Head of
Operations

1. Position in the Organization
You will lead and oversee the company’s operations and IT services. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams such as Product Management, Sales, Marketing, Customer Support, and IT, ensuring operational strategies align with overall business goals. As the operational leader, you will be responsible for managing teams that handle day-to-day operations, ensuring process optimization, system availability, efficiency, and a high standard of service delivery. You will be the main contact for our key outsourcing partners on management level.

2. Purpose of the Role
The Head of Operations is responsible for the outsouring partners, ensuring the efficient and effective functioning of all operational processes related to the business. This includes overseeing the issuance and servicing of credit, debit, and prepaid cards, ensuring compliance with regulations, enhancing process automation, and delivering excellent service levels. The purpose of the role is to streamline operations, optimise costs, mitigate risks, and improve customer satisfaction, while supporting the overall growth objectives of the business in collaboration with the Head of Sales & Marketing.

3. Key responsibilities
Operational Management

• Oversee all card processing activities both in and outsourced, from issuance to transaction processing and settlement.
• Ensure all card services are delivered in a timely, compliant, and efficient manner, with minimal service disruptions.
• Manage the end-to-end operational processes, ensuring compliance with banking, financial, and data security regulations.

Collaboration with Sales & Marketing

• Work closely with the Head of Sales & Marketing to align operational capabilities with commercial strategies.
• Provide operational insights to support product launches, marketing campaigns, and customer acquisition initiatives.
• Collaborate on cross-functional projects to enhance the customer experience and grow the card business portfolio.

Risk Management & Compliance

• Develop and maintain strong operational risk controls to mitigate fraud, data breaches, and other security risks.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant regulations, including payment card industry (PCI-DSS) standards and local banking laws.
• Lead audits and compliance reviews, and implement recommendations for improvements.

Technology & Process Optimization

• Drive automation and digital transformation initiatives to enhance operational efficiency and reduce manual processes.
• Implement scalable systems to support the rapid growth of the card business.
• Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and continuously improve operational processes for better productivity.

Customer Experience

• Oversee customer service operations related to the card business, ensuring quick resolution of customer issues.
• Implement service level agreements (SLAs) and performance metrics to improve the overall customer experience.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead and mentor the operations team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and high performance.
• Ensure ongoing training and development to keep the team updated on industry trends, new technologies, and regulatory changes.

4. Result Areas
Quantitative Result Areas
Operational Efficiency

• Improve the efficiency of business processes by reducing downtime, optimizing workflows, and minimizing waste.

Cost Management

• Control and reduce operational costs by implementing cost-saving initiatives, optimizing resource allocation, and minimizing unnecessary expenditures.

Productivity Levels

• Increase overall productivity by streamlining operations, improving workforce efficiency, and reducing bottlenecks.

On-Time Delivery

• Maintain or improve the percentage of products or services delivered on time, in line with customer agreements or internal deadlines

Customer Satisfaction Metrics

• Improve customer experience by enhancing the quality and reliability of operations. Key performance indicators (KPIs) include improving customer satisfaction scores, such as Net Promoter Score (NPS) or customer retention rates.

Revenue Growth Support

• Contribute to the company’s overall revenue growth by enhancing operational outputs and reducing inefficiencies.

Compliance

• Ensure operations consistently meet or exceed service-level agreements (SLAs) with internal or external customers. This is often measured in terms of uptime percentages, response times, or service accuracy.

Qualitative Result Areas
Leadership and Team Development

• Effectively lead and mentor operations teams, focusing on talent development, training, and creating a strong leadership pipeline. Results are seen in improved team morale, lower turnover rates, and enhanced team skills.

Process Innovation and Continuous Improvement

• Drive innovation in operations by implementing process improvements and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Decision-Making Quality

• Demonstrate strong, informed decision-making skills in complex or high-pressure situations, leading to better operational outcomes. This qualitative area is assessed by stakeholders’ satisfaction with decision outcomes and the ability to make timely, data-driven decisions.

Outsourcing Relationship Management

• Strengthen relationships with outsourcing partners ensuring that operational performance aligns with commercial expectations.

Adaptability to Change

• Effectively manage and lead the organization through changes, such as adopting new technologies, market shifts, or process restructuring. Success is reflected in how smoothly transitions occur and how well the team adapts to new challenges.

Innovation and Creativity

• Encourage creative problem-solving within the operations team to address challenges and improve processes.

Stakeholder Satisfaction

• Ensure that all stakeholders, including employees, clients, vendors, and executives, are satisfied with operational performance.

5. Competences

• Communication
• Problem Solving
• Leadership
• Time Management
• Stress Management
• Critical Thinking
• Customer Orientation
• Performance Management
• Process Improvement
• Risk Management
• Quality Control
• Process Innovation
• Operational Efficiency
• Strategic Thinking
• Selfawareness
• Service Orientation
• Active Problem-Solving
• Responsiveness
• Vendor management

6. Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Operations Management, or a related field.
• Master’s degree (MBA) or equivalent is preferred.
• Minimum of 8-10 years of experience in operations management, with at least 5 years in a leadership role in similar business.
• Proven experience in card processing, risk management, and compliance within the payments industry.
• Strong track record of working with sales and marketing teams to align operations with business goals.
• Experience in digital transformation and process automation is highly desirable.