Head - Acquiring Business

Our client is a leading UAE-based technology and financial services group, building one of the regions most comprehensive digital ecosystems across communication, payments, commerce, and lifestyle services. The group is rapidly expanding its fintech and acquiring capabilities, integrating physical and digital acceptance infrastructure to serve both consumers and merchants at scale.

They are seeking a Vice President - Merchant Acquiring Business who will be responsible for leading the strategy, growth, and operations of the merchant acquiring vertical. This role will oversee business development, product innovation, partnerships, and end-to-end merchant lifecycle management - driving transaction growth, merchant satisfaction, and profitability.

This is a key leadership role that will work closely with the SVP - Acquiring Business, Payments Product, and Technology teams to position the company as a leading acquirer and payment acceptance partner in the GCC.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Define and execute the merchant acquiring strategy aligned with overall acquiring business objectives.
• Drive P&L ownership for merchant acquiring - covering POS, e-commerce, and omnichannel payment solutions.
• Identify and prioritize high-value industry segments and merchants across retail, hospitality, logistics, and digital commerce.
• Support the SVP in developing long-term roadmaps for acquiring expansion, profitability, and market share growth.

Business Development & Partnerships

• Build and lead merchant sales and partnership teams across sectors and channels.
• Develop partnerships with banks, fintechs, PSPs, and card schemes to enhance product reach and economics.
• Drive merchant onboarding and retention programs supported by strong relationship management and analytics.

Product & Operations

• Work with Product, Engineering, and Risk to launch new payment acceptance solutions -including softPOS, payment links, and APIs.
• Oversee merchant operations, including KYC, risk management, settlements, and dispute resolution.
• Enhance operational efficiency through automation, digital onboarding, and robust service governance.

Financial Management & Governance

• Own the revenue and cost model for merchant acquiring and ensure healthy unit economics.
• Monitor performance metrics - volume growth, attrition, margin, uptime, and SLA compliance.
• Ensure adherence to regulatory, PCI DSS, AML, and scheme compliance requirements.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Lead a high-performing team of key account managers, business development and partnership professionals.
• Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders across product, risk, finance, and compliance.
• Represent the merchant acquiring business in industry and partner forums.

Key Requirements

• 15 - 18 years of experience in merchant acquiring, payments, or card business, with at least 5 years in a leadership or P&L role.
• Proven track record in scaling acquiring portfolios, launching new products, and managing multi-channel payment ecosystems.
• Strong understanding of card scheme operations, merchant pricing models, interchange optimization, and settlement processes.
• Demonstrated success in leading teams, building partnerships, and delivering on commercial targets.
• Strategic mindset with hands-on capability to manage execution in a dynamic, fast-growing environment.
• Bachelors degree in Business, Finance, or Technology; MBA preferred.