Executive Advisor – Card & Payments Strategy (12-Month Contract) at DeARX Services (Pty) Ltd

• We are seeking a highly experienced Executive Advisor – Card & Payments Strategy to provide strategic card and payments industry expertise in support of a major Project Card transformation programme within a leading bank.
• The successful candidate will leverage deep industry, scheme, acquiring, settlement, and card finance experience to guide programme direction, challenge design and processing assumptions, identify material risks and gaps, and ensure alignment with leading card and payments practices throughout the programme lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Industry Advisory

• Provide executive-level guidance across card, payments, acquiring, settlement, scheme processing, and finance-impacting operational structures.

Financial Integrity & Revenue Assurance

• Support trusted, accurate, and auditable outcomes across card finance, reconciliation, billing, settlement, interchange, NIR, and revenue share processes.

Solution Oversight & Control Assurance

• Challenge and guide solution direction to ensure appropriate controls, reconciliation integrity, operational accuracy, and alignment between finance, processing, and reporting outcomes.

Risk Identification & Remediation Guidance

• Identify material risks, control weaknesses, processing gaps, reconciliation exposures, and industry misalignment, and provide recommendations for sustainable remediation.

Executive Enablement & Knowledge Transfer

• Provide specialist guidance and industry insight to executive stakeholders, architecture, finance, data, and delivery teams.

Minimum Requirements

• 10+ years' senior experience within the card and payments industry
• Deep expertise across card issuing, acquiring, settlement, and scheme processing
• Strong understanding of interchange, NIR, revenue share, billing, and reconciliation processes
• Proven experience advising executive stakeholders on complex card transformation initiatives
• Demonstrated knowledge of financial controls, operational risk, and revenue assurance within card environments
• Ability to challenge solution design and processing assumptions using industry best practice
• Banking or financial services experience is essential

Highly Advantageous

• Experience with large-scale card modernisation or replacement programmes
• Exposure to Visa, Mastercard, or equivalent scheme operating models
• Background in card finance, settlement operations, or reconciliation leadership
• Executive-level stakeholder management within a banking environment

Expected Outcomes

• Increased executive confidence in Project Card financial and operational integrity
• Improved accuracy and reconciliation confidence across card-related finance and reporting structures
• Reduced exposure to billing, settlement, revenue assurance, and control-related risk
• Alignment of Project Card outcomes to industry-standard card and payments practices
• Successful progression of Project Card toward a scalable, trusted, and operationally sound target-state capability