Strategic Card & Payments Industry Advisor

SUMMARY:
Support the successful delivery of card-related finance, reconciliation, merchant, scheme processing

POSITION INFO:
Role Purpose We are seeking a highly experienced Strategic Card & Payments Industry Advisor to provide specialist expertise and executive-level guidance across Project Card. The role will support the successful delivery of card-related finance, reconciliation, merchant, scheme processing, settlement, billing, revenue assurance and operational control outcomes. The successful candidate will leverage deep card and payments industry experience to challenge programme assumptions, guide solution direction, identify material risks and ensure that Project Card is aligned to leading card and payments practices. This is a senior advisory role requiring strong practical experience across the card ecosystem, including issuing, acquiring, merchant processing, scheme settlement, interchange, billing, reconciliation, finance impacts, operational controls and revenue assurance. Key Responsibilities Strategic Card & Payments Advisory Provide expert guidance across card, payments, acquiring, merchant, scheme and finance-impacting operational structures. Advise executive stakeholders, architecture teams, finance teams, data teams and delivery teams on card industry practices, risks, dependencies and design considerations. Challenge solution designs, processing assumptions and operating model decisions to ensure alignment with card and payments best practice. Support strategic decision-making across Project Card by translating complex card processing, settlement and financial control concepts into clear business and executive-level recommendations. Financial Integrity & Revenue Assurance Support the design and validation of trusted, accurate and auditable card finance outcomes. Provide guidance across card billing, settlement, merchant fees, interchange, revenue share, non-interest revenue, scheme fees and related finance impacts. Identify areas where revenue leakage, incorrect billing, settlement breaks, reconciliation gaps or inaccurate reporting could arise. Ensure appropriate controls are considered across card finance, GL posting, reconciliation, settlement and reporting structures. Reconciliation, Settlement & Operational Control Guide the establishment of robust reconciliation and settlement processes across the card value chain. Assess whether processing flows, finance outcomes and reporting structures align accurately across systems, schemes, merchants, finance and operations. Identify weaknesses in reconciliation logic, control points, exception handling, settlement timing, operational processes and downstream reporting. Provide recommendations to improve operational control, processing accuracy and auditability. Scheme, Merchant & Acquiring Expertise Provide specialist input across card scheme processing, merchant acquiring, settlement, clearing, interchange, scheme billing and related operational processes. Support alignment between merchant processing, scheme rules, acquiring operations, finance structures and reporting requirements. Advise on industry-standard treatment of card transactions, fees, settlements, chargebacks, reversals, adjustments, exceptions and financial postings. Risk Identification & Remediation Guidance Identify material project risks across card processing, finance, reconciliation, settlement, merchant, scheme and reporting structures. Highlight design gaps, control weaknesses, processing exposures and areas of industry misalignment. Recommend corrective actions and sustainable remediation approaches. Support risk-based prioritisation by helping teams understand which issues could materially impact financial integrity, operational stability or regulatory\/control confidence. Executive Enablement & Knowledge Transfer Provide clear, credible and practical insight to senior stakeholders. Enable architecture, finance, delivery, data and operational teams to make better-informed decisions. Transfer knowledge to internal teams to strengthen Nedbank's long-term card, payments, reconciliation and operational control capability. Support executive confidence in the integrity, scalability and sustainability of the Project Card target state. Expected Outcomes Increased executive confidence in the financial and operational integrity of Project Card. Improved accuracy and reconciliation confidence across card-related finance, settlement and reporting structures. Reduced exposure to billing, settlement, revenue assurance, reconciliation and control-related risk. Clear identification and remediation of material gaps across card processing, merchant, scheme, finance and operational control structures. Alignment of Project Card outcomes to leading card and payments industry practices. Successful progression of Project Card toward a scalable, trusted and operationally sound target-state capability. Required Experience 10-15+ years' experience in the card, payments, banking or financial services industry. Deep experience in card issuing and\/or acquiring environments. Strong understanding of card schemes, preferably including Visa and\/or Mastercard processing, clearing, settlement, interchange and scheme billing. Proven experience across merchant processing, acquiring operations, settlement, reconciliation and finance-impacting card processes. Strong understanding of card finance, GL impacts, billing,