Payments Project Manager – Card Schemes

As a Payments Project Manager specialising in card schemes, you will lead cross-functional initiatives across xpate’s card business. Acting as the central point of coordination between internal teams and Visa and Mastercard, you will translate scheme requirements into clear plans, align stakeholders, manage dependencies, and drive projects through to successful delivery.

• Lead projects arising from Visa and Mastercard mandates, rule changes, product updates, and operational requirements.
• Translate scheme requirements into clear project scopes, delivery plans, milestones, responsibilities, and success criteria.
• Assess business and operational impacts in collaboration with Product, Operations, Compliance, Risk, Finance, and Engineering teams.
• Coordinate cross-functional delivery, ensuring that actions, dependencies, risks, and deadlines are clearly understood and managed.
• Act as the primary point of coordination for scheme-related projects, requests, enquiries, and investigations.
• Facilitate project meetings, document decisions, and provide clear progress updates to stakeholders and senior management.
• Identify delivery risks, resolve blockers, and escalate issues when necessary.
• Coordinate the preparation and submission of mandatory scheme reports, including compliance, PCI DSS, quarterly, and other required reporting.
• Maintain accurate project plans, RAID logs, implementation trackers, internal registers, and operational records.
• Ensure that internal knowledge bases, Confluence pages, and process documentation remain accurate and up to date.
• Support internal teams with scheme-related guidance and help embed new requirements into business-as-usual processes.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of project delivery, governance, and operational processes across the card business.

• At least 2 years of experience in project management, implementation, business operations, or delivery within payments, fintech, banking, or another regulated environment.
• A good understanding of card payments, card acquiring, or the Visa and Mastercard ecosystems.
• Experience translating regulatory, technical, or operational requirements into structured delivery plans.
• Strong planning and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams, priorities, and deadlines.
• Confidence in identifying risks, managing dependencies, and driving actions to completion.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to understand complex operational matters.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• A proactive and accountable approach, with the ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience with Jira, Confluence, or similar project-management and collaboration tools.

• A dynamic environment with real ownership, practical challenges, and continuous learning opportunities.
• The opportunity to lead meaningful projects involving real fintech infrastructure in a regulated international environment.
• Flexible working hours and a hybrid working model.
• Private health insurance.
• Paid time off and additional company benefits.
• The opportunity to improve how complex, cross-functional initiatives are planned and delivered.
• A collaborative culture where initiative, curiosity, and accountability are valued.