Card Issuing Portfolio Manager

Role Overview

This role owns the strategy, roadmap, and delivery of card issuing products and the technology that supports them. On a typical day, the portfolio manager moves between product planning, cross-functional problem-solving, and hands-on project oversight to keep card modernization efforts aligned with business goals. The position is critical because it connects card product innovation with the operational, fraud, servicing, and customer experience realities that determine whether new capabilities actually succeed in market.

Key Responsibilities

• Shape and maintain the card issuing product roadmap, prioritizing enhancements across issuance, tokenization, authorization, and card lifecycle management.
• Lead end-to-end delivery of card modernization and digital transformation initiatives, from initial requirements and solution design through testing, launch, and post-implementation review.
• Collaborate with Technology teams to convert business needs into technical specifications, evaluate solution options, and manage dependencies across card platforms.
• Embed fraud controls, collections processes, and customer servicing workflows into new or revised card products by working closely with Fraud, Collections, and Customer Experience groups.
• Perform business analysis and requirements management for card issuing projects, ensuring alignment with scheme rules, regulatory expectations, and internal quality standards.
• Track portfolio performance, interpret product adoption, cost, and operational metrics, and recommend data-driven adjustments to strategy or execution.
• Engage Marketing, Operations, and executive leadership to build consensus, remove delivery blockers, and provide clear progress updates.
• Apply project and programme management disciplines, including risk tracking, quality assurance, and coordination with card networks or vendors, to keep initiatives on schedule.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Banking, Business, Finance, Information Technology, or a related field.
• 5–7 years of professional experience, with at least 5 years in financial services and a strong focus on card issuing and card products.
• Demonstrated background in card product development and product management, ideally spanning debit, credit, or commercial card portfolios.
• Experience leading card modernization, digital transformation, or payment-related projects.
• Solid understanding of card operations, technology platforms, fraud management, and customer servicing environments.
• Proven ability to engage and influence cross-functional stakeholders, including Technology, Operations, Marketing, Fraud, Collections, and executive leadership.
• Preferred certifications include PMP, PRINCE2, Agile, Scrum, or equivalent; Visa/Mastercard card and payments industry credentials; business analysis certification; and product management certification.
• Behavioral strengths: practical decision-making, persuading stakeholders, strategic planning, relationship building, opportunity exploration, composure under pressure, and collaborative teamwork.
• Technical competencies: card issuing product ownership, innovation and product development, IT business analysis and requirements definition, technical solution design, project and programme delivery, and quality assurance and control.