Role Overview
We are seeking an experienced Program Director / Senior Program Manager to lead end-to-end governance of card issuing and payment programs across financial institutions, processors, and digital wallet ecosystems.
This role will oversee program operations, partner onboarding, compliance coordination, and launch governance for card-based products. The ideal candidate combines strong program management capabilities with hands-on experience in card issuing and payment network environments.
Key Responsibilities
Card Issuing Program Governance
- Lead and manage end-to-end governance for card issuing programs across payment networks, sponsor banks, issuer processors, and wallet partners
- Ensure all programs comply with scheme rules, regulatory requirements, and operational standards
- Own the full program lifecycle, including:
Opportunity assessment and feasibility evaluation
Commercial and legal coordination (NDAs, contracts, T&Cs)Scheme onboarding and registration
Partner integration and setup - Certification, testing, and validation (e.g. lab testing, UAT)Production readiness and launch approval
- Coordinate with sponsor banks, issuers, processors, and payment networks on
BIN setup and configuration
Product approval and scheme registration
Launch readiness and operational reviews
Wallet & Ecosystem Integration
- Manage wallet onboarding and provisioning processes (e.g. mobile wallets and tokenization flows)
- Ensure alignment with wallet partner requirements, certification processes, and security standards
- Work with ecosystem partners to enable seamless card integration into digital payment environments
- Support tokenization, lifecycle management, and card provisioning flows
Cross-functional Program Leadership
- Act as the central program owner across Product, Engineering, Compliance, Risk, Operations, Legal, and Business teams
- Establish and maintain scalable governance processes for
Card program launches
Certification and testing workflows
Change management and production rollout approvals - Identify and mitigate risks across operational, compliance, and partner dimensions
- Manage external partner relationships and handle escalations effectively
Operations, Compliance & Controls
- Ensure strong documentation, audit readiness, and adherence to scheme and regulatory requirements
- Drive continuous improvement in program processes, controls, and scalability
- Monitor program health, timelines, and delivery milestones
Requirements
- 8+ years of experience in card issuing, payments, fintech, or financial services program management
- Strong working knowledge of:
Card issuing lifecycle and operations
Payment network (e.g. Visa / Mastercard) rules and processes
BIN sponsorship and issuer models
Card lifecycle management (authorization, clearing, settlement basics)Certification, testing, and launch governance in card programs - Hands-on experience working with
Sponsor banks and issuer processors
Payment networks and partner onboarding processes
Multi-party ecosystem coordination across issuing programs - Proven ability to manage complex, cross-functional programs and external stakeholders
- Strong organizational, communication, and stakeholder management skills
Preferred Background
- Experience working on wallet integrations and tokenization (e.g. Apple Pay, Google Pay or similar)
- Exposure to embedded finance, fintech platforms, or card-as-a-service (CaaS) models
- Experience supporting multi-market or cross-border card programs
- Familiarity with compliance, certification, and scheme-driven operational processes
- Background in scaling program governance frameworks in fast-growing environments