Product Manager – Cards (Prepaid, Debit and Credit)

Comera Pay; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 350,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

Comera Pay is seeking a commercially minded Product Manager – Cards to lead the design, launch, and growth of prepaid, debit, and credit card portfolios in the UAE. You will own end-to-end lifecycle, collaborate across product, technology, risk, compliance and commercial teams, and drive scheme certification, issuance, activation, usage and retirement with a data-driven, customer-first approach.

The role requires deep card product knowledge, regulatory fluency, and a track record of delivering

Qualifications

• Proven PM experience in fintech/payments with card portfolio ownership.
• Strong knowledge of card schemes, issuer processing, tokenization, and digital wallets.
• Experience with underwriting policy, risk controls, and KYC/AML practices.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end card lifecycle concept, business case, scheme engagement, launch, in-life management and retirement.
• Define product strategy, roadmap, pricing, and P&L for prepaid, debit, and credit portfolios.
• Design propositions end-to-end: eligibility, fees, rewards, FX, formats, and add-ons.
• Conduct market research, competitive benchmarking, and customer interviews to identify underserved segments.
• Track portfolio KPIs: acquisition, activation, spend, revenue, delinquency, and attrition; iterate on data.

Skills

Card products

Lifecycle management

Card economics

APIs & tech fluency

Data-driven decisions

Education

Bachelor’s degree

MBA preferred

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Mixpanel

SQL

Job description

We are looking for a commercially minded, customer-obsessed Product Manager – Cards to lead the design, launch, and growth of Comera Pay's prepaid, debit, and credit card portfolio. The role spans the full lifecycle proposition design and scheme certification through issuance, activation, usage, and retirement across product, technology, risk, compliance, and commercial teams. The ideal candidate combines deep card product knowledge (scheme rules, issuer processing, tokenization, credit decisioning) with strong technology fluency and a record of shipping profitable, compliant card products in the UAE or a similarly regulated market.

Responsibilities:

• Own the end-to-end card lifecycle concept, business case, scheme engagement, launch, in-life management, and retirement.
• Define product strategy, roadmap, pricing, and P&L for the prepaid, debit, and credit portfolio.
• Design propositions end to end eligibility, fees and limits, rewards, FX, physical and virtual formats, and add-ons.
• Conduct market research, competitor benchmarking, and customer interviews to identify underserved segments.
• Track portfolio KPIs acquisition, activation, spend, revenue, delinquency, and attrition — and iterate on data.

Issuance, Processing & Card Technology

• Work with Visa/Mastercard, issuer processors, BIN sponsors, and personalization bureaus to deliver compliant, scalable issuance.
• Lead scheme certification, BIN management, and product configuration — BIN ranges, card profiles, velocity limits, and MCC controls.
• Own authorization, clearing, and settlement requirements, including ISO 8583 messaging, stand-in processing, and reconciliation.
• Drive tokenization and wallet provisioning (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay) plus in-app controls and virtual card issuance.
• Define 3-D Secure/SCA, fraud monitoring, and dispute and chargeback requirements with risk and operations.
• Partner with engineering on APIs, ledger integrations, and event-driven architecture; write specs, acceptance criteria, and test plans.
• Partner with credit risk on underwriting policy, limit assignment, interest and fee structures, and collections.
• Embed responsible lending, affordability assessment, and fee transparency into product design and communications.
• Ensure compliance with CBUAE regulations, scheme rules, PCI-DSS, AML/KYC, sanctions screening, and consumer protection.
• Support audits, regulatory examinations, and scheme reviews, and close remediation actions on time.

Growth, Partnerships & Delivery

• Drive activation, usage, and retention through lifecycle journeys, campaigns, and in-app experiences.
• Evaluate co-brand, corporate, fintech, and wallet partnerships to extend distribution and grow the portfolio.
• Manage scheme, processor, and vendor performance through SLAs, commercial reviews, and cost optimization.
• Lead agile delivery prioritization, sprint planning, UAT, release management, and post-launch reviews.

Sills and Attributes:

Core Skills

• Product management experience in cards prepaid, debit, or credit — with ownership of a live portfolio.
• End-to-end lifecycle ownership ideation, business case, build, certification, launch, and iteration.
• Strong grasp of card economics interchange, scheme fees, processing costs, and portfolio P&L.
• Credit risk fundamentals underwriting, limit management, delinquency, and collections.

Working knowledge of Visa/Mastercard scheme rules and certification

• Understanding of issuer processing, ISO 8583 authorization and clearing, EMV and contactless, and tokenization (network tokens, HCE, wallet provisioning).
• Familiarity with 3-D Secure/SCA, fraud and chargeback processes, and PCI-DSS obligations.
• Comfortable with APIs, ledger integrations, and data models; able to write precise technical requirements.
• Proficient in Jira, Confluence, Mixpanel, and SQL or equivalent analytics tooling.
• Defines and owns the card roadmap, pricing, and portfolio KPIs.
• Translates customer insight and portfolio data into prioritised features.
• Works with risk, compliance, finance, and technology to balance growth, profitability, and control.
• Manages scheme, processor, and vendor relationships, including commercial negotiations and SLAs.

Key Attributes

• Customer-first thinking with a sharp eye on risk, margin, and portfolio health.
• Analytical and hypothesis-driven comfortable with data, cohort analysis, and A/B testing.
• Strong communicator who bridges technology, risk, and commercial stakeholders.
• Thrives in a fast-moving fintech environment with shifting priorities and regulatory change

Qualification

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Technology, Engineering, or a related field (MBA preferred).
• 5+ years of product management experience in fintech, banking, or payments, with at least 2 years in card products.
• Proven experience launching and managing prepaid, debit, or credit card products, including scheme certification and go-live.
• Strong understanding of card operations, credit risk, and digital KYC/AML practices.
• Hands-on experience with issuer processors, tokenization, and digital wallet integrations is essential.
• Certifications in payments or cards (e.g. Certified Payments Professional, scheme product certifications) are an added advantage.
• Data-driven decision-maker with experience using analytics tools and A/B testing.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with experience in agile fintech environments.