Cards Portfolio Manager

Job Title: Cards Portfolio Manager

Term: 12 months (renewable)

Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (onsite)

Division: Cards Retail Banking

Reports to: TBC

PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT

As the Cards Portfolio Manager, the role involves strategic management of client relationships, ensuring high levels of satisfaction and engagement, and driving revenue growth through tailored portfolio management initiatives. The ideal candidate will possess strategic advisory and execution support for cards portfolio optimisation initiatives spanning across key KPIs like ENR, spend, authorisation etc. to drive growth in card activation, customer engagement, utilisation, balance build through strategic planning, campaign execution, and portfolio optimisation leveraging data analytics, merchant partnerships and other lifecycle management tools.

Core Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

• Develop and maintain strong, long-term relationships with senior stakeholders
• Conduct regular business reviews and strategy sessions with clients to identify opportunities for growth and improvement
• Analyse portfolio trends and develop strategies to improve activation, usage and retention
• Optimise portfolio performance through segmentation, targeting, and offer personalisation. Provide execution support for campaign rollout, tracking, and reporting
• Support the initiatives related to customer engagement & balance build. This includes end to end management of campaigns across channels to grow spends and balances
• Collaborate with MIS teams to improve existing reports and develop new set of reports; prepare and present regular reports and presentations to senior management and clients
• Support in launching new products and improve existing by tracking products like profitability and acquisition through different channels

Knowledge and Experience:

• 8 -10 years in banking, payments, or consulting with a focus on credit card portfolio optimisation, digital engagement, card product management (regional experience preferred).
• Proven track record of managing and growing large client portfolios
• Strong understanding of payment systems, financial products, and banking operations
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to analyse complex data and develop strategic solutions.

Mandatory Skills:

• Deep knowledge of the full card lifecycle: acquisition, activation, usage/spend, retention/attrition, and exit/closure xx
• Managing a portfolio of card products: assessing health, forecasting performance, diagnosing issues, and guiding strategic adjustments
• Good understanding of how card portfolios contribute to issuer/acquirer P&L, margins, growth, risk trade-offs, and how to optimise for both growth and profitability
• Presenting to senior management, aligning multiple teams around priorities, managing third-party vendors or consultants when needed

Preferred Skills:

• Bachelors degree in Business Administration, Finance, or a related field
• Masters degree or relevant professional certifications (e.g., PMP, CFA)
• Knowledge of Cards P&L, Revenue, Loyalty programs, and campaign management will be a big plus
• Fluency in English and Arabic