Cards Technical Implementation Lead

About NeoStats Analytics

NeoStats is a forward-thinking data and analytics company delivering cutting-edge solutions that empower clients to become world-class, data-driven enterprises. Founded in 2022 and headquartered in the UAE with offices in India and the UK, the firm is staffed by industry veterans committed to transformative end-to-end analytics services through expert partnerships.

About the Role

This role entails leading the technical implementation and operational launch of a Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) platform’s consumer credit cards, wallet-linked prepaid cards, and commercial card products specifically for the Saudi Arabian (KSA) market. The work involves integrating with principal membership processors, coordinating BIN and ICA assignments, achieving scheme certifications, and managing physical and digital card issuance. It represents a unique chance to spearhead a greenfield card program in an emerging fintech environment impacting millions.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end technical project lifecycle for credit, wallet-linked, and commercial card initiatives in KSA, creating and managing detailed plans encompassing BIN setup, ICA procedures, CMS integration, processor connections, and payment scheme certifications, with a target of at least 90% on-time milestone achievement.
• Facilitate principal membership enablement by handling ICA assignments, membership documentation, and preparing regulatory submissions to SAMA, ensuring operational membership activation within eight weeks.
• Supervise card production processes, including design, personalisation, fulfilment, and digital issuance, ensuring seamless integration with NI processing platform personalization bureaus per scheme guidelines.
• Manage digital wallet and tokenisation deployments (Apple Pay, Google Pay, xPay), including MDES configuration, tokenisation services rollout to production, 3DS setups, and thorough validation of digital provisioning flows.
• Coordinate scheme certification and quality assurance efforts through MIP testing, parameter workbook preparation, configuration packaging, SIT/UAT, performance checks, and security verifications, aiming to resolve all critical defects before launch.
• Oversee authorisation, authentication, and dispute management configurations, ensuring readiness for post-production operations, incident management, stabilization phases, and detailed knowledge transfer to business-as-usual teams.
• Communicate and synchronize activities among processors, personalization bureaus, and client teams in product, technology, and compliance through workshops, solution design discussions, and regular governance meetings, providing status reports and steering committee updates.

Requirements

• Extensive hands-on experience implementing and delivering consumer and commercial card programs, including credit and prepaid wallet cards.
• Proven expertise in principal membership setup and ICA enablement with leading card schemes.
• Direct experience integrating with tier-1 issuer processors.
• Familiarity with SAMA's regulatory standards for card issuance and consumer finance licensing.
• Fluency in English with immediate availability or maximum 30-day notice period.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related disciplines.
• Over ten years of experience in payments technology, card issuing and processing, and technical program management.
• Demonstrated success in launching card products—credit, wallet/prepaid, commercial—in multiple regions, ideally GCC/MENA.
• In-depth knowledge of card management systems such as PowerCARD, Way4, VisionPLUS, Cortex, or Prime, and full card lifecycle understanding including issuance, authorisation, clearing, settlement, and disputes.
• Technical skills including ISO 8583/20022 messaging, BIN management, personalisation, tokenisation (MDES/VTS), 3DS authentication, and digital payments (Apple Pay, Google Pay).
• Understanding of PCI-DSS compliance and card issuance security standards.
• API-centric integration experience, testing and certification environments, and cloud-native architectures.
• Knowledge of payment products, CIS processes, scheme regulations, and SAMA framework. Familiarity with Shariah-compliant financial products is advantageous.
• Experience in fintech or BNPL sectors and greenfield card program launches preferred.
• Proficiency with project management and testing platforms such as JIRA, Confluence, MS Project, Payment MIP, and tools like Postman and SoapUI.

Mandatory Skills

• Comprehensive knowledge of end-to-end card technical implementation and productionisation for credit, wallet, and commercial programs.
• Expertise in BIN setup, ICA assignment, and payment scheme certification processes.
• Processor integration capabilities.
• Experience with digital wallet and tokenisation technologies (MDES, xPay).
• Fluent English communication skills; Arabic is a plus but not essential.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certifications such as PMP, PRINCE2, or comparable project management qualifications.
• Payment Certified Associate or Professional certifications in Dispute Resolution or Fraud Management.
• Arabic language proficiency.

What NeoStats Offers

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunity to grow within a dynamic and expanding startup environment.
• Ownership and accountability for individual initiatives and responsibilities.
• Continuous mentoring and collaboration with senior data scientists and AI specialists globally.
• Respectful and vibrant workplace culture valuing employee contributions.