sun operating model.