Head of Operations – SEA Payments & Card Services

About the role

We are seeking a senior leader to head our Operations across Southeast Asia, overseeing Card Operations, Customer Service, Payment, Compliance and Treasury functions in Singapore and Malaysia. Reporting to the Group COO, you will manage a 30‑plus person team and drive strategic transformation.

Key responsibilities

• Define and execute SEA operations strategy for card issuing, acquiring, stablecoin payments and DPT services.
• Build a lean, AI‑augmented organisation that scales efficiently.
• Represent Operations in board, investor and regulator engagements.
• Own end‑to‑end card programme lifecycle (Corporate, Individual, B2B2C), including Visa/Mastercard issuing, BIN management, scheme compliance and certification.
• Lead card authorisation monitoring, fraud rule configuration, chargeback management and reconciliation.
• Drive multi‑tier Customer Service operations, set SLAs, manage vendor and internal teams, and implement AI‑powered automation.
• Oversee Payment, Compliance and Treasury operations, ensuring regulatory adherence and operational excellence.
• Partner with Product to shape the card platform roadmap and translate business requirements into functional specifications.

Required profile

• Proven senior operations leadership experience in payments or card issuing, with hands‑on expertise in card programme management.
• Track record of building and scaling high‑performing teams across multiple markets.
• Strong analytical mindset and ability to influence C‑level stakeholders.
• Experience with regulatory and compliance frameworks in the financial services sector.

Required skills

• Visa and Mastercard issuing operations
• BIN management and scheme compliance
• 3DS authentication, fraud detection and chargeback handling
• AI/automation tools for Customer Service
• Operational KPI definition and reporting