Global Head of Card Brand Compliance

U.S. Bank•Atlanta, GA

2d•$143,905 - $169,300

About The Position

The Global Head of Card Brand Compliance is a senior leadership role responsible for establishing and leading the global card brand compliance and technical network management framework for Merchant Payment Services. The role provides enterprise-wide accountability for interpreting, assessing, governing, and executing card network rules, operating regulations, technical mandates, compliance programs, and related requirements that support acquiring, processing, settling, and growing payment volume globally. The leader directly oversees the North America card brand compliance and technical network management organization and establishes global standards, governance, priorities, metrics, and management routines across regions. The role owns the end-to-end network change lifecycle, from requirement intake and interpretation through impact assessment, ownership assignment, implementation planning, readiness tracking, certification, evidence management, exception handling, and post-implementation validation. It ensures network and technical requirements are translated into clear business obligations, technology deliverables, controls, and time-bound plans, with appropriate ownership and executive visibility. The leader maintains oversight of network requirements, dependencies, compliance obligations, implementation decisions, exceptions, waivers, residual risks, and remediation activities. The Global Head provides leadership over compliance monitoring, control design, testing coordination, root-cause analysis, issue management, and sustainable remediation of network-related findings and violations. The role partners with Product, Technology, Operations, Risk, Compliance, Legal, Finance, Revenue, Sales, and regional leaders, and works with European and regional teams to align methods, reporting, governance, escalation practices, and implementation expectations while addressing local requirements. As a senior subject matter authority and escalation point, this leader represents the organization in significant interactions with card networks, debit networks, regional schemes, processors, technology partners, and other external stakeholders. The role provides executive management visibility into mandate readiness, compliance exposure, implementation risk, potential financial or merchant impacts, technical dependencies, and remediation progress. It also advises product and commercial leaders on compliance and technical feasibility for new products, partnerships, market expansion, acceptance models, and strategic initiatives. The position drives simplification, automation, data quality, and process consistency across network requirement management, traceability, workflow, reporting, documentation, and evidence management. The leader builds and develops a global community of practice, strengthens enterprise expertise, develops senior talent and succession depth, and fosters accountability, technical excellence, collaboration, risk awareness, and continuous improvement. The role balances strategic leadership with disciplined execution oversight, ensuring material network risks and execution gaps are identified, escalated, and addressed through investment, risk acceptance, or executive decision-making processes.

Requirements

Eight or more years of banking experience.
Three or more years of management experience.
BA/MBA in finance, business administration, or a related field.

Nice To Haves

Extensive leadership experience within merchant acquiring, card networks, payments, financial services, fintech, or another highly regulated industry, with responsibility for complex enterprise-wide programs, technical capabilities, or compliance functions.
Deep knowledge of card brand rules, merchant acquiring requirements, network operating regulations, technical mandates, authorization, clearing, settlement, data integrity, certification, and compliance program execution.
Experience interpreting and implementing requirements associated with major payment networks, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, debit networks, and regional card schemes.
Experience translating complex network, regulatory, and technical requirements into actionable business requirements, technology deliverables, controls, governance processes, implementation plans, and executive decisions.
Proven leadership of multidisciplinary and geographically dispersed teams, with ability to influence senior stakeholders across Product, Technology, Operations, Risk, Compliance, Legal, Finance, Revenue, Sales, and regional organizations.
Strong knowledge of risk management, control design, compliance monitoring, issue management, remediation, audit readiness, and evidence and documentation standards within a regulated environment.
Experience managing senior-level external relationships, negotiations, implementation issues, and escalations involving card networks, processors, technology partners, or other payment ecosystem participants.
Demonstrated ability to manage significant compliance issues, network findings, technical implementation delays, remediation programs, and other high-risk or time-sensitive matters.
Strong analytical and strategic decision-making capabilities, including experience assessing enterprise impact, competing priorities, technical dependencies, financial exposure, and residual risk.
Exceptional executive communication, presentation, and influencing skills, including the ability to communicate complex technical and compliance matters clearly to senior and executive leadership.
Demonstrated success building and leading high-performing teams, developing senior talent, strengthening succession pipelines, and establishing clear performance and accountability expectations.
Experience operating in a highly matrixed, global organization and balancing enterprise consistency with regional regulatory, legal, market, and payment scheme requirements.
Demonstrated ability to drive process improvement, automation, data quality, governance, and operational discipline across complex compliance or technical functions.
Strong executive presence, sound judgment, and organizational awareness, with the ability to represent the organization credibly with senior internal and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Establish and lead the global card brand compliance and technical network management framework for Merchant Payment Services.
Directly oversee the North America card brand compliance and technical network management organization and establish global standards, governance, priorities, metrics, and management routines.
Own the end-to-end network change lifecycle, including requirement intake, interpretation, impact assessment, ownership assignment, implementation planning, readiness tracking, certification, evidence management, exception handling, and post-implementation validation.
Translate network and technical requirements into business obligations, technology deliverables, controls, and time-bound implementation plans with clear ownership and executive visibility.
Maintain oversight of network requirements, technical dependencies, compliance obligations, implementation decisions, exceptions, waivers, residual risks, and remediation activities.
Lead compliance monitoring, control design, testing coordination, root-cause analysis, issue management, and sustainable remediation of network-related findings and violations.
Partner across Product, Technology, Operations, Risk, Compliance, Legal, Finance, Revenue, Sales, and regional leadership to resolve priorities, manage dependencies, and execute network commitments.
Align methodologies, reporting, governance, escalation practices, and implementation expectations with European and regional teams while addressing local requirements.
Represent the organization in significant interactions and escalations with card networks, debit networks, regional schemes, processors, technology partners, and other external stakeholders.
Provide executive management with visibility into mandate readiness, compliance exposure, implementation risk, potential financial or merchant impacts, technical dependencies, and remediation progress.
Advise product and commercial leaders on compliance and technical feasibility for new products, partnerships, market expansion, acceptance models, and strategic initiatives.
Drive simplification, automation, data quality, and process consistency across requirement management, traceability, workflow, reporting, documentation, and evidence management.
Build and develop a global community of practice, strengthen enterprise expertise, develop senior talent and succession depth, and foster accountability, technical excellence, collaboration, risk awareness, and continuous improvement.
Ensure material network risks and execution gaps are identified, escalated, and addressed through appropriate investment, risk acceptance, or executive decision-making processes.

Benefits

Healthcare (medical, dental, vision)
Basic term and optional term life insurance
Short-term and long-term disability
Pregnancy disability and parental leave
401(k) and employer-funded retirement plan
Paid vacation (from two to five weeks depending on salary grade and tenure)
Up to 11 paid holiday opportunities
Adoption assistance
Sick and Safe Leave accruals of one hour for every 30 worked, up to 80 hours per calendar year unless otherwise provided by law
Incentive and recognition programs
Equity stock purchase
Pension