Payments Processing and Acceptance Manager

About The Role:

It's a great time to join us at Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC)! ARC accelerates the growth of global air travel by delivering forward-looking travel data, flexible distribution services and other innovative industry solutions. We are a leading travel intelligence company with the world's largest, most comprehensive global airline ticket dataset, including more than 15 billion passenger flights. By working here, you can contribute to solutions and expertise that strengthen economies and enrich lives.

We think big, embrace challenges and explore new ideas to lead the way for the travel industry.

ARC is looking for an Payments Processing and Acceptance Manager to join our team! In this role, you will lead the development and execution of payment initiatives that impact airline transactions within the travel agency distribution channel. Drive payment solutions that impact acceptance, authorization, settlement, disputes, and payment reconciliation. You will ensure ARC continues to be well positioned to support the future of airline payment processing, with a focus on support for emerging payments and efficient, secure, and cost-effective card payment processing.

You will act as a central payments subject matter expert, to partner cross-functionally with internal stakeholders to define requirements, implement enhancements, and support ongoing payment processing capabilities. You will externally build and maintain strategic relationships with payment networks, acquiring banks, payment processors, airlines, global distribution systems, and travel agencies to align on industry standards, define best practices, resolve issues, and enable the new capabilities required to support the future of payments in the channel.

You will identify opportunities to improve payment acceptance and processing, to reduce transaction costs, and support tools designed to minimize payment fraud and chargebacks. You will lead the evaluation and rollout of new payment solutions that support evolving industry payment trends, including modern airline retailing and agentic commerce. You will have a strong understanding of the airline payments landscape to navigate complex, multi-party ecosystems, and a proactive approach to driving change through collaboration, influence, and technical knowledge.

What You'll Get to Do:

Develop and manage payment-related business relationships across the ecosystem, including card brands, airlines, acquirers, global distribution systems, travel agencies and other strategic partners. Act as a payments subject matter expert to provide both internal and external stakeholders with guidance, insight and support related to payment card acceptance, transaction processing, and industry best practices. Troubleshoot issues, support new initiatives, and ensure compliance with network rules and regulatory requirements.

Lead payment related initiatives that optimize industry payment transaction processing across the travel agency distribution channel. Partner with ARC internal stakeholders to define, prioritize, and implement system changes required to support evolving card brand rules and mandates. Ensure timely and accurate adoption of updates to maintain compliance and minimize disruption to the industry. In a fractured market where multiple entities have different roles in payment acceptance and processing, be the liaison between industry partners.

The goal is to close gaps between payment acceptance, authorization, and settlement which will ultimately reduce card acceptance expense, eliminate technical chargebacks, and avoid card brand non-compliance fees. Evaluate the introduction of new technologies and payments to identify market potential and/or impacts. Initiate and manage the internal changes required to support them. Create comprehensive guides and innovative educational content for ARC's ongoing efforts to educate travel agents and airlines on all topics related to payment in the travel agency distribution channel.

Manage the payment data processed through ARC which includes working with partners in the industry, analyzing payment related data for opportunities for improvement, and updating various input and output specifications used to facilitate the settlement of payments. Monitor and track card brand changes that impact the industry, drive the internal changes required, and work with all external parties to implement applicable changes.

You'll Bring These

Qualifications:

* A minimum of 5 year's experience in the airline payments industry. Experience in the travel agency distribution channel and with an airline enabling modern airline retailing initiatives.

* Bachelor's degree preferred; equivalent experience considered.

* Expertise managing payment acceptance operations and strategy in the airline industry which includes supporting payment systems that enable alternative payment methods.

* Knowledge of card brand rules and regulations

* Experience working with large data sets and specifically…