Senior Manager Merchant Acquiring Business

Job Purpose Statement

This role is responsible for providing strategic leadership, operational oversight, and business development for the organization’s billers and merchant till portfolio. The role ensures the effective acquisition, on boarding, quality assurance, and utilization of billers and tills while maintaining strict adherence to regulatory and internal compliance standards. This position drives portfolio growth, enhances revenue generation, and optimizes customer experience by delivering innovative, secure, and scalable payment solutions. The incumbent will lead cross-functional collaboration with internal teams and external partners, champion process improvements, and position the organization competitively within the digital payments ecosystem.

Key Accountabilities (Duties and Responsibilities)

Financial 45

• Develop and execute the overall strategy for billers and tills acquisition, onboarding, and relationship management, aligned with the organization's digital payments growth agenda.
• Oversee end-to-end onboarding of billers and tills, ensuring full compliance with regulatory standards, internal policies, and service level agreements (SLAs).
• Manage the performance, quality, and utilization of the billers and tills portfolio to drive transaction volumes, revenue growth, and customer engagement.
• Build strong relationships with internal teams (Sales, Compliance, Risk, IT) and external partners (billers, merchants, aggregators) to ensure seamless coordination and service delivery.
• Champion product knowledge initiatives by equipping internal staff and external clients with training and resources to maximize biller and till adoption and utilization.
• Monitor portfolio performance metrics, generate insights, and provide regular reporting to senior management on acquisition rates, utilization trends, revenue contribution, and risks.
• Identify emerging market trends and technological advancements to enhance biller and till offerings, ensuring the organization remains competitive in the digital payments space challenges.
• Develop and manage budgets related to billers and tills operations, ensuring cost efficiency while achieving strategic growth objectives.

Internal Controls, Processes & Procedures 20

• Establish and enforce robust risk management practices, ensuring thorough due diligence, verification, and monitoring of all biller and till applications.
• Identify and mitigate operational risks, ensuring compliance with regulations and internal policies.
• Ensure robust controls, compliance with policies and regulations, and timely escalation of issues.
• Keep fraud levels minimal through ongoing training for staff and customers.
• Address audit findings and maintain an updated risk register.
• Oversee operational performance, ensuring service reliability, scalability, and security across all all biller and till applications
• Engage with internal stakeholders (e.g., Digital Banking, Retail, Corporate Banking, Technology, Risk, Compliance) to align all biller and till applications strategies with broader Bank initiatives.
• Collaborate with Risk Team, Commercial & SME Banking business heads to identify and escalate potential risks to senior management through appropriate governance channels and Quality assurance framework for compliance with Retail Banking requirements.
• Ensure SLA agreements are adhered to, processes in place, reports generated and target achieved.

Customer 20

• Continuously review and optimize processes, systems, and workflows to enhance operational efficiency, reduce onboarding timelines, and improve client experience.
• Champion customer-centric design across all all biller and till channels to enhance user experience and loyalty.
• Create opportunities to engage with relevant partners in a way that generates maximum value for our customers.
• Undertake market research and user research for data analysis to develop a comprehensive business case that will Champion customer-centric design across all  biller and till channels to enhance user experience and loyalty.

People 15

• Lead, coach, and mentor a high-performing team responsible for biller and till operations, driving a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous learning
• Foster collaboration to build, lead and influence key stakeholders to align to one common goal.
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, agility, and continuous improvement

Job Specifications

Academic:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Banking, ICT, or a related field.
• A Master’s degree (e.g., MBA, MSc in Finance, Strategic Management) is an added advantage.

Professional Qualifications

• Professional certifications in areas such as Payments, Digital Banking, Project Management (PMP, PRINCE2), Risk Management, or Compliance will be an added advantage.
• Specialized training in digital payments systems, merchant acquiring, or financial services innovation is highly desirable.

Desired work experience:

Minimum of 8–10 years of progressive experience in banking, fintech, or digital payments, with at least 3 years in a leadership or senior management role.