Senior Card Schemes Specialist

EML•Kansas City, MO

About The Position

The Senior Card Schemes Specialist takes ownership of operational activities across card schemes (Visa, Mastercard) and the wider payments ecosystem, including issuing banks, processors, acquirers, ACH, FedNow, and external service providers. This is a hands‑on senior specialist role combining day‑to‑day operational delivery with ownership of technical and operational change. Acting as a subject matter expert for card schemes, you will ensure payments are reliable, well‑controlled, and compliant, while continuously improving how we operate as we scale. You will be a go‑to escalation point for scheme‑related queries and challenges — from BIN setup and scheme rule interpretation to incident investigation and delivery of mandatory scheme changes — seeing complex issues through to resolution with focus and pace.

Requirements

Prepaid and debit products, and the associated funding and transaction flows
Operational project management with a focus on execution and process improvement
Strong understanding of card network operations, including BIN management and implementations, prepaid/debit card program requirements, transaction routing and more
Proven vendor or relationship management experience
Negotiate with partners and vendors, driving operational and strategic outcomes that align with business objectives
Manage complex relationships across issuers, acquirers, card networks and service providers
Ensure program compliance with network rules, reducing risk and improving performance
Deliver to tight timelines while managing multiple priorities
Communicate clearly with partners, stakeholders and internal teams
Work independently and stay hands-on in execution
Lead cross-functional delivery without direct authority, driving partner outcomes
Apply a practical, solutions-focused approach to operational issues
Operate effectively in a global payments environment across varied regulatory and operational contexts

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with acquirers, processors, and non‑card payment partners would be advantageous

Responsibilities

Oversee regular operational activities, reporting, and requirements for payment schemes (Visa/Mastercard), providing escalation support and SME guidance.
Ensure adherence to scheme rules, operational standards, and mandatory change programs.
Support BIN setup, program configuration, and lifecycle management.
Monitor scheme performance and operational risks, developing and reporting KPIs for leadership visibility and continuous improvement.
Lead operational deliverables and readiness for program launches, network integrations, migrations, and technical change, coordinating Technology, Product, Compliance and external providers to ensure smooth go-live and BAU handover.
Manage operational escalations with card schemes and payment partners, coordinating incident resolution and ensuring follow-ups are completed.
Support operational delivery across the broader payments ecosystem (acquiring partners, processors, and service providers), ensuring reliable performance and timely issue resolution.
Support partner governance (MBRs/service reviews) by providing performance/SLA inputs, capturing actions/decisions, and tracking follow-ups to closure.
Mentor and develop junior colleagues through coaching, structured knowledge-sharing and review of key deliverables, building capability and consistency across the team.
Define, document, and implement operational payment processes aligned with scheme rules and regulatory standards.
Oversee assurance documentation and audits, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and scheme requirements.
Contribute to payment-related projects, including regulator-driven or scheme-driven initiatives.