Principal - Account Manager, Portfolio & ECM

Bread Financial Payments; Columbus (OH); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 224,000; Full time

Job summary

Bread Financial is seeking a seasoned portfolio leader to craft growth strategies for existing customer portfolios in collaboration with senior leadership. You will nurture client relationships, influence cross‑functional teams, and optimize P&L health while overseeing campaigns and budget allocations.

In this role, you will translate market insights into actionable portfolio plans, manage key metrics like retention and loyalty, and drive initiatives with brand partners across a matrix

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent, relevant work experience.
• 10-13 years in Account Management, Sales, Finance, Product Management, Project Management, Marketing, or credit card portfolio management.
• Master's Degree in Business Administration, Marketing.

Responsibilities

• Maintains a productive relationship with brand program owners and senior leadership; develops collaborative strategies and shared portfolio focus areas.
• Sets objectives, negotiates outcomes, and collaborates with matrix teams to achieve portfolio objectives; ensures strategic alignment.
• Develop annual portfolio KPIs and marketing strategy; monitor performance and adjust campaigns.
• Apply P&L understanding to optimize portfolio strategy; monitor core metrics and funding allocations.
• Oversee marketing campaign execution, manage timelines, and share results with partners.

Skills

Account Management

Budget Management

Financial Acumen

Long Term Planning

Marketing

Portfolio Management

Portfolio Strategies

Project Management

Education

Bachelor's Degree or equivalent

Master's Degree in Business Administration

Job description

Every career journey is personal. That's why we empower you with the tools and support to create your own success story.

Be challenged. Be heard. Be valued. Be you ... be here.

Job Summary

This role is responsible for developing the strategy for existing customer portfolio growth in partnership with senior leadership. This role is pivotal in developing and nurturing client relationships, and ensures that portfolio objectives are shared. This role also leads and influences cross‑functional partners in a matrixed leadership environment, ensuring the needs of both the client and organization are met within each initiative. Responsible for P&L health, along with managing key metrics for core customer, attrition, retention, activation, and loyalty. The incumbent in this role leverages data and market insights to anticipate and establish portfolio needs, and aligns or adjusts plans accordingly. Identifies and seeks to resolve organizational issues and removes roadblocks.

Essential Job Functions

• Maintains a productive relationship with brand program owners and senior leadership. Demonstrates deep knowledge of brand partner business/industry. Develops collaborative strategies and shared portfolio focus areas. Balances the needs of Bread Financial and the brand. Leads content development for brand partner business reviews. Anticipates roadblocks and proactively identifies solutions. - (20%)
• Sets objectives, negotiates outcomes, and collaborates with matrix team including Credit Management, Finance, Portfolio Analytics & Marketing to achieve portfolio objectives. Communicates and ensures strategic alignment with portfolio priorities and initiatives. - (20%)
• Develop annual portfolio KPI's to guide marketing strategy. Set strategy for existing cardholder marketing / funding allocation.Ensure strategy meet needs of company and brand partner. Presents annual marketing strategy to brand partner for approval, in partnership with marketing. Monitors campaign performance and alters strategy per results. - (20%)
• Applies deep understanding of P&L to recommend portfolio strategy adjustments to maintain program health. Monitor key metrics for core customer, spend, retention, reactivation. Synthesize trends/opportunities, work with matrix team to provide solutions. Oversee contractual funding allocations for portfolio initiatives. Provides input for annual budget/forecasting on existing customer initiatives. - (15%)
• Oversees execution for marketing campaigns. Manages timelines & deliverables with brand/internal partners. Recognizes risks & manages obstacles, escalating where needed. Delivers marketing campaign results/insights to brand partners; connects results to campaign strategy. Proactively shares campaign results and learnings with matrix partners and peers. - (15%)
• Ensures ongoing integration into brand partner plan and multi‑tender loyalty program, advocating for credit priority. Internal consultant on value proposition development. Utilizes reporting tools to monitor key metrics, identify opportunities, and drive plans for solutions. - (10%)

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent, relevant work experience
• 10-13 years in Account Management, Sales, Finance, Product Management, Project Management, Marketing, or credit card portfolio management

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Business Administration, Marketing
• Management experience in a multi‑level organization
• Experience with credit, loyalty, portfolio management, and customer marketing strategies.
• Experience presenting business performance, portfolio results, and strategic recommendations to executive stakeholders.

Skills

• Account Management
• Budget Management
• Financial Acumen
• Long Term Planning
• Marketing
• Portfolio Management
• Portfolio Strategies
• Project Management

Reports To

Director and above

Direct Reports

0

Work Environment

• Normal office environment. (Remote or Hybrid), 3 to 4 days per month are required in office if within 60 miles of a Bread Financial location. Periodic travel to brand partner offices and events. May require work outside of standard business hours.

Travel

• Ability to travel up to 10% quarterly

Physical and Mental Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job function satisfactorily and meet the physical, mental and work environment requirements. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions, absent undue hardship.

• Communicate/Hearing
• Communicate/Talking
• Stationary Position/Seated
• Typing/Writing
• Maintain focus in high pressure or fast-paced work environment

Other Duties

This job description is illustrative of the types of duties typically performed by this job. It is not intended to be an exhaustive listing of each and every essential function of the job. Because job content may change from time to time, the Company reserves the right to add and/or delete essential functions from this job at any time.

Salary Range (unless otherwise noted below):

$139,800.00 - $223,700.00

Full Salary Range for position:

California: $160,800.00 - $279,600.00 Colorado: $139,800.00 - $246,100.00 New York: $153,800.00 - $279,600.00 Washington: $153,800.00 - $257,300.00 Maryland: $153,800.00 - $246,100.00 Washington DC: $160,800.00 - $257,300.00 Illinois: $139,800.00 - $246,100.00 New Jersey: $160,800.00 - $257,300.00 Vermont: $139,800.00 - $223,700.00 Ohio: $139,800.00 - $223,700.00 Maine: $139,800.00 - $223,700.00 Connecticut: $153,800.00 - $246,100.00 Virginia: $139,800.00 - $223,700.00

About Bread Financial®

At Bread Financial, you'll have the opportunity to grow your career, give back to your community, and be part of our award‑winning culture. We've been consistently recognized as a best place to work nationally and in many markets and we're proud to promote an environment where you feel appreciated, accepted, valued, and fulfilled‑both personally and professionally. Bread Financial supports the overall wellness of our associates with a diverse suite of benefits and offers boundless opportunities for career development and non‑traditional career progression.

Bread Financial offers medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, and other voluntary benefits (including basic and optional life insurance, supplemental medical plans, and short and long‑term disability) to eligible associates (regular full‑time associates scheduled to work 30 hours per week or more) and their spouses/domestic partners, and child(ren) under the age of 26. New associate elected coverage begins on date of hire (with the exception of disability coverage which has a 6‑month waiting period).

Six weeks of 100% paid parental leave for eligible parents is available after a 180‑day waiting period. Hired associates can immediately enroll in Bread Financial's 401(k) plan.

All associates receive 11 paid holidays. Associates have discretion in managing their time away from work through the Flexible Time Off (FTO) program and may need to notify and receive approval from their manager prior to taking the time off. Associates (except those located in Illinois) receive 80 hours of Paid Sick and Safe Time ("PSST") upon hire and at the beginning of each subsequent calendar year. Illinois associates receive 40 hours of Illinois PSST upon hire and at the beginning of each subsequent calendar year and 40 hours of Illinois Paid Leave upon hire and at the beginning of each subsequent calendar year. Illinois Paid Leave must be used before associates in Illinois will be approved to take FTO.

Hired associates will be able to elect the purchase company stock during offering periods in June and December. You will be eligible for an annual incentive bonus based on individual and company performance.

• Bread Financial offers competitive pay, a comprehensive selection of benefit options including 401(k).
• The Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
• Any applicant offered employment will be required to establish that they are legally authorized to work in the United States for the Company.
• The Company participates in E‑Verify.
• The Company will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the New York City Fair Chance Act. Applicants with criminal histories are encouraged to apply.
• The Company complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended, and all applicable state/local laws. The Company will provide accommodations to applicants needing accommodations to complete the application process. Applicants with disabilities may contact the Company to request and arrange for accommodations. If you need assistance to accommodate a disability, you may request an accommodation at any time. Please contact the Recruiting Team at [e-mail] .

Job Family

Client Services

Job Type

Regular