Debit Card Operations Manager

Vanguard; Scottsdale (AZ); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Vanguard in Scottsdale seeks a Debit Card Operations Manager to lead day-to-day performance, controls, and continuous improvement of the debit card portfolio. You will coordinate with Fraud, Risk, Compliance, and external partners to ensure a secure, compliant customer experience while meeting SLAs.

You will oversee disputes/chargebacks, card servicing, and lifecycle operations; manage vendor relationships and incident responses.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in debit/credit card operations, payments operations, or bank/fintech servicing operations.
• 2+ years managing operational workflows, SLAs, and cross-functional stakeholders (people leadership preferred).
• Working knowledge of disputes/chargebacks, card transaction flows, and card lifecycle operations.
• Experience with vendors/processors and incident/problem management (RCA, corrective action plans).
• Strong analytical skills and ability to translate data into operational actions.
• FINRA Series 7, 24, and 63 required, or the ability to obtain within department guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Operational Ownership & Performance Management: own end-to-end debit card operations and card lifecycle.
• Establish SLAs, dashboards, and routines to ensure timely, quality execution.
• Lead daily/weekly reviews to monitor volumes, backlog, errors, and customer impact; drive corrective actions.
• Oversee disputes, chargebacks & claims operations aligned to network rules and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure vendor documentation, timelines, and effective recoveries while maintaining customer outcomes.
• Partner with Fraud and Claims to reduce first-party fraud and manage compromised card events.
• Fraud Operations Partnership & Loss Mitigation: coordinate with fraud strategy/operations on controls.
• Identify gaps causing losses and implement process improvements with the business.
• Support fraud tool management and connectivity to the processor; define business requirements and test cases.
• Incident Management & Business Continuity: lead card-related incident response and RCAs.

Skills

Analytical skills

Excel

SQL

BI tools

Education

FINRA Series 7/24/63

Tools

Dispute management tools

Fraud monitoring systems

Vendor management software

Job description

The Debit Card Operations Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operational performance, controls, management, and continuous improvement of the debit card portfolio. This role oversees card transaction operations, disputes/chargebacks, card servicing, fraud/claims coordination, network and processor interactions, and operational readiness for product and regulatory changes. The manager partners cross-functionally with the Cash & Savings Business lead, Fraud, Customer Service, CxD, Risk, Controls, Compliance, and external vendors to ensure a secure, compliant, and high-quality customer experience while meeting SLAs and minimizing operational losses.

The Debit Card Operations Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operational performance, controls, management, and continuous improvement of the debit card portfolio. This role oversees card transaction operations, disputes/chargebacks, card servicing, fraud/claims coordination, network and processor interactions, and operational readiness for product and regulatory changes. The manager partners cross-functionally with the Cash & Savings Business lead, Fraud, Customer Service, CxD, Risk, Controls, Compliance, and external vendors to ensure a secure, compliant, and high-quality customer experience while meeting SLAs and minimizing operational losses.

• Operational Ownership & Performance Management
• Own end-to-end debit card operational processes including card lifecycle (issuance, activation, maintenance, replacement), transaction processing, exceptions handling, and customer servicing oversight and escalations.
• Establish and manage service level agreements (SLAs), operational dashboards, and routines to ensure timely execution and consistent quality.
• Lead daily/weekly operational reviews to monitor volumes, backlog, errors, and customer impact; implement corrective actions.
• Disputes, Chargebacks & Claims Operations
• Oversee debit card dispute operations aligned to network rules and regulatory requirements (intake, investigation, provisional credit, representment, write-offs); manage applicable third parties.
• Ensure, track, and oversee that the vendor provides accurate documentation, adherence to timelines, and effective recoveries while maintaining strong customer outcomes.
• Partner with Fraud and Claims teams to reduce first-party fraud exposure and improve win rates; directly support and manage compromised card events as identified and reported by the network.
• Fraud Operations Partnership & Loss Mitigation
• Coordinate with Fraud Strategy/Operations on monitoring, alerts, blocks, and case workflows to mitigate unauthorized activity; owning the processor and network level controls.
• Identify operational gaps that drive losses (e.g., activation loopholes, replacement card controls) and implement process improvements in partnership with the business.
• Support fraud tool management and program/product rule constructs (rules engines, case management, decisioning) and ensure operational readiness in connectivity to the processor.
• Vendor & Network / Processor Management
• Support the business in managing relationships with debit card processors, card networks, card manufacturers/fulfillment partners, and relevant service providers.
• Drive vendor performance through metrics, incident management, root cause analysis (RCA), and continuous improvement plans.
• Participate in network/processor change management (operational bulletins, mandates, release cycles, fee/rule updates).
• Controls, Risk, Compliance & Audit Readiness
• Maintain documented procedures, control checkpoints, reconciliations, and evidence artifacts to meet audit, controls, and risk requirements in partnership with the business.
• Partner with the Business as well as Compliance/Legal on operational adherence to regulations and consumer protections (e.g., error resolution, customer notices, retention).
• Support internal/external audits and exams; own operational remediation plans and ensure closure by deadlines.
• Process Improvement & Automation
• Support the development of net new and enhanced operational processes and procedures in advance of card launch; post-launch identify inefficiencies, defects, and manual work.
• Collaborate with Technology and Operations Excellence on automation opportunities.
• Define business requirements, test cases, and UAT support for operational enhancements and new capabilities.
• Incident Management & Business Continuity
• Serve as an operations lead for card-related incidents (system outages, network issues, vendor disruptions).
• Coordinate triage, communications, and customer impact mitigation; lead RCAs and preventive actions.
• Maintain business continuity procedures, runbooks, and training to support resilient operations
• People Leadership
• Lead and develop a team of card operations analysts/specialists; manage staffing, coaching, training, and performance reviews.
• Build a strong controls culture, customer-first mindset, and continuous improvement discipline.
• Ensure coverage models match volume seasonality and change events.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years in debit/credit card operations, payments operations, or bank/fintech servicing operations.
• 2+ years managing operational workflows, processes, SLAs, and cross-functional stakeholders (people leadership preferred).
• Working knowledge of disputes/chargebacks, card transaction flows, and card lifecycle operations.
• Experience with vendors/processors and incident/problem management (RCA, corrective action plans).
• Strong analytical skills (Excel/SQL/BI tools), ability to translate data into operational actions.
• FINRA Series 7, 24, and 63 required, or the ability to obtain within department guidelines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with card processors.
• Familiarity with network rules and operating regulations (Visa/Mastercard) and debit card dispute processes.
• Lean/Six Sigma, PMP, or comparable process improvement background.

Core Competencies

• Operational excellence and attention to process and control detail
• Customer advocacy balanced with risk and compliance
• Vendor and stakeholder management
• Incident leadership and calm decision-making under pressure
• Data-driven problem solving and continuous improvement
• Clear written and verbal communication (executive-ready)

Success Metrics / KPIs

• Dispute/chargeback SLA adherence
• Backlog levels and cycle time (days to resolution)
• Chargeback win rate / recovery rate
• Fraud loss rate and operational leakage reduction
• Operational error rate / rework rate
• Reconciliation breaks aging and resolution time
• Vendor SLA performance and incident frequency
• Customer complaint volume related to debit card servicing

Working Conditions / Schedule

• May require after-hours support during major incidents, network releases, or critical vendor events.

Sponsorship

Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position.

About Vanguard

At Vanguard, we don't just have a mission—we're on a mission. To work for the long-term financial wellbeing of our clients. To lead through product and services that transform our clients' lives. To learn and develop our skills as individuals and as a team. From Malvern to Melbourne, our mission drives us forward and inspires us to be our best.

How We Work

Vanguard has implemented a hybrid working model for the majority of our crew members, designed to capture the benefits of enhanced flexibility while enabling in-person learning, collaboration, and connection. We believe our mission-driven and highly collaborative culture is a critical enabler to support long-term client outcomes and enrich the employee experience.