Director, Card Acquiring & Processing Operations – UK & EU

About PayPal

For over 25 years, PayPal has transformed global commerce by creating innovative, secure, and personalized payment experiences. Serving consumers and businesses across approximately 200 markets, PayPal facilitates online and in-person transactions, offering proprietary payment solutions that enable seamless commerce for merchants and customers alike.

Our platform provides users flexibility in purchasing, receiving payments, and fund transfers through various funding sources, including bank accounts, PayPal and Venmo balances, branded credit products, cards, cryptocurrencies, and stored value items. Additionally, our services simplify peer-to-peer money transfers and furnish merchants with end-to-end payment processing capabilities, risk management, and cross-border commerce support. Our commitment to inclusion, innovation, collaboration, and wellness underpins our values-driven business culture.

Role Overview

The Director, Card Acquiring & Processing Operations for the UK and EU region leads the framework establishing and maintaining operations for PayPal’s European card acquiring portfolio encompassing both direct and third-party acquiring and processing channels. This senior individual contributor role provides oversight on operational performance, governance, resilience, and economic outcomes across authorization, routing, settlement, dispute management, and compliance with card schemes such as Visa and Mastercard.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategic partnership initiatives aligned with business growth and innovation objectives.
• Build and sustain executive-level relationships with banks, payment networks, and industry stakeholders.
• Drive expansion into new markets and segments, identifying growth opportunities across geographies.
• Lead complex negotiations securing beneficial partnerships and contractual agreements.
• Ensure alignment of partnership strategies with company priorities by collaborating with senior leadership.
• Represent PayPal at significant industry forums to enhance brand leadership and presence.
• Oversee partnership implementation ensuring timely and effective attainment of goals.
• Manage cross-functional coordination with product, marketing, legal, engineering, risk, compliance, and finance teams to execute partnership plans.
• Proactively monitor regulatory changes and competitive landscape to anticipate risks and adapt strategies.
• Evaluate partnership impacts on long-term revenue growth and market positioning.
• Establish operational frameworks and standards for card acquiring and processing operations across UK and EU.
• Define and uphold governance models covering authorization, routing, clearing, settlement, and dispute resolution processes.
• Maintain rigorous oversight of operational health, resilience, and financial outcomes of multiple acquiring models.
• Ensure strict compliance with Visa, Mastercard, and domestic schemes and readiness for audits and regulatory reviews.
• Foster accountability and discipline across internal teams and third-party providers.
• Translate operational insights into prioritized structural improvements.
• Assess performance and resilience of acquiring models recommending optimizations to balance cost, risk, and efficiency.
• Provide executives with clear visibility into portfolio health, risks, and trends.

Qualifications and Experience

• At least 12 years experience related to card acquiring, payment processing, or scheme operations.
• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent mix of education and professional experience.
• Proven expertise in direct and third-party acquiring and processing ecosystems.
• Strong working knowledge of authorization, clearing, settlement, and dispute workflows for Visa and Mastercard.
• Successful track record driving operational improvements in multi-processor/acquirer environments.
• Experience working in large, matrixed organizational settings.
• Excellent analytical and commercial skills connecting operational metrics with financial outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and external partners effectively.
• Robust, methodical approach to operational governance and performance management.

Additional Information

No travel is required for this role. PayPal follows a balanced hybrid work approach with three days in office and two remote days for most employees; however, this role is onsite in Dublin. PayPal is committed to equal employment opportunity and diversity, providing accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. The company does not charge candidates any fees during the recruitment process and warns against fraudulent offers.

Benefits

PayPal offers a comprehensive benefits package promoting well-being across physical, emotional, and financial aspects. Employees enjoy flexible work cultures, generous paid time off, healthcare coverage for employees and families, and mental health support resources. The organization nurtures an inclusive and welcoming work environment where diversity is valued and employees feel a true sense of belonging.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

PayPal provides equal opportunity employment regardless of any legally protected characteristics and strives to create workplaces where all employees feel accepted, valued, and supported in delivering their best work.