Acquiring Manager

Job Purpose

The Acquiring Manager is responsible for driving the growth of the Bank’s merchant acquiring business by acquiring new merchants, managing the end-to-end merchant lifecycle, and optimizing revenue across POS and e-commerce channels. The role ensures delivery of secure, seamless payment acceptance solutions while developing strategies, partnerships, and products that strengthen the Bank’s competitive position in digital payments.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy Development & Business Growth

• Develop and execute the Bank’s merchant acquiring strategy (POS & e-commerce).
• Create and enhance the product roadmap and value propositions.
• Conduct continuous market and competitive analysis to identify trends and opportunities.
• Pursue new partnerships, channels, and business opportunities to drive portfolio expansion.

Merchant Lifecycle & Revenue Management

• Manage the end-to-end merchant lifecycle, including digital solutions deployment.
• Prospect, acquire, and grow key merchant accounts.
• Drive acquiring revenue through optimized pricing, fee structures, and transaction performance.
• Ensure merchant contracts and pricing comply with Bank policies.
• Improve merchant conversions, optimize e-commerce experiences, and enhance affiliate distribution.

Operations, Risk & Governance

• Collaborate with IT, Risk, Compliance, Finance, and vendors to ensure secure and compliant merchant experiences.
• Lead user testing (UAT), quality assurance, and solution validation for new initiatives.
• Provide expert advisory on e-commerce platforms, digital payments, and acquiring technologies.

Stakeholder Engagement & Enablement

• Work closely with business units and product teams to deliver digital collection and payment solutions.
• Build strong value-based relationships with merchants and partners.
• Deliver training, product awareness, and support to internal and external stakeholders.

The Person (Qualifications & Experience)

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Information Technology, Operations Management, or a related field.
• 3–5 years of progressive experience in product development and product management within a banking, payments, or financial services environment.
• At least 3 years’ hands-on experience across Payments, Digital Banking, Cash Management, or Ecosystem Banking.
• Proven experience managing card products (credit, debit, and/or prepaid) within a regulated financial institution.
• Strong understanding of digital payment services, card products, emerging payment technologies, API integrations, and payment processing ecosystems.
• Solid knowledge of card payment lifecycles, card schemes, merchant acquiring, and end-to-end payment operations.
• Sound working knowledge of the Banking Act and Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) prudential guidelines.
• Demonstrated ability to understand merchant and customer needs and translate market and industry trends into commercially viable product solutions.
• Strong execution, analytical, and problem-solving skills with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build effective relationships across all organizational levels.
• Proven people management capability, including team leadership, coaching, motivation, and performance management.
• Results-oriented mindset with the ability to manage multiple initiatives concurrently while balancing operational, regulatory, and risk considerations.

Key Competencies and Attributes

• High levels of professionalism and professional development.
• Excellent people management skills, team motivation and leadership competence.
• Candidate should be able to work regionally.
• Good negotiation and listening skills.
• Pleasant and able to relate well in diverse social setups and teams.
• Upholds high standard of Professionalism, integrity and respect for others.