Card Processor Strategic Relationship Manager, Senior Vice President (Hybrid)

Citi • Wilmington, DE

30d • $163,600 - $245,400 • Hybrid

About The Position

Citi is seeking a Card Processor Strategic Relationship Manager to serve as the enterprise relationship owner for one of the company's most critical payment processing partnerships, accountable for shaping long-term strategy, governing executive engagement, and delivering measurable commercial and operational outcomes. Sitting at the intersection of Payments, Technology, Product, and Finance, this role drives the full lifecycle of the partnership — from contract performance and billing governance to roadmap influence and capability adoption. This is a high-visibility position for a payments leader who can operate at the executive level while managing the operational depth needed to protect and grow one of Citi's most strategically important processing relationships.

Requirements

• 10 or more years of experience in payments, banking, financial technology, or strategic partnership management, with demonstrated accountability for large-scale processor or technology relationships.
• Hands-on knowledge of card issuing, payment processing, and digital payment ecosystems, including credit card authorization, clearing, and settlement workflows.
• Track record of negotiating and managing complex commercial agreements with major payment processors or strategic technology partners.
• Experience governing digital wallet programs and tokenization at scale within a card issuing or payment processing environment.
• Executive-level communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to represent an organization credibly in senior forums and external industry settings.
• Strong analytical and financial planning capabilities, applied to commercial performance reviews, billing validation, and strategic decision-making.
• Experience leading or overseeing large-scale technology implementations or payment processor migrations, with the ability to manage complexity, deadlines, and shifting priorities.

Nice To Haves

• Direct experience working with Fiserv, FIS, or comparable enterprise-scale payment processing platforms.
• Familiarity with next-generation card issuing and processing platforms such as Zeta, Pismo, or Marqeta.
• Master's degree in Business, Finance, or a related field.

Responsibilities

• Act as Citi's senior relationship lead for its primary payment processor, owning executive engagement, partnership governance, and the delivery of a multi-year strategic roadmap aligned to Citi's payment modernization goals.
• Develop and execute a long-term partnership strategy that identifies opportunities to improve customer experience, reduce costs, and unlock new revenue through expanded processor capabilities.
• Establish and lead structured governance forums — including executive business reviews, steering committees, and quarterly strategic planning sessions — to maintain alignment and accountability across both organizations.
• Own end-to-end contract governance, conducting rigorous billing structure reviews to validate accuracy, identify commercial improvement opportunities, and ensure full adherence to contractual and financial commitments.
• Collaborate with Procurement and Legal to lead commercial negotiations, contract renewals, and strategic sourcing initiatives, delivering outcomes that protect Citi's financial and operational interests.
• Partner with Product and Technology teams to prioritize new platform capabilities and influence the processor's product roadmap in support of Citi's strategic objectives.
• Lead governance over platform availability, processing performance, and incident management in partnership with Technology, escalating and resolving complex operational challenges with urgency and transparency.
• Apply sound commercial and risk judgment to all partnership decisions, ensuring compliance with applicable policies, contractual obligations, and regulatory requirements.

Benefits

• medical, dental & vision coverage
• 401(k)
• life, accident, and disability insurance
• wellness programs
• paid time off packages, including planned time off (vacation), unplanned time off (sick leave), and paid holidays

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior