Head of Operations

Role summary

This is a senior operations leadership position for an experienced builder of payment operations. The role calls for someone who has led teams across multiple markets, grown functions from the ground up, and understands how to move an operation beyond day-to-day execution into real transformation. You will oversee Card Operations, Customer Service, Payment Operations, Compliance Operations, and Treasury Operations across Southeast Asia, report to the Group COO, and lead an organisation of more than 30 people across Singapore and Malaysia.

Strategic leadership

• Shape and deliver the operations strategy for Southeast Asia across card issuing, acquiring, stablecoin payments, and DPT services.
• Design a lean, specialist, AI-enabled operating model that can expand without requiring headcount to grow at the same pace.
• Work closely with the COO and senior leadership team on operating frameworks and cross-functional initiatives.
• Represent the operations function in board updates, investor conversations, and regulatory meetings.

Card operations

This is the core focus area and requires genuine hands-on experience. The leader should have personally managed card programme operations and be comfortable stepping in on audits, reconciliation breaks, or workflow redesign when needed.

• Take ownership of card issuing programmes for corporate, individual, and B2B2C card products, covering the full lifecycle from application to closure and ensuring scheme standards are met throughout.
• Run Visa and Mastercard issuing operations end-to-end, including BIN administration, scheme compliance, mandate oversight, and certification cycles.
• Oversee authorisation monitoring, 3DS optimisation, fraud rules, and chargeback handling from start to finish.
• Set and enforce service-level expectations for card programmes, maintaining the same standards across the team.
• Manage card reconciliation activities and ensure all exceptions are closed within the required timelines.
• Partner with the internal Product team on the card platform roadmap, write business requirements, and confirm that delivered solutions work reliably in production.

Customer service

Customer service is a key measure of whether operations are truly functioning well. The role requires someone who has built scaled support operations and can identify process gaps, coaching needs, and vendor performance issues from complaint patterns.

• Lead multi-level customer service operations across L1, L2, and L3 support for inbound and outbound interactions, serving both customers and merchants.
• Own customer service SLAs and establish live reporting mechanisms to monitor performance.
• Manage both vendor teams and internal specialists so that quality, training, and compliance remain consistent.
• Drive AI-led customer service improvements such as chatbots, L1 automation, and smarter routing, with success measured through deflection and CSAT.
• Create escalation processes, knowledge systems, and training programmes so service quality does not depend on individual shifts or staff.
• Use complaint trends to trigger structural improvements in Product and Operations.

Payment, compliance, and treasury operations

In addition to card operations and customer service, the role carries full accountability for three other operational areas.

• For payment operations, manage merchant acquiring end-to-end, including processing, Visa/Mastercard/WeChat Pay/Alipay scheme operations, reconciliation, settlement, and chargeback handling.
• For compliance operations, supervise customer onboarding, KYC/KYB execution, and periodic review processes while maintaining a clear separation from second-line Compliance.
• For treasury operations, oversee pay-in and pay-out flows, fund monitoring, and daily reconciliation, ensuring exceptions are addressed promptly.

People and organisation

• Directly lead the functional heads across all five operations areas.
• Own workforce planning, capacity modelling, and allocation of resources.
• Run structured performance management, including OKRs, reviews, feedback, promotion decisions, and PIP outcomes.
• Develop talent pipelines for card issuing and customer service, manage succession planning, and reduce dependency on single individuals.
• Coordinate multiple L1/L2 customer service and operations teams provided by vendors and partners.
• Drive talent strategy by hiring specialised payment operations talent, upskilling current team members, and making decisions on attrition and replacement.
• Build a strong shared culture across Singapore and Kuala Lumpur through regular on-site presence.

Transformation, collaboration, and risk

• Lead the operations side of the company’s AI-first transformation by identifying automation opportunities, preparing BRDs/PRDs, and managing the people and change aspects of rollout.
• Work with Compliance, Finance, Product, Tech, and IT Governance on shared workflows, digitisation plans, and regulatory operations.
• Own first-line risk management and ensure operations comply with MAS MPI requirements, Visa/Mastercard scheme rules, and PCI DSS controls.
• Lead the operations response for audits and regulatory examinations, keeping SOPs, supporting evidence, and documentation continuously audit-ready.

Experience and background

• At least 8 years of leadership experience in payments, card issuing, or regulated financial services, including a minimum of 3 years in senior management.
• Prior experience at a licensed payment institution, e-money issuer, acquiring bank, or a major bank’s cards/payments division, with direct exposure to MAS, BNM, or similar regulators.
• Strong practical card operations expertise, including Visa/Mastercard programme management, card lifecycle handling, fraud and 3DS, disputes, chargebacks, and reconciliation.
• Proven ability to build and run large customer service operations, ideally with 100+ agents or equivalent vendor capacity, including multi-tier design, AI transformation, and complaint management.
• Experience in at least one of these areas: merchant acquiring, KYC/KYB onboarding, or treasury/funds operations.
• Track record of leading multi-location teams of 30 or more across Southeast Asia is highly preferred.

Technical knowledge

• Strong understanding of card scheme environments, including Visa/Mastercard rules, BIN management, ISO 8583, authorisation flows, 3DS, disputes, interchange, and settlement.
• Good working knowledge of MAS PSA (MPI), PCI DSS, AML/CFT, and related scheme compliance obligations.
• Exposure to stablecoin payments, DPT operations, and AI-native payment infrastructure would be an advantage.

Leadership and working style

• Demonstrated success in building and developing high-performing operations teams across Southeast Asia.
• A disciplined approach to performance management, including handling underperformance and promotions clearly and fairly.
• Strategic mindset with the ability to define a 3-year operations direction and translate it into quarterly execution plans.
• Excellent English communication skills; Mandarin is considered a strong advantage given the bilingual working environment and regional scope.

Location and reporting

The role is based in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore, with regular travel between both locations. It reports directly to the Group COO, and the role includes direct management of the Card Ops, CS, Payment Ops, Compliance Ops, and Treasury Ops leads, along with matrix oversight of vendor and partner operations teams.