DFS Manager – Card Acquiring

KCB is seeking an experienced professional for the position of DFS Manager – Card Acquiring. The role will be responsible for driving the growth, profitability and performance of the Bank’s merchant acquiring business across POS, card acquiring, e-commerce acquiring, KCB Lipa, QR payments and other digital payment solutions.

The successful candidate will manage merchant acquisition, onboarding, activation and retention while developing relationships with merchants, fintechs, aggregators, payment service providers and other strategic partners. The role will also contribute to digital payments innovation, international money transfers, operational efficiency, risk management and the overall expansion of KCB’s digital payments ecosystem.

Responsibilities

Business Growth

• Execute the Bank’s merchant acquiring strategy to achieve business growth, revenue and profitability targets.

• Expand acquiring channels, including:

  

  • POS

  • Card acquiring

    

  • E-commerce acquiring

  • KCB Lipa

    

  • QR payments

  • Other digital payment solutions

    

• Identify new market opportunities and customer segments.

• Develop strategic partnerships that increase transaction volumes and merchant penetration.

• Contribute to the Bank’s digital payments and digital transformation strategies.

• Support merchant acquisition, onboarding, activation and retention initiatives.

• Build and maintain relationships with merchants, aggregators, fintechs and payment service providers.

• Manage the merchant portfolio to increase active merchants, transaction volumes and revenue.

• Monitor merchant performance and implement initiatives to improve activity and retention.

POS and Acquiring Business Management

• Oversee deployment of POS terminals and other payment acceptance devices.

• Monitor POS utilization and performance.

• Analyse acquiring transaction trends.

• Develop strategies to increase card usage and merchant acceptance.

• Ensure timely merchant settlements.

• Oversee effective acquiring operations.

• Optimize acquiring channels to improve customer experience and operational efficiency.

E-Commerce and Digital Payments

• Drive growth and adoption of e-commerce payment solutions.

• Expand digital payment acceptance channels.

• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to deliver innovative payment products and services.

• Monitor digital payments industry trends.

• Recommend enhancements that strengthen the Bank’s competitive position.

International Money Transfer Business

• Manage and grow the Bank’s international money transfer business.

• Develop strategic partnerships to expand international money transfer services.

• Optimize channels to increase transaction volumes.

• Work with remittance partners to improve customer adoption.

• Identify opportunities for new remittance corridors.

• Develop opportunities for value-added remittance services.

• Monitor business performance.

• Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.

Revenue and Financial Management

• Develop business plans for the acquiring portfolio.

• Manage budgets and revenue forecasts.

• Achieve agreed revenue targets.

• Achieve transaction volume targets.

• Meet merchant acquisition targets.

• Drive profitability across the acquiring business.

• Track and analyse business performance indicators.

• Implement corrective actions where necessary.

• Identify opportunities to reduce costs and improve business efficiency.

Product Development and Innovation

• Support development and enhancement of acquiring and payment solutions.

• Support commercialization of new payment products.

• Conduct market research.

• Perform competitor analysis.

• Identify emerging business opportunities.

• Collaborate with Technology, Operations and business teams to implement new products and features.

• Drive innovation to improve customer experience and business performance.

Risk, Compliance and Governance

• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

• Ensure adherence to card scheme rules.

• Ensure compliance with AML/CFT requirements.

• Ensure adherence to the Bank’s internal policies and procedures.

• Monitor acquiring risks.

• Monitor fraud trends.

• Monitor chargebacks and disputes.

• Implement appropriate risk mitigation measures.

• Ensure merchants meet onboarding, KYC and due diligence requirements.

• Support audits and regulatory reviews.

• Support compliance assessments relating to acquiring services.

Operational Management

• Oversee the complete acquiring lifecycle, including:

  • Merchant onboarding

  • Transaction processing

  • Settlement

  • Reconciliation

  • Customer and merchant support

• Ensure service delivery standards are maintained.

• Maintain effective operational controls across acquiring channels.

• Work with Operations, Technology, Risk and Compliance teams to resolve operational issues.

• Identify and implement process improvements.

• Monitor vendor and service provider performance against agreed Service Level Agreements.

Customer Experience

• Champion exceptional merchant and customer experiences across acquiring and payment solutions.

• Address merchant and customer complaints promptly.

• Resolve service-related issues effectively.

• Implement initiatives to improve customer satisfaction.

• Support initiatives that increase customer loyalty and product adoption.

Reporting and Stakeholder Management

• Prepare business performance reports for management and relevant committees.

• Present acquiring business performance and key insights.

• Provide recommendations to support strategic decision-making.

• Build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

• Engage with:

  • Regulators

  • Payment schemes

  • Fintechs

  • Merchants

  • International partners

  • Payment service providers

Leadership and Team Development

• Support, coach and develop team members.

• Establish individual and team performance goals.

• Monitor team performance.

• Promote accountability and continuous improvement.

• Encourage innovation and collaboration.

• Support succession planning.

• Contribute to talent development within the acquiring function.

Qualifications Required

Applicants should have:

• A Bachelor's degree in Banking, Finance or an equivalent field.

• Professional qualifications or experience in Merchant Acquiring and card operations will be an added advantage.

• A Master's degree in Business Administration will be an added advantage.

Experience Required

Candidates should have:

• At least 6 years of relevant professional experience.

• Strong experience in merchant acquiring, card acquiring or digital payments.

• Experience managing merchant portfolios and payment acceptance channels.

• Experience with POS, e-commerce payments, QR payments or other digital payment solutions will be an advantage.

• Experience managing payment partners, fintechs, aggregators and service providers will be beneficial.

• Experience in payment operations, risk, compliance and fraud management will be an advantage.

• Experience in business growth, revenue management and team leadership will be beneficial.

Skills and Competencies

The ideal candidate should demonstrate:

• Strong knowledge of merchant acquiring and digital payments.

• Understanding of card payment and payment acceptance ecosystems.

• Strong commercial and business development capabilities.

• Excellent relationship and stakeholder management skills.

• Strong analytical and financial management abilities.

• Good understanding of payment operations and settlement processes.

• Knowledge of payment-related risk, fraud and compliance requirements.

• Strong negotiation and partnership management skills.

• Excellent leadership and team development capabilities.

• Strong communication and presentation skills.

• Ability to identify market opportunities and translate them into business growth.

• Strong customer-focused approach.

• Ability to manage multiple strategic and operational priorities.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should submit their applications through the official KCB recruitment platform. Applicants should provide accurate information and ensure that their academic qualifications and professional experience meet the requirements for the DFS Manager – Card Acquiring position.

Final Thought

The DFS Manager – Card Acquiring position provides an opportunity for an experienced banking and payments professional to lead merchant acquiring growth while contributing to the expansion of digital payment solutions. Candidates with a Bachelor's degree in Banking, Finance or an equivalent qualification and at least six years of relevant experience should consider applying for this opportunity.