Manager, Product, Card

Liberty is seeking a seasoned professional to oversee their Card Acquiring product portfolio in Johannesburg. This leadership role is central to the organisation’s transaction banking division, requiring an individual who can balance high-level strategic vision with the technical intricacies of the payments ecosystem. The successful candidate will act as the primary owner for the entire product lifecycle—from initial conceptualisation and development to final deployment and ongoing market optimisation.

About the role

In this position, you will be responsible for defining the strategic roadmap for card acquiring solutions, ensuring that the offerings remain competitive and relevant in a rapidly evolving financial landscape. You will not only focus on the technical development of these products but also on their commercial success. This involves managing the financial performance of the portfolio, including revenue generation, cost control, and profitability metrics.

The role demands a strong collaborative spirit. You will work closely with engineering, IT, and operations teams to translate complex business requirements into actionable user stories. Furthermore, you will act as a key liaison between the company and external payment schemes such as Visa and Mastercard, while also fostering partnerships with fintech providers and payment aggregators to expand the capabilities of the current product suite.

• **Strategic Direction:** Formulate and execute a comprehensive product vision that drives client growth and market share expansion within the Transaction Banking space.
• **Product Lifecycle Management:** Lead end-to-end product development, ensuring all features meet stringent regulatory standards, fraud risk frameworks, and customer needs.
• **Stakeholder Engagement:** Act as the subject matter expert in internal and external forums, managing relationships with payment schemes and internal support departments to ensure operational stability.
• **Data-Driven Decision Making:** Utilise market intelligence and advanced analytics to monitor performance, assess client satisfaction, and identify opportunities for iterative improvements.
• **Financial Oversight:** Assume full accountability for the portfolio’s financial performance, ensuring that budgeted targets are met and that growth initiatives are effectively executed.

What they're looking for

To be successful in this role, you should possess a deep understanding of the banking environment, specifically within the card acquiring and issuing sectors. The organisation is looking for a candidate who can navigate both the commercial and technical aspects of financial services.

• **Experience:** A minimum of 5–7 years in a banking environment, with at least 3–4 years specifically focused on business management and technical oversight (e.g., API architecture, SDLC methodologies, and system enhancements).
• **Expertise:** Solid experience in Product Management, ideally within the Transaction Banking or payments space, along with a firm grasp of scheme relationships.
• **Education:** A relevant first degree in Business or Commerce.
• **Skills:** A proven ability to interpret complex data, document facts, and communicate technical requirements to non-technical stakeholders.

For candidates operating in the South African financial sector, a role of this seniority typically commands a competitive remuneration package, often reflecting the specialised nature of payment product management. This position represents a significant career step for those looking to influence digital transformation in banking. Growth paths from this role often lead into senior executive positions within Transaction Banking, product strategy, or digital innovation divisions, where deep subject matter expertise in payments remains one of the most sought-after skill sets in the South African market.

Type of Qualification: First Degree
Field of Study: Business Commerce

Experience Required

• Must have card acquiring and issuing experience
• Good understanding scheme relationship
• 5-7yrs Banking environment exprience 

Product Management
Transaction Banking
1-2 years
Apply business management knowledge and expertise, in being accountable for department and team performance, within the parameters of relevant policies, processes and procedures, across various and multiple facets of driving operations inline with strategy.

3-4 years
Consume and comprehend general IT / technology applications and aspects, such as architecture diagrams, API and SRE, utilising data, analytics, research and development to oversee and drive system and software enhancements, stand their ground with technology and system experts, in order to ensure and drive IT Life Cylce management related to process engineering product offerings across the African continent and the Group.

3-4 years
In depth knowledge of the client solutions on offer by the bank, integrating with digitisation and continuous improvement methods and offering, being able to translate Business Strategies, scope, develop and implement operational plans and targets, driving deliverables to enhance client experience and offerings by the Bank.