Card and Payments Operations Manager

EML; Kansas City (KS); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus scheme

Health care and 401k benefits

Hybrid working culture

Take 5 extra annual leave

Birthday leave and volunteer leave

Fully paid parental leave (up to 12 w)

Job summary

EML is seeking a Payments Operations Manager to own operational activities across card schemes (Visa, Mastercard) and ecosystem partners. You will balance hands-on BAU with changes, ensure payments are reliable, compliant, and well-controlled, and serve as a go-to SME for scheme-related requests.

You’ll participate in governance, drive KPIs, and coordinate with Technology, Product, Compliance and external providers to deliver smooth go-live and stable BAU.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of and skills in card networks and payment ecosystems
• Operational project management with focus on execution and process improvement
• Strong stakeholder management and partner governance abilities
• Experience with regulatory and scheme requirements (Visa/Mastercard) preferred

Responsibilities

• Oversee regular operational activities for card schemes and payment ecosystem partners, including escalation handling and SME guidance
• Ensure adherence to scheme rules, standards, and mandatory change programs
• Support BIN setup, program configuration, and lifecycle management
• Monitor performance and risks, develop KPIs for leadership visibility
• Lead program readiness for launches, migrations, and technical changes across teams
• Manage escalations with card schemes and partners, coordinate incident resolution
• Provide governance inputs (MBRs/service reviews) and track follow-ups to closure
• Mentor junior colleagues and promote knowledge sharing
• Define and document operational payment processes aligned with rules and regulatory standards
• Oversee audits and assurance activities to ensure compliance
• Contribute to regulator- or scheme-driven initiatives

Job description

The team you’ll be joining

The Payment Operations team plays a key role in EML’s transformation journey - ensuring payments run smoothly today while shaping how we will operate in the future. We work with card schemes, payment networks, acquirers, and service providers globally, driving operational performance, issue resolution, and escalations across multiple rails.

We partner with Product, Technology, Compliance, and Customer teams to deliver operational excellence, drive efficiency, and enable scalable growth.

If you’re excited by complex problem‑solving, global partnerships, and being at the centre of the action—this is where you’ll make an impact.

The Role

The Payment Operations Manager takes ownership of operational activities across card schemes (Visa, Mastercard) and payment ecosystem partners, including local payment networks, acquirers, processors, and external service providers. Alongside partner relationship management, you’ll balance hands‑on BAU with delivery of technical and operational change, ensuring payments are reliable, well‑controlled, and compliant.

As a deep subject matter expert, you are a go‑to person for support with Card Scheme related requests or challenges. Whether it is implementing new settlement currencies, managing a new BIN split or investigating a potential issue, you’ll keep focus and pace, seeing things through to completion.

You will play an active role in structured partner governance, including participation in service reviews, SLA performance reporting, and driving alignment to EML’s objectives. This is a hands‑on role that mixes day‑to‑day problem solving with building better ways of working, bringing clarity, structure, and a calm, solutions‑focused approach to complex challenges.

Whatyou’lldo

• Oversee regular operational activities, reporting, and requirements for payment schemes (Visa/Mastercard), providing escalation support and SME guidance.
• Ensure adherence to scheme rules, operational standards, and mandatory change programs.
• Support BIN setup, program configuration, and lifecycle management.
• Monitor scheme performance and operational risks, developing and reporting KPIs for leadership visibility and continuous improvement.
• Lead operational deliverables and readiness for program launches, network integrations, migrations, and technical change, coordinating Technology, Product, Compliance and external providers to ensure smooth go‑live and BAU handover.
• Manage operational escalations with card schemes and payment partners, coordinating incident resolution and ensuring follow‑ups are completed.
• Support operational delivery across the broader payments ecosystem (acquiring partners, processors, and service providers), ensuring reliable performance and timely issue resolution.
• Support partner governance (MBRs/service reviews) by providing performance/SLA inputs, capturing actions/decisions, and tracking follow‑ups to closure.
• Mentor and develop junior colleagues through coaching, structured knowledge‑sharing and review of key deliverables, building capability and consistency across the team.
• Define, document, and implement operational payment processes aligned with scheme rules and regulatory standards.
• Oversee assurance documentation and audits, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and scheme requirements.
• Contribute to payment‑related projects, including regulator‑driven or scheme‑driven initiatives.

Whatyou’llbring

Knowledge of and skills in:

• Prepaid and debit products, and the associated funding and transaction flows
• Operational project management with a focus on execution and process improvement
• Strong understanding of card network operations, including BIN management and implementations, prepaid/debit card program requirements, transaction routing and more
• Familiarity with acquirers, processors, and non‑card payment partners would be advantageous

Ability to

• Negotiate with partners and vendors, driving operational and strategic outcomes that align with business objectives
• Manage complex relationships across issuers, acquirers, card networks and service providers
• Ensure program compliance with network rules, reducing risk and improving performance
• Deliver to tight timelines while managing multiple priorities
• Communicate clearly with partners, stakeholders and internal teams
• Work independently and stay hands‑on in execution
• Lead cross‑functional delivery without direct authority, driving partner outcomes
• Apply a practical, solutions‑focused approach to operational issues
• Operate effectively in a global payments environment across varied regulatory and operational contexts

What we offer you

If you love what you do, you should love where you do it. We offer you:

• Participation in the company bonus scheme.
• Eligible health care and 401k benefits (following any approved waiting periods).
• A flexible hybrid working culture where you’re empowered to work in a way that suits your lifestyle.
• Additional leave including our Take 5 extra annual leave program, birthday leave and two days of volunteer leave per year.
• Parental support including up to 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave.
• Growth and development opportunities including access to funding for professional memberships, certifications, conferences and more.
• A culture that values collaboration, learning and continuous improvement.
• A global business landscape that connects you with colleagues working throughout Australia, UK, North America and Europe.