Senior Specialist, Scheme Relationships

0004 Checkout MENA FZ-LLC; Dubai; On-site; AED 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

0004 Checkout MENA FZ-LLC is looking for a talented Senior Scheme Relationship Specialist to enhance and support our growth in MENA. You will manage partnerships with Acquiring Banks, card networks, and other payment providers while ensuring the delivery of market-leading payment solutions.

The ideal candidate will have at least 3 years of experience in payments, a strong focus on developing strategic partnerships, and the ability to solve problems effectively. The role requires collaboration across teams and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• At least 3 years experience in payments.
• Direct experience in payment processing, acquiring, or managing payment partnerships.
• Experience working with card networks or PSPs is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

• Manage commercial relationships with Acquiring Banks and APMs.
• Negotiate favorable operational and commercial outcomes.
• Design new processes for partnership growth and efficiency.

Skills

Payments knowledge

Relationship management

Project management

Data-driven problem solving

Communication

Job description

Job Description

Checkout.com is seeking a talented Senior Scheme Relationship Specialist to join the adventure and support our rapid growth and expansion in MENA. Your main responsibility will be to manage and grow our partnerships with Acquiring Banks, APMs and card networks such as Visa and Mastercard, and other payment providers. You will contribute to the development and execution of our strategy for such partnerships. Reporting to the Head of Financial Partnerships – MENA, the successful candidate will be able to handle multiple projects and partnerships autonomously, have sufficient payments knowledge and experience to do so, and have a hands‑on approach necessary in a fast‑growing start‑up.

What You Will Be Doing

• Manage commercial relationships with Acquiring Banks, APMs and grow Card Networks to develop and deliver market‑leading payment solutions for our merchants.
• Drive expansion projects as required across geographies and payment methods in collaboration with a wider team.
• Negotiate the most favorable operational and commercial outcomes for Checkout.com while balancing internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure existing processes are followed and deliverables are met by both sides in a partnership.
• Design and develop new processes to scale those partnerships for growth, efficiency and performance improvement.
• Collaborate effectively with various functions in the partner organization such as relationship management, business development, risk, compliance, product and operations across all levels.
• Develop and execute a best‑in‑class partnership management model.
• Be the single point of contact internally and externally for assigned partnerships.
• Use payments industry knowledge and experience to develop and execute strategies to support our growth with new products, services and market segments through partnerships.
• Craft and implement win‑win commercial agreements and go‑to‑market strategies with payment partners.
• Leverage knowledge about the payments industry and partners’ capabilities to act as subject‑matter experts for internal teams.

Qualifications

• At least 3 years experience in payments.
• Direct experience in payment processing, acquiring, or managing payment partnerships.
• Proficient in payments knowledge, with the ability to problem‑solve or identify potential blockers within the payment flow and communicate these problems effectively to the wider teams.
• Experience working with card networks or PSPs for acquiring payment transactions is a strong plus.
• A mix of operations, project management, and relationship management skill set.
• A strong sense of ownership to deliver business results with a focus on managing partner relationships.
• Strong collaborator and communicator with the ability to influence stakeholders across organizations internally and externally.
• Data‑driven, analytical and strategic in problem solving issues and identifying opportunities to drive growth and efficiency.
• Comfortable working across time zones and cultures in a globally distributed team.