Head of Merchant Acquiring & Digital Payments

About the role

This is a Director-level position leading the bank's merchant acquiring and digital payments business in Doha, Qatar. The role drives growth in merchant acquisition, transaction volumes and fee-based income, delivers innovative payment solutions and keeps operations compliant and secure.

Key responsibilities

• Define and execute the strategy for merchant acquiring, cards and digital payment products (POS, e-commerce, mobile wallets, QR, SoftPOS/Tap on Phone).
• Own the Acquiring P&L, including annual business plans, budgets, targets and cost control.
• Acquire, retain and grow key merchant accounts across hospitality, retail, healthcare and travel.
• Build relationships with card schemes (Visa, Mastercard, UPI, Amex) and payment partners.
• Oversee payment gateway operations, merchant servicing, transaction processing and fraud management.
• Lead product development for credit, debit, loyalty, rewards and co-brand cards.
• Negotiate partnership agreements with banks, financial institutions and technology providers.
• Lead delivery of new solutions such as contactless, mobile and digital wallets, MPOS, DCC and 3DS/secure e-commerce.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, scheme rules and PCI-DSS standards.
• Monitor KPIs, market share and competitor activity and report to senior management and the C-level.
• Lead, coach and develop the acquiring, sales and operations teams.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Management, Information Systems, Finance or a related field (MBA preferred).
• 15+ years in banking or payments, with 5+ years in a senior leadership role.
• Proven experience in merchant acquiring.
• Strong knowledge of scheme regulations, fraud and risk management, and the GCC/Qatar payments landscape.

Required skills

• Hands-on experience with POS, payment gateways (e.g. MPGS) and digital wallet and QR solutions.
• Strategic planning, P&L management, negotiation, business development and team leadership.
• Data analysis, budgeting and forecasting.
• Fluent English and Arabic.