Lead Project Manager – Cards & Payments

Engagement details:Job Title: Lead Project Manager – Cards & PaymentsClient: Global Cards & Payments FirmEnd-client: Leading BankEmployment type: Initial 12-month contract with strong potential for extension

Location: Onsite in Abu Dhabi, UAEExperience level: 10+ yearsAvailability: Immediately available candidates requiredRole Overview:Our client, a Global Cards & Payments firm, is engaged with a leading bank in Jeddah and is seeking to onboard a Lead Project Manager – Cards & Payments who will run the cards change portfolio for a lean, digital-first cards team: new credit card launches, schemeand regulatory mandates, digital wallet capabilities and a domestic scheme card programme.

The incumbent will be the single point of coordination across the bank, payment network and third parties, and you'll own the plan, the governance and the result. Get products to market faster and turn launches into active, spending cardholders.

Key Responsibilities

Set up and lead a PMO for the cards change portfolio. Agree one masterplan with the client and run Steering Committee governance.Act as the single point of contact between payment scheme and the client across all workstreams.Deliver new credit card propositions end to end, from setup through to customers transacting.Drive scheme and regulatory mandates to on-time compliance. Escalate blocking dependencies early, including wallet and provisioning compliance.Coordinate the remaining domestic scheme card rollout, including the customer journey, communications and tracking activation after reissuance.Diagnose and improve the acquisition funnel, focusing on approval rates, onboarding drop-off and eligibility rules, working with Credit, Product and Digital.Coordinate client teams and vendors against the masterplan.Manage RAID and report portfolio performance regularly.Key Performance Indicators:At least 90% of milestones delivered on or before the baselined dateEvery in-scope mandate delivered by its deadlineActivation rate and spend per active card in the first 90 days after each launchApplication-to-issuance conversion improved against the agreed baselineRAID discipline: median time to close critical issues, and steering committee reporting delivered on time every cycle.Knowledge and ExperienceMandatory Skills:End-to-end delivery of a card issuing programme (a launch, a migration or a mandate)Structured project management: planning, RAID and governanceEnglish for executive reportingOther Requirements:Bachelor's degree in a related field (for example project management, engineering or technology)PMP or similar project management certification; agile or hybrid delivery experience is valued10+ years in project management, with a focus on end-to-end delivery of complex projects in banking or paymentsStrong project management skills on large-scale conversion programmes, plus banking or payments product launches and solution deployments in multiple marketsGood working knowledge of card management systems, processors, scheme certification, tokenisation and digital wallet provisioning; able to work through technical issues with technology teamsExcellent leadership, communication and stakeholder skills; confident presenting to senior committeesStrong analytical and problem-solving skills, and able to identify and manage project risksComfortable in a fast-paced environment with several priorities at once; proactive and detail-orientedArabic is an advantage