Cryptography Specialist (HSM) (Polish required)

Capco; Warszawa; Hybrid; PLN 210,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Capco is seeking a Card Cryptography Specialist to join our team in Warsaw. You will administer cryptographic infrastructure supporting payment card systems, including HSMs, keys, and certificates.

Collaboration with card, security, and operations teams is essential to ensure security, availability, and compliance across Issuing, Acquiring, and Settlement processes. The role requires close cooperation with external vendors and payment schemes, and offers hybrid work in the Warsaw office as

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of applied cryptography in payment card environments.
• Hands-on experience with the administration and configuration of Hardware Security Modules (HSMs).
• Understanding of cryptographic key-management processes in card-processing environments.
• Familiarity with Visa/Mastercard security standards and PCI-related requirements.
• Knowledge of PCI DSS, PCI PIN Security, and PCI Card Production/Provisioning.
• Experience with EMV, 3D Secure, and payment tokenisation concepts.
• Ability to analyse technical logs and troubleshoot cryptographic issues.

Responsibilities

• Administer, configure, and monitor HSM devices used by payment card systems.
• Coordinate cryptographic key lifecycle for Issuing, Acquiring, and Settlement processes.
• Manage digital certificates and renewal processes for card systems.
• Support payment authorization and clearing systems from a cryptography perspective.
• Collaborate with security, infrastructure, and vendor teams; participate in audits and PCI activities.
• Create, maintain, and improve cryptographic runbooks and documentation.
• Provide on-call support and respond to production cryptographic incidents.

Skills

Applied cryptography

HSM administration

Key-management workflows

Visa/Mastercard security standards

PCI DSS / PIN / provisioning

Card processing knowledge

EMV / 3D Secure / tokenisation

Log analysis & troubleshooting

PKI & certificate lifecycle

Documentation & specs

Analytical problem solving

Cross-functional collaboration

On-call production support

Tools

Thales payShield

Entrust nShield

Utimaco HSMs

Job description

About Capco

Capco is a global technology and management consultancy specializing in driving transformation across the financial services industry. We combine deep industry expertise with technology, data, and innovation capabilities to help our clients address complex challenges and deliver sustainable change.

Card Cryptography Specialist

Capco is a global technology and management consultancy specializing in driving transformation across the financial services industry. We combine deep industry expertise with technology, data, and innovation capabilities to help our clients address complex challenges and deliver sustainable change.

Our teams work with leading banks and financial institutions on business-critical initiatives across banking, payments, capital markets, wealth and asset management, and insurance. At Capco, we value collaboration, ownership, continuous learning, and a pragmatic approach to solving complex problems.

We are currently looking for a Card Cryptography Specialist to join our team and support secure, highly available payment card environments for our clients.

About The Role

As a Card Cryptography Specialist, you will be responsible for the administration and security of cryptographic infrastructure supporting payment card systems. You will work with Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), cryptographic keys, digital certificates, payment authorization platforms, and card-processing environments.

The role requires close cooperation with card, security, infrastructure, application, and operations teams, as well as external vendors and payment schemes such as Visa and Mastercard.

You will play an important role in maintaining the security, availability, and compliance of cryptographic services used across Issuing, Acquiring, and Clearing & Settlement processes.

What You'll Do

• Administer, configure, maintain, and monitor HSM devices used by payment card systems.
• Coordinate the full lifecycle of cryptographic keys supporting Issuing, Acquiring, and Clearing & Settlement processes.
• Generate, import, export, rotate, renew, and retire cryptographic keys in accordance with Visa, Mastercard, PCI, and internal security requirements.
• Coordinate digital certificates used by card systems, payment platforms, and secure communication channels.
• Coordinate certificate and cryptographic key renewal processes.
• Support payment authorization and clearing systems from a cryptography perspective.
• Provide cryptographic support for the implementation of new card products, services, integrations, and platform changes.
• Maintain secure communication between banking systems, payment schemes, processors, and external partners.
• Investigate incidents related to cryptographic operations, payment authorization, certificates, and key exchange.
• Diagnose issues related to EMV cryptography, PIN Translation, PIN Verification, MAC Validation, and other card security mechanisms.
• Monitor the availability and correct operation of cryptographic infrastructure.
• Cooperate with card, cybersecurity, infrastructure, application, and operations teams as well as technology vendors.
• Work with Visa and Mastercard during cryptographic changes, key-management activities, and certification processes.
• Participate in security audits and activities related to PCI compliance.
• Create, maintain, and improve operational documentation, security procedures, and cryptographic runbooks.
• Report on the status, security, and operational performance of cryptographic infrastructure.
• Participate in on-call support and respond to production incidents when required.

What You'll Need

• Strong knowledge of applied cryptography in payment card environments.
• Hands‑on experience with the administration and configuration of Hardware Security Modules (HSMs).
• Practical understanding of cryptographic key‑management processes within card‑processing environments.
• Knowledge of Visa and Mastercard security standards, requirements, and operational processes.
• Good understanding of PCI DSS, PCI PIN Security, and PCI Card Production and Provisioning requirements.
• Knowledge of Issuing, Acquiring, and Clearing & Settlement processes.
• Understanding of EMV, 3D Secure, payment tokenization, and transaction authentication.
• Experience analysing technical logs and troubleshooting cryptographic and payment‑processing issues.
• Good understanding of payment card authorization system architectures.
• Knowledge of digital certificates, PKI, certificate lifecycle management, and renewal processes.
• Ability to work effectively with technical documentation and specifications issued by payment schemes.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to cooperate effectively across multiple technical and business teams.
• Willingness to participate in on‑call and production support duties.

Nice to Have

• Hands‑on experience with Thales payShield, Entrust nShield, or Utimaco HSMs.
• Knowledge of cryptographic key‑management standards such as ANSI X9.24, TR‑31, and TR‑34.
• Experience with cryptographic key migrations between systems or HSM environments.
• Knowledge of payment card personalization processes.
• Experience with Visa Key Management and Mastercard Key Management processes.
• Experience with card authorization platforms such as Way4, BASE24, Postilion, PowerCARD, or VisionPLUS.
• Good understanding of the ISO 8583 messaging standard.
• Experience with HCE, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and payment card tokenisation.
• Previous experience working within a bank, payment processor, or card‑processing centre.
• Information security, payment security, or cryptography‑related certifications.

What Will Help You Succeed

• A strong sense of ownership and responsibility for the security of business‑critical payment infrastructure.
• High attention to detail, particularly when performing sensitive cryptographic operations.
• Ability to work consistently in accordance with strict security policies and operational procedures.
• Confidence and composure when handling critical production incidents.
• Ability to independently investigate complex technical problems and identify root causes.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills when working with both technical and business stakeholders.
• Ability to prioritise effectively and work under time pressure during production outages or security incidents.
• A security‑first mindset combined with a pragmatic approach to problem solving.

Why Join Capco?

At Capco, you will have the opportunity to work on complex and business‑critical initiatives within the financial services and payments industry. You will collaborate with experienced technology, security, and banking professionals while contributing to projects where reliability, security, and regulatory compliance are fundamental.

The role offers exposure to sophisticated payment environments, modern security technologies, and transformation initiatives delivered for leading financial institutions.

B2B cooperation in a hybrid model, with presence in the Warsaw office agreed in accordance with the project needs.