Card Compliance Officer

Job Title: Card Compliance Officer

Location: Muscat, Oman

Term: 6-12 months

Reports to: Head of Card Services

Department: Card Services

Job Purpose:

The Card Compliance Officer is responsible for ensuring end‑to‑end compliance with clients card payment scheme and regulatory requirements. The role also leads and manages card compliance–related projects, ensuring timely delivery of scheme and regulatory initiatives while minimizing compliance, operational, and financial risk.

Key Responsibilities

Card Scheme Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with client operating regulations, manuals, and compliance programs.
• Monitor scheme bulletins, mandates, and rule changes; assess business impact and drive implementation.
• Act as the primary liaison with client on compliance matters, audits, and investigations.
• Manage responses to scheme audits, inquiries, and compliance monitoring programs.

• Ensure card products, processes, and operations comply with clients regulations, circulars, and directives.
• Support internal and external regulatory audits, inspections, and examinations relating to card business.
• Track regulatory changes and coordinate timely implementation across all relevant stakeholders.

• Lead and manage card compliance projects arising from scheme mandates, regulatory requirements, audits, or strategic initiatives.
• Develop project plans, timelines, and deliverables for compliance initiatives; track progress and report status to management.
• Coordinate cross‑functional teams (Operations, IT, Risk, Legal, Compliance, Vendors, Processors) to ensure successful execution.
• Ensure compliance projects are delivered on time, within scope, and with minimal business disruption.
• Oversee post‑implementation validation to confirm compliance objectives are met.
• Identify, assess, and remediate card compliance breaches and operational issues.
• Perform root cause analysis and drive corrective and preventive action plans.
• Support enterprise risk assessments related to card issuing and acquiring activities.
• Manage and validate clients fees, assessments, fines, and penalties.
• Investigate and resolve fee discrepancies and compliance-related charges with schemes.
• Support cost monitoring, forecasting, and optimization initiatives for scheme-related fees.
• Prepare and present compliance dashboards, project updates, and management reports.
• Maintain compliance documentation, evidence repositories, and audit trails.
• Support governance forums and management committees with compliance and project status updates.
• Provide compliance advisory support to business and product teams during new initiatives, enhancements, and changes.
• Engage with vendors, processors, and internal teams to ensure contractual and operational compliance.
• Conduct awareness sessions and trainings on card scheme and regulatory compliance requirements.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong knowledge of Visa operating regulations
• Working knowledge of CBO regulatory requirements for payment cards
• Proven project management skills in a compliance or payments environment
• Strong analytical, reporting, and issue‑resolution capabilities
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
• High attention to detail and ability to work under regulatory deadlines

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Banking, Law, or a related discipline
• 10–15 years of experience in card services, payments, compliance, or operations
• Hands‑on experience managing card scheme mandates and compliance projects
• Experience supporting regulatory audits and scheme assessments
• Professional certifications in payments, compliance, or project management are an advantage

Preferred Experience

• Exposure to both card issuing and acquiring environments
• Experience managing large‑scale scheme or regulatory remediation programs
• Familiarity with scheme fees/charges, chargeback monitoring programs, scheme risk programs, Settlement, Reconciliation and compliance reporting tools