Authorization Optimization Lead (Digital Payments)

Job Title: Authorization Optimization Lead (Digital Payments)

Employment type: Contract (On-site)

Contract length: 6 months

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT

We are seeking an experienced Payments & Authorization Optimization Lead to support a strategic card authorization improvement program within a leading African banking group. As an embedded resource, you will work across business, operations, fraud, risk, technology, and payments teams to improve approval rates, reduce avoidable declines, unlock payment volume growth, and support measurable business outcomes.

Core Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

• Lead day-to-day coordination of the Authorization Optimization Program.
• Drive implementation of authorization improvement initiatives across issuing portfolios.
• Coordinate stakeholders across payments, fraud, risk, operations, technology, and business teams.
• Facilitate workshops, governance forums, and executive updates.
• Track actions, risks, dependencies, milestones, and delivery progress.
• Support benefits realization and performance measurement.
• Document processes, recommendations, decisions, and implementation outcomes.

Knowledge and Experience:

• 6 - 10 years of professional experience in payments, cards, banking, fintech, or financial services.
• Strong knowledge of card issuing, card processing, acquiring, digital payments, and scheme management.
• Experience in authorization management and optimisation, fraud operations, risk management, cross-border and card-not-present (CNP) payments.
• Skilled in program and project management, PMO governance, change management and benefits realisation.
• Expertise in business analysis, stakeholder management, workshop facilitation, and executive communication.
• Strong capabilities in process improvement, data interpretation, insight generation and payments industry knowledge.
• Experience managing complex programs, projects, or transformation initiatives.
• Strong stakeholder management, delivery, and execution experience.

Mandatory Skills:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field (Master's preferred).
• Previous experience within Banking, Digital Payment & Card solutions, or the FinTech industry.
• Regional experience, including working in a faced-paced matrix organisation.
• Excellent communication skills in English (written, verbal, and presentation).

Preferred Skills:

• The ability to analyse data, troubleshoot payment issues, optimize processes, and make data-driven decisions.
• Good understanding of payment systems, digital platforms, system workflows, security basics, and industry technologies.
• An understanding of regional regulations across financial services or payment networks.