Cards Portfolio Specialist – 12 month contract in Nairobi

About the role

The Cards Portfolio Specialist will lead the growth and optimisation of our card business in Kenya. Reporting to the CEO/Head of Cards, you will manage the full portfolio, drive acquisition initiatives and ensure the card products meet market and regulatory expectations.

Key responsibilities

• Own P&L for the card portfolio, monitoring revenue, costs and profit on a monthly and quarterly basis.
• Design and execute sales and marketing campaigns in partnership with channel, marketing and IT teams to accelerate customer acquisition.
• Track portfolio health metrics such as transaction approval rates, spend growth, credit‑limit utilisation and pricing, and act to correct negative trends.
• Identify data‑driven optimisation opportunities and manage scheme‑cost compliance.
• Establish fraud, operations and sales processes, collaborating with cross‑functional teams.
• Develop business cases, coordinate campaign execution and troubleshoot issues.
• Partner with Mastercard and internal stakeholders to launch new products, including tokenisation and virtual cards.
• Monitor customer experience issues related to declines, fraud, chargebacks and technical problems.

Required profile

• 10‑15 years of experience in card payments, commercial cards or card operations.
• Proven track record in card product development and business growth within retail banking.
• Strong analytical, communication and stakeholder‑management abilities.
• Experience managing end‑to‑end card product launches or revamps independently.

Required skills

• Data analysis
• Knowledge of card payment schemes, tokenisation and virtual card technology
• Understanding of fraud prevention and compliance in card operations