Card Compliance Officer

Job Title: Card Compliance Officer

Location: Muscat, Oman

Term: 6-12 months

Reports to: Head of Card Services

Department: Card Services

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.

• 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.

• 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

• 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

• 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