Card Consulting Program Lead

Job Title: Card Consulting Program Lead Term: 12 months Location: Riyadh, KSA Relevant experience: 15 + years' experience in consulting, program management, payments/cards or financial services transformation. Proven delivery of complex multi-workstream programs from strategy through execution and benefit realization. Mandatory requirements: Senior consulting and program leadership experience, including problem structuring, C-level stakeholder management, governance, risk/dependency management, analytics-led decision-making and execution oversight. Knowledge in cards, CVM, product launch, digital banking, and SAMA regulations. English and Arabic proficiency is mandatory.

Purpose of Job: The Cards Consulting Program Lead will oversee the end-to-end delivery of a large cards' transformation program, covering consumer and corporate cards, CVM, analytics, governance, controls, product launch, digital enablement and portfolio optimization. The role requires a senior strategic advisor and hands on program lead who can manage cross-functional teams, engage C-level stakeholders and ensure delivery of measurable commercial, operational, customer and risk-management outcomes.

TASKS Core Responsibilities and Accountabilities

1. Program Leadership and Governance Lead end-to-end delivery of a complex cards consulting program across multiple workstreams, ensuring alignment to objectives, timelines, budget, quality criteria and benefit realization. Establish governance routines including steering committees, working groups, RAID management, escalation, dependency tracking and executive reporting. Translate strategic priorities into an integrated roadmap with clear milestones, owners and deliverables, while resolving risks, issues and scope changes to maintain execution momentum.
2. Cards Strategy and Portfolio Management Support execution of cards strategy across consumer, corporate and SME segments, with focus on spend growth, activation, retention, engagement, profitability and CVM. Monitor portfolio performance across acquisition quality, activation, spend, attrition, profitability, credit performance, digital adoption and campaign ROI. Ensure recommendations balance customer value, commercial economics, operational feasibility, and risk while adhering to regulatory requirements.
3. Product, Digital and Customer Value Delivery Oversee product launches, CVP enhancements, feature upgrades, pricing changes, loyalty/rewards improvements, campaign execution and portfolio interventions. Design and improve customer and operational journeys across onboarding, servicing, disputes, controls, campaign execution, portfolio monitoring and post-launch management. Drive digital enablement and customer engagement initiatives that improve usage, experience, adoption and performance.
4. Consulting, Analytics and Business Case Development Structure business problems into clear workplans, hypotheses, analytical requirements and decision-ready outputs for senior leadership. Lead market research, benchmarking, customer needs assessment, business cases, revenue projections and cost-benefit analysis. Identify portfolio opportunities, product gaps, customer segments, operational bottlenecks and performance levers, translating insights into executable plans
5. Cross-Functional Execution and Change Management Lead cross-functional teams internally within the client alongside external stakeholders to provide business?focused solutions and recommendations that drive client value. Manage change impacts across people, process, technology, controls and governance, ensuring readiness before launch and adoption after implementation. Support capability building through playbooks, operating routines, training, knowledge transfer and performance management disciplines.
6. Risk, Controls and Stakeholder Management Identify delivery, operational, compliance, financial, technology and customer risks early and maintain effective mitigation actions. Ensure deliverables align with business, technical, control and SAMA regulations. Oversee testing, readiness assessments, go-live planning, issue resolution, stabilization and post-launch performance improvement. Act as a trusted advisor to senior client and Mastercard stakeholders through clear executive updates, steering materials, recommendations, trade-offs and decision support.

Knowledge and Experience 15 20+ years' relevant experience combining consulting, payments/cards, financial services transformation and senior program delivery. Proven ability to lead complex, multi-stakeholder programs from strategy through governance, execution, launch and benefit realization. Strong cards expertise across consumer, corporate and SME segments, including portfolio management, CVM, product launch, digital servicing, analytics and performance optimization. Excellent consulting, analytical and communication skills, including problem structuring, business case development and C-level stakeholder engagement. Demonstrated experience managing cross-functional delivery, risks, dependencies, controls and change across business, technology, operations, risk, compliance and analytics teams. Knowledge of SAMA regulations and regional payments trends. Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree and PMP, PRINCE2, Agile, Scrum or equivalent certification are preferred. Arabic and English proficiency is mandatory.

Desired Candidate Profile

Mandatory requirements: Senior consulting and program leadership experience, including problem structuring, C-level stakeholder management, governance, risk/dependency management, analytics-led decision-making and execution oversight. Knowledge in cards, CVM, product launch, digital banking, and SAMA regulations. English and Arabic proficiency is mandatory.

Knowledge and Experience 15 20+ years' relevant experience combining consulting, payments/cards, financial services transformation and senior program delivery. Proven ability to lead complex, multi-stakeholder programs from strategy through governance, execution, launch and benefit realization. Strong cards expertise across consumer, corporate and SME segments, including portfolio management, CVM, product launch, digital servicing, analytics and performance optimization. Excellent consulting, analytical and communication skills, including problem structuring, business case development and C-level stakeholder engagement. Demonstrated experience managing cross-functional delivery, risks, dependencies, controls and change across business, technology, operations, risk, compliance and analytics teams. Knowledge of SAMA regulations and regional payments trends. Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree and PMP, PRINCE2, Agile, Scrum or equivalent certification are preferred. Arabic and English proficiency is mandatory.